Our usual round-up of local news includes apples, closures, gallopers, crime prevention and fundraising – plus a look back at the carnival, a three-way meeting about a number of matters of local concern, the last consultation about to start with the neighbourhood plan, bee walks and the Newbury Show. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Lambourn area events include Bee Friends Open Day at Sheepdrove and Cricket Championship in East Garston. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities. 

• Carnival success

• Congratulations to the organisers of this year’s Lambourn Carnival & Festival for a wonderful carnival parade on Sunday, with numerous floats, walking entries and a variety of vehicles entertaining locals. It was a fitting tribute to the memory of Jim Bracey who supported the carnival for so many years. Check out all the photos of the event on the Lambourn Carnival & Festival facebook group plus all the raffle prize winners.

On behalf of the committee, Kiri Fowler would like to thank “everyone who volunteered, from marshals to helpers on the field. Also a big thanks to longterm carnival organisers Liz Cox and Louise Wilkins who had stepped down but have been helping and guiding us through our first year without them.”

• Bee Friends open day

Sheepdrove invites you to its lovely Bee Friends open day at 2.30pm this Saturday 31 August. Learn how to identify bumblebees with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, have a tour of Sheepdrove’s bee-friendly teaching and demonstration Market Garden and make your own refreshing smoothie from pollinator-dependent fruit on Hungerford Food Community’s Smoothie Bike. You’ll also be able to purchase fresh produce and plants grown in its market garden and learn about the horticultural courses that take place there – some of them fully or partially funded for local residents. Refreshments will be provided so please RSVP to info@sheepdrove.com with the subject: Attn Rosie re BeeWalk so they know how many to cater for. You are also welcome to bring a picnic, but no dogs please.

• Other news

• Rev Julie Mintern invites residents to call in at The Vicarage, 4 Newbury Street with a bag to pick your own apples off the trees, both eaters and cookers and windfalls for the horses. Just ring the doorbell and come through.

• How well do you know Lambourn? Last chance to enter this Lambourn Carnival photo quiz by 1 September to find out…

• Lambourn Parish Council notifies residents of upcoming road closures: Lambourn High Street will be closed between 8am and 2pm on Sunday 1 September and improvement works on LAMB/54/3, The Folly Road byway, are due to start on Monday 2 September for two weeks. The route will be open, however it may be unsuitable for equestrian traffic during weekday daytime, and the surfaces might be less than ideal evening and weekends.

• Garston Gallopers practice weekly in East Garston Village Hall on Mondays 8pm to 9:30pm and are looking for active, fun-loving people to join as both dancers and musicians. No experience is required but a sense of rhythm helps. Meet them in Hungerford on Sat 31 Aug or at Hungerford Heritage Festival Sun 8 Sep.

• West Berkshire Council needs your views on the bus services it offers, specifically on ticketing improvements over the past year, known as £2 National Single Fare Cap Scheme, as well as other schemes like the West Berkshire Community Connect. You have until 8 September to make your views known here.

• Kath M K Little reports that PCs Dollery and Jenkins completed extensive patrols of West Berkshire and South Oxfordshire recently due to a rise in reports of arson to hay bales. If you see anyone acting suspiciously on farmland please report them on 999/101 as appropriate, and please note that using What 3 Words really helps them find the location quickly.

• Residents of West Berkshire are invited to share their views on proposed changes to on-street parking rules which include adjustments to on-street parking fees and updates to the days and hours these charges will apply. The Council has said the aim is “to standardise parking charges across the district and generate income to support the upkeep and enforcement of parking regulations”, although some have questioned whether the wide range of regulations that would apply in different places could be described as “standardising” matters. Nor do the documents seem completely clear – for example, it’s not obvious what matters are being consulted on and what have already been decided. We suggest that you make any points that you feel are relevant and hope that these will be taken into account. To take part, please complete this survey by midnight on Friday 13 September 2024.

• Nicky Henderson’s Hawaiins are preparing to take to the water again to raise money for Racing Welfare in its boat race, which returns on Wednesday 4 September. To donate to this worthy cause and back the Lambourn team click here.

• Keep up-to-date with planning applications on the excellent Lambourn.org. This is the latest list, published on 10 August 2023.

• Reminder about the Lambourn Valley Community Bus to Wantage. There is no charge for children, and the service runs every Wednesday leaving Great Shefford at 9.05, picking up in East Garston, Eastbury and Lambourn before arriving in Wantage at 9.50am. The return bus leaves Wantage at 12.10pm so you have 2 hours and 20 minutes in the town. Tickets cost just £5 return, but to make the bus viable, 32 passengers need to be on board. Click here for more details.

• Due to increased availability, Greenham Trust is delighted to extend its application deadline for free trees and hedging plants to Monday 9 September. Local schools, councils or charitable organisations can go to greenhamtrust.com/trees and complete an application form. The trees and hedging plants will be indigenous to the UK and supplied bare rooted in the late Autumn, with spirals and canes.

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

• Have your say

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

Replacement of Racecourse Road (Stroud Green) poplar trees – deadline 1 September 2024.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Offer User Voice Survey – deadline 1 September 2024.
West Berkshire Bus Service Survey 2024 – deadline 8 September 2024.
Draft West Berkshire Statement of Gambling Principles 2025-2028 – deadline 12 September 2024.
Draft Parking Review On Street Order Amendment (REF0034IM) – deadline 13 September 2024.

• Latest local newsletters

• Contribute your hedgehog locations in the valley to Lambourn Parish council’s online map here to help create a database to illustrate what resources hedgehogs need in our area.

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

• Local groups can apply for funding from the Lambourn Carnival Committee at lambournfestival@yahoo.com or write to the committee c/o 9 Mill Lane, Lambourn.

• 4LEGS Radio broadcasts on Fridays and Saturday mornings: click here for more information and how to listen any time. If you’d like to get involved in any way contact Chris Capel on 4legsradio@gmail.com. Chris is also very grateful for any financial donations, which will be matched by Greenham Trust here to help cover the overheads of the studio in Eastbury.

• Lambourn’s Animal Food Bank “Helping Dogs and Cats” requests donations to be dropped at: 27 Beales Farm Road, Lambourn RG17 8PZ or contact Kaelie Watts at 078421 93795.

• Textile, clothes and shoes recycling facility next to Woodlands St Mary Sport and Social club.

• East Garston Flood and Pollution Forum sends out topical emails about sewage and flooding. To go on the mailing list please contact Martyn on martynwright345@btinternet.com. Please report any problems to Thames Water regarding flood and sewage issues. Also see our general flood and pollution advice here.

• Lambourn Junction CIC embraces projects by the community for the community and is always keen to build on its achievements. Get in touch here if you want to join the volunteer team.

• Lambourn Growers plant/seed swap station at the porch of 4 Bockhampton Road. Totally self-service. All local growers welcome to join the facebook group here.

• If an overgrown hedge makes it hard to walk along a path, please report it here.

• Free dyslexia advice and help sessions at Lambourn Library. Contact Dyslexia Specialist Jacqui Flisher on 07787 127771. Or, to book a free 30-minute telephone or Zoom call, click here and fill out the contact form.

• The Lambourn Junction supports local families in need and requests donations (food or cash). Please visit its facebook page for available timings or call Julie on 07840 780345.

• Lambourn Sports Club’s ‘A’ darts team welcomes new members to play Thursday evenings. If you are interested, please contact team captain Luke on 07427 460695.

• Lambourn Fire Station is still seeking on-call firefighters who work or live near the station and would like to help the community. See here for more information on the role (which is paid). See here for history of Lambourn Fire Brigade.

• Lambourn Library stocks All Yours Boxes. So if you need support with period products, you can visit the library during opening hours and ask a member of staff, no questions asked. See here for library opening hours.

• Lambourn Sports Club’s “A” darts team welcomes new members. Click here for details or contact team captain Luke on 07427 460695.

Our usual round-up of local news includes floats, fundraising, a tribute, deer, a theft, an interview, and bees – plus the latest update from our sewage action group, a policing survey and nuisance complaints. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Lambourn area events include Lambourn Carnival and Bee Friends Open Day at Sheepdrove. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities. 

• The latest water report

“Following SAGLUV’s senior level meeting with Thames Water’s Waste Water Operations Director,” the latest report from the Sewage Action Group for the Lambourn Upper Valley begins, “and with Lanes’ (contractors) Senior Field Operations manager, that we reported on a few weeks ago, a further meeting was held on 24 July at Regional Field Operations level to go through the detailed work plans for the relining and manhole sealing project starting in Eastbury, followed by East Garston and Great Shefford. We were told that the work would be carried out by specialist contractors, OnSite, commencing at the end of July to be completed by the end of August or early September.

“As it seems that the area hasn’t exactly been overrun with engineers with shovels, pipes and assorted equipment, we followed up progress with TW last week…” SAGLUV’s Martyn Wright then goes on to summarise what has happened, what hasn’t and what (hopefully) will.

Reports about Thames Water’s work in the area often have a whiff of Monty Python’s Cheeseshop sketch with every request being met with a separate reason as to why it can’t be satisfied. The news this time is slightly better than has been the case in the past: and at least the water giant knows that this organisation and others are watching its every move and comparing what’s been promised against what actually happens. It’s a shame that these volunteer regulators are needed but, in this imperfect world, it’s good that they’ve stepped up.

You may be also interested to have a look at two very different views of the problems the water industry faces, one from former Undertone’s front man and environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey and one from our former MP Richard Benyon – click here to see more in the 22 August This Week with Brian.

• How do you think nuisance complaints should be handled?

• Policing in the valley

Quick reminder that there have recently been a number of concerns raised about crimes in Lambourn and the local Police team has responded by asking you to complete a neighbourhood priorities survey for the Hungerford Downlands area. This survey will help shape local policing and their priorities for the coming months.

It will only take about three minutes, so please fill out their survey before 28 August, by clicking here. This is your opportunity to raise your concerns about issues including drug-related crime, speeding and anti-social behaviour in the area.

• Parking questions

Click here for details of a consultation about parking regulations. The document’s full title is, impressively, “Draft Parking Review On Street Order Amendment (REF0034IM), Statutory advertisement of On-street Parking Places amendment and tariff changes”. Documents with such lengthy names are often hard to understand and therefore summarise. This one is no exception.

It appears – and I may have got this wrong as it’s all quite complex – that this is a statutory consultation to change the parking restrictions but not a consultation on the details of the changes themselves (which were consulted on at the turn of last year). Any sense of déjà vu when looking at it can be explained by the fact that you might have seen it earlier this year. There was a  procedural problem with this so it’s had to be re-done.

Despite this limitation on what the consultation can cover, I understand that comments/objections from anyone on any aspect can be provided. However, WBC reserves the right not to consider objections based purely on the charges on the grounds that it has already consulted on them. So I guess the message is include what you want to say and hope that it will make a difference.

• Bus services

West Berkshire Council is looking at the range of bus services it offers and needs your views.

“Over the past few years,” a recent statement says, “we have been working with our residents to gather thoughts on the local bus service. In the summer of 2021, we asked for opinions to help form the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), which led to us receiving £2.6 million in additional funding. Last summer, we sought feedback on the changes and improvements made so far to gauge satisfaction with local bus services.

“Now, we want to hear your views on ticketing improvements over the past year, the £2 National Single Fare Cap Scheme, and the new bus services we are planning to introduce soon. Since last year, we’ve introduced new services, including our on-demand bus West Berkshire Community Connect and others like Community Connect A, 1e and the X34, alongside enhancements to Lime 2/2a and the renamed 32 (formerly known as the LINK).

“We want to hear about your experiences using these services, waiting for a bus, and whether you would like coach services to return to West Berkshire.” You have until 8 September to make your views known.

• Other news

• Members of Lambourn Youth Junction who want to join their Lambourn carnival float are asked to meet on the Sports Club field for 3pm on Sunday 25 August. Their theme is festival so please come dressed up, alternatively there will be youth club T-shirts available for those who prefer. Any questions, please contact them on facebook or text the youth club mobile 07518 175936.

• Nicky Henderson’s Hawaiins are preparing to take to the water again to raise money for Racing Welfare in its boat race, which returns on Wednesday 4 September. To donate to this worthy cause and back the Lambourn team click here.

• Ginette Gibson pays tribute to her father, long-term Lambourn resident Tony Gibson who sadly died last month, peacefully at home in Millfield.

• Lambourn Community Orchard has had a very generous offer of help from Will Riggall at Jockey Club Estates to fence around the entire orchard to protect the trees from deer attack. Permission has been given by West Berkshire Council, who owns the land, so that 4 inch tanalised wood posts with discrete 1m stock fencing (galvanised wire) topped with a single wire will be erected. The Lambourn Environmental Group hopes to sow a wildflower meadow around the orchard within the fence boundary.

• Latest East Garston news includes Garston Gallopers, Over 60s, and reminder to pick up your dog poo… see details here.

• Kiri Fowler from Lambourn Carnival & Festival Committee would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who made a scarecrow this year, and to everyone who took part in the trail. Some 145 trail sheets were sold raising £290 which is being donated to Lambourn Youth Junction. Results will be announced on Carnival Day this Sunday 25 August.

• Lambourn’s biodiversity and conservation farming features in our latest Penny Post Eco Podcast, where Penny finds out about “Pasture for Life” conservation farming at the Brunskill’s Farncombe Farm in Lambourn (from 1:10),  glow worms of the Lambourn Valley (from 40:50) and how the Down to Earth community café in Wantage combats food waste (from 53:10).

• Sheepdrove invites you to its lovely Bee Friends Open Day on Saturday 31 August. See here for more details and how to register. Come and learn to identify bumblebees with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, visit its Bee-Friendly Market Garden and make your own refreshing smoothie from pollinator-dependent fruit on Hungerford Food Community’s Smoothie Bike. You’ll also be able to purchase fresh produce and plants grown in its teaching and demonstration market garden as well as learn about the horticultural courses that take place there – some of them fully or partially funded for local residents.

• If you have any information about the theft from a green Seat Ibiza on B4001 between Lambourn and Sparsholt Firs between 2.15pm and 4pm on the Sunday 18 August, please contact the Police Enquiry Centre on 101 (ref 43240396968). The offender(s) smashed the rear window and stole a white gold necklace with a pink and blue sapphire, green three-piece suit, blue Kath Kiddson hand bag, wallet with £50 inside including driving licence and bank cards, glasses and red osprey rucksack.

• Lambourn Parish Council notifies residents that the High Street Lambourn will be closed between 8am and 2pm on Sunday 1 September. For further information click here.

• Linda Bowden advises residents of Great Shefford that the footpath opposite Spring Meadows road junction is closed from the Wantage Road to where it joins the byway at the top. According to the guys on the ground probably just this week.

• Huge congratulations to everyone who entered their bakes, crafts and produce in the Great Shefford “Best in Show”. Click here for a list of all the results.

• Graham Jones has been a pivotal member of the Lambourn Community for the past 30 years, not only as the owner of the local Pharmacy, but previously as a West Berks Councillor and Leader of the Council. Check out Brian’s interview with Graham here.

• Every month, the excellent Lambourn.org website publishes a list of the live (ie undetermined) planning applications in the parish. As WBC no longer sends letters to neighbours and as the orange notices don’t always get displayed as clearly as they might, this is probably the best way of keeping up-to-date with what plans have been submitted. This is the latest list, published on 10 August 2023.

• If you want to go shopping or take your children to have fun in Wantage this summer climb aboard the Lambourn Community Bus. There is no charge for children and the service runs every Wednesday leaving Great Shefford at 9.05, picking up in East Garston, Eastbury and Lambourn before arriving in Wantage at 9.50am. The return bus leaves Wantage at 12.10pm so you have 2 hours and 20 minutes in the town.  Tickets cost just £5 return but to make the bus viable, 32 passengers need to be on board. Click here for more details.

• How well do you know Lambourn? Enter this Lambourn Carnival photo quiz by 1 September to find out…

• Due to increased availability, Greenham Trust is delighted to extend its application deadline for free trees and hedging plants to Monday 9 September. Local schools, councils or charitable organisations can go to greenhamtrust.com/trees and complete an application form. The trees and hedging plants will be indigenous to the UK and supplied bare rooted in the late Autumn, with spirals and canes.

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

• Have your say

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

Draft Nuisance Policy 2024-2027 – extended deadline 26 August 2024.
Replacement of Racecourse Road (Stroud Green) poplar trees – deadline 1 September 2024.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Offer User Voice Survey – deadline 1 September 2024.
West Berkshire Bus Service Survey 2024 – deadline 8 September 2024.
Draft West Berkshire Statement of Gambling Principles 2025-2028 – deadline 12 September 2024.
Draft Parking Review On Street Order Amendment (REF0034IM) – deadline 13 September 2024.

• Latest local newsletters

• Contribute your hedgehog locations in the valley to Lambourn Parish council’s online map here to help create a database to illustrate what resources hedgehogs need in our area.

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

• Local groups can apply for funding from the Lambourn Carnival Committee at lambournfestival@yahoo.com or write to the committee c/o 9 Mill Lane, Lambourn.

• 4LEGS Radio broadcasts on Fridays and Saturday mornings: click here for more information and how to listen any time. If you’d like to get involved in any way contact Chris Capel on 4legsradio@gmail.com. Chris is also very grateful for any financial donations, which will be matched by Greenham Trust here to help cover the overheads of the studio in Eastbury.

• Lambourn’s Animal Food Bank “Helping Dogs and Cats” requests donations to be dropped at: 27 Beales Farm Road, Lambourn RG17 8PZ or contact Kaelie Watts at 078421 93795.

• Textile, clothes and shoes recycling facility next to Woodlands St Mary Sport and Social club.

• East Garston Flood and Pollution Forum sends out topical emails about sewage and flooding. To go on the mailing list please contact Martyn on martynwright345@btinternet.com. Please report any problems to Thames Water regarding flood and sewage issues. Also see our general flood and pollution advice here.

• Lambourn Junction CIC embraces projects by the community for the community and is always keen to build on its achievements. Get in touch here if you want to join the volunteer team.

• Lambourn Growers plant/seed swap station at the porch of 4 Bockhampton Road. Totally self-service. All local growers welcome to join the facebook group here.

• If an overgrown hedge makes it hard to walk along a path, please report it here.

• Free dyslexia advice and help sessions at Lambourn Library. Contact Dyslexia Specialist Jacqui Flisher on 07787 127771. Or, to book a free 30-minute telephone or Zoom call, click here and fill out the contact form.

• The Lambourn Junction supports local families in need and requests donations (food or cash). Please visit its facebook page for available timings or call Julie on 07840 780345.

• Lambourn Sports Club’s ‘A’ darts team welcomes new members to play Thursday evenings. If you are interested, please contact team captain Luke on 07427 460695.

• Lambourn Fire Station is still seeking on-call firefighters who work or live near the station and would like to help the community. See here for more information on the role (which is paid). See here for history of Lambourn Fire Brigade.

• Lambourn Library stocks All Yours Boxes. So if you need support with period products, you can visit the library during opening hours and ask a member of staff, no questions asked. See here for library opening hours.

• Lambourn Sports Club’s “A” darts team welcomes new members. Click here for details or contact team captain Luke on 07427 460695.

Our usual round-up of local news includes wildlife rescue, scarecrows, bees, a re-opening, a quiz and best in show – plus fines that may not quite be fines, a look ahead to our forthcoming newsletter and Eastbury’s nature count. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Lambourn area events include Lambourn Flower & Produce Show and Great Shefford’s Best in Show. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities. 

• Eastbury’s nature count

St James Church in Eastbury has a Silver Eco Church award and is pleased to report a very positive outcome from this year’s Count on Nature Week despite the challenging weather at the time.

Using the same four two-metre square quadrants as in 2021, churchyard gardeners kindly let the grass grow for a month or so leading up to the count which took place in the middle of June. The count established that on balance their churchyard management plan is sustaining a wider variety of plants and bird life than in 2021, a testament to the gardeners who meticulously strive to be sensitive towards the needs of both people and wildlife. Records will be submitted by Deborah Phillips, Newbury Deanery Environmental Lead, to iNaturalist, and local specialists will be invited to look for grassland fungi in Autumn.

The church cares for its grassland habitat, in collaboration with paid and volunteer gardeners fostering best practice from Caring for God’s Acre, A Rocha UK and Upper Thames Butterfly Conservation. For more details see here.

Three water companies including ThamesWater have been recently hit with “proposed” fines totalling £168m, about £104m of this being for Thames Water. A statement from Ofwat describes “a catalogue of failure… in how they ran their sewage works.”

Hang on – what’s the “proposed” doing there? Are these companies being fined or not? Well, yes and no.

As I understand the new arrangements that are currently being introduced, a Water Restoration Fund (WRF) has been set up, into which it seems these fines will be paid, rather than their vanishing, as previously, into the bottomless pit of the Treasury’s piggy bank and used to pay for cluster bombs and HS2 consultants. The WRF will enable grants “to restore and enhance the water environment in specified geographical areas.”

However, a number of details seem uncertain. The fund currently only handles fines issued between April 2022 and October 2023 and it’s unclear if this will be continued for later periods (and, if it isn’t, where the fines will go). The 2024 applications closed in June and I’m not sure if there will be others. Many hope that the WRF will be extended and its funding increased. There are certainly no shortage of projects which could benefit.

As to why the “fines” are not simply fines, it’s been argued that this is an imperfect solution as the water companies then have less money to spend on their core business. It will also bring closer the day of reckoning when they run out of money altogether.

It seems that Ofwat will instead be prepared to accept, in place of at least part of the fines, cast-iron guarantees that the companies will make specific investments in a particular period. The “fine” would thus be seen more as a suspended sentence, to be invoked if these improvements aren’t achieved.

It seems likely that some of this money will, however, be paid as a fine in which case, subject to the uncertainties touched on above, this might go to the WRF. This would enable local environmental groups such as Action for the River Kennet (ARK) to bid for water-improvement projects, even if these were not directly caused by the water company in question.

One such might be, as we mentioned before, creating reed beds just downstream of where the M4 crosses the Lambourn at Easton, where ARK earlier this year identified harrowing levels of pollution caused by motorway run-off. It seems this could be addressed for a ridiculously small sum like £50,000 if the landowners were willing (which I believe they are), but it’s a project that Highways England (HE) seems reluctant to fund, or even acknowledge to be a particular problem.

It seems that insufficient attention has been paid to the pollution from road run-off, which is in many ways worse than that from sewage. The fact that no-one seems to have over-arching responsibility for monitoring and tackling it is the first problem that needs solving.

The fines mentioned so far are just from Ofwat, which is basically concerned with the business regulation aspect of the water companies. Matters resulting from environmental pollution are the responsibility of the Environment Agency, which I understand is also brewing up for a similar announcement.

• The Valley of the Racehorse

The next edition of our regular monthly e-newsletter for the upper Lambourn Valley will be published on 10 August, providing in-depth coverage of the area bounded by Upper Lambourn, Membury, Shefford Woodlands and East Shefford. If there’s anything you’d like to contribute, please email penny@pennypost.org.uk as soon as possible.

• Other news

• Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue, which covers our part of West Berkshire, needs more volunteers in a range of roles from answering phones, admin work, animal care, fundraising, wildlife ambulance drivers, maintenance work, and more. See here for details.

• Quick reminder that Lambourn Carnival’s Disney-themed Scarecrow Trail runs until 16 August. Trail maps are on sale for £2 from The George, The Wheel, Goodies or Universal Stores. Proceeds in aid of Lambourn Junction Youth Club.

• Click here for the latest monthly diary from Richard Hawthorne, head Teacher of John O’Gaunt School in Hungerford. This month, he reflects on pay increases, tight budgets, a virtual triathlon, books, rewards, sports, transition and the right ethos.

• After all the flooding and repairs, Trindledown Animal Welfare Trust in Great Shefford is pleased to be able to re-open its paddock for hire bookings. The field is a perfect secure location for dog exercise.  Times and days have changed slightly to coincide with their new opening hours. See here for details and how to book.

• How well do you know Lambourn? Enter this Lambourn Carnival photo quiz by 1 September to find out!

• If you have up to 49 poultry or other birds you need to register them with APHA (Animal & Plant Health Agency) by 1 October. This includes any birds you keep as pets but not budgies, cockatiels and finches if they are always kept indoors. By registering with APHA, you will receive updates and guidance if there’s a disease outbreak (such as bird flu) in your area and you’ll help prevent the spread of disease and protect all kept birds, including back yard flocks. See more here.

• Don’t miss the charm and excitement of Great Shefford’s Annual Village Best in Show event on Sunday 18 August. A day brimming with fun, competition, and community spirit, perfect for the whole family.

• Lambourn Sports Club is taking bookings from all car-boot sellers, small businesses, crafts and entertainment for the Summer Fete on Saturday 17 August. Car boot spaces cost £10 and a small business/craft space costs £20, but all must be booked and paid for in advance. Simply comment on the facebook post here and Cathy will contact you.

• Sheepdrove has a date for your diary: join them on Saturday 31 August for a lovely Summer Celebration Bee Walk. See here for more details and how to register.

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

• Have your say

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

Argyle Road, Hampton Road and Derby Road, Newbury: Proposed 20mph speed limit – deadline 9 August 2024.
Draft Nuisance Policy 2024-2027 – deadline 19 August 2024.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Offer User Voice Survey – deadline 1 September 2024.
West Berkshire Bus Service Survey 2024 – deadline 8 September 2024.
Draft West Berkshire Statement of Gambling Principles 2025-2028 – deadline 12 September 2024.

• Latest local newsletters

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

• Local groups can apply for funding from the Lambourn Carnival Committee at lambournfestival@yahoo.com or write to the committee c/o 9 Mill Lane, Lambourn.

• 4LEGS Radio broadcasts on Fridays and Saturday mornings: click here for more information and how to listen any time. If you’d like to get involved in any way contact Chris Capel on 4legsradio@gmail.com. Chris is also very grateful for any financial donations, which will be matched by Greenham Trust here to help cover the overheads of the studio in Eastbury.

• Lambourn’s Animal Food Bank “Helping Dogs and Cats” requests donations to be dropped at: 27 Beales Farm Road, Lambourn RG17 8PZ or contact Kaelie Watts at 078421 93795.

• Textile, clothes and shoes recycling facility next to Woodlands St Mary Sport and Social club.

• East Garston Flood and Pollution Forum sends out topical emails about sewage and flooding. To go on the mailing list please contact Martyn on martynwright345@btinternet.com. Please report any problems to Thames Water regarding flood and sewage issues. Also see our general flood and pollution advice here.

• Lambourn Junction CIC embraces projects by the community for the community and is always keen to build on its achievements. Get in touch here if you want to join the volunteer team.

• Lambourn Growers plant/seed swap station at the porch of 4 Bockhampton Road. Totally self-service. All local growers welcome to join the facebook group here.

• If an overgrown hedge makes it hard to walk along a path, please report it here.

• Free dyslexia advice and help sessions at Lambourn Library. Contact Dyslexia Specialist Jacqui Flisher on 07787 127771. Or, to book a free 30-minute telephone or Zoom call click here and fill out the contact form.

• The Lambourn Junction supports local families in need and requests donations (food or cash). Please visit its facebook page for available timings or call Julie on 07840 780345.

• Lambourn Sports Club’s ‘A’ darts team welcomes new members to play Thursday evenings. If you are interested, please contact team captain Luke on 07427 460695.

• Lambourn Fire Station is still seeking on-call firefighters who work or live near the station and would like to help the community. See here for more information on the role (which is paid). See here for history of Lambourn Fire Brigade.

• Lambourn Library stocks All Yours Boxes. So if you need support with period products, you can visit the library during opening hours and ask a member of staff, no questions asked. See here for library opening hours.

• Lambourn Sports Club’s “A” darts team welcomes new members. Click here for details or contact team captain Luke on 07427 460695.

Our usual round-up of local news includes gold, parking, projects, prizes, stalls and activities – plus the latest on Shefford’s flood defence scheme, a summer celebration in East Garston, a water update and a response from Lambourn PC about crime in the village. See also below for community notices and news from your local council.

Upcoming Lambourn area events include Summer Celebration. See below for details, plus regular events and group activities. 

• Shefford’s flood scheme

On 30 July we received the following update from the Environment Agency regarding this important project:

“We normally have monthly project meetings for the Great Shefford Flood Alleviation Scheme and now that construction is underway, they are held on site.  Today, Tuesday 30 July, was our second meeting held on site, and I was delighted to see the progress over the last month.

“The transition chamber (basically the section between the pipeline and the open channel) now has all the steel work in place and I’m told that the concrete will be poured later this week. In terms of the pipeline, 52 lengths of pipe out of a total of 250 lengths, have now been delivered to site. Excavation of the pipeline itself has also started and the first lengths of pipe will presumably be laid this week.

“And now for some good news: at the community meeting we held in the village school during April, we talked about the need for a full road closure of the Wantage Road during works to construct the offtake structure and the bank raising works described above. Thank you to all those who raised their concerns about the impacts of this.

“As a result of this feedback, I know everyone will be pleased to know that BAM [the supplier of the EV chargers] has reassessed its method of works and has determined a way of getting this work done safely, with only a single lane closure instead of the full road closure. BAM is currently applying to West Berkshire Council for the necessary permissions required for this.”

It appears that all the key elements of the scheme will be finished by sometime in December 2024, although some of the landscaping and other final work will run over into early 2025.

This Saturday 3 August from 3pm to 5pm, East Garston Quakers invite you to a Summer Celebration in its Labyrinth Garden in the Meeting House opposite the Village Hall. There will be tea and cakes, a soothing sound bath, mandala crafting, live piano music, a wildlife art exhibition, a chance to have a go at sketching and buy pottery from village potter Hilary Reem.

There will also be an opportunity to do a Big Butterfly Count and, of course, walk the grass labyrinth. What is a labyrinth you may ask? It is like a circular maze where the path twists and turns but there are no choices to make so it’s very relaxing, like a moving meditation. Entry is free and all ages welcome.

• SAGLUV update

A reminder that you can click here to see the latest report from the Sewage Action Group for the Lambourn Upper Valley (SAGLUV). As it begins by saying, although the groundwater levels are falling and the threat of sewage discharges are thus low, not only can this change at short notice but also this provides an ideal window for Thames Water (TW) to do investigation work and repairs. The report also looks in some detail at a meeting involving SAGLUV, other local representatives and TW on 15 July.

• Crime in Lambourn

Some residents have recently expressed concern about crime and anti-social behaviour in Lambourn. This led to the following response from the Chair of the Parish Council, Vicky Rieunier:

“Thank you for your email outlining your concerns regarding crime and anti-social behaviour in Lambourn. We understand your frustration and share your desire to create a safer community for everyone.

“The Parish Council takes these matters very seriously. Last month at the Memorial Hall we hosted a Police and Sovereign homes drop-in session.  Five police officers, a representative from Sovereign Homes, and 12 members of the public attended the session, as well as social media and email submissions, which were duly discussed.

“Speeding and drugs were the foremost topics in the conversation and the Police representative went into considerable detail explaining the challenges faced in policing these matters. Please click here for a link to the news post of the meeting on our website.

“The drop-in session was then discussed at the July monthly Full Council meeting (please click here to view the minutes).  We publish the minutes online and on one of the two noticeboards located at the front of the Memorial Hall. At the meeting, we agreed to investigate the possibility of purchasing redeployable CCTV – this was based on a recommendation by the Police Officers in attendance.

“As you may be aware, the Neighbourhood Watch scheme relies heavily on the dedication and commitment of volunteers to coordinate and participate in its activities. While the Parish Council is supportive of the concept and would happily work alongside a dedicated group of residents, unfortunately we do not currently have the resources to establish and maintain such a scheme ourselves.

“However, if a group of residents is keen to take on this initiative, we would be delighted to offer our support, including assistance with publicity, liaising with the police, and potentially providing any relevant resources. We agree that a community-led approach would be an effective way to address the issues you have raised.

“The Parish Council is committed to supporting residents in their efforts to create a safer community and would be happy to offer assistance and guidance where possible.”

• Other news

• Congratulations to local rider Katie Bradburne (daughter of Gee and Mark Bradburne) who was part of the Great Britain’s Pony Team which claimed a Team Gold at the FEI Pony European Championships at Sentower Park in Belgium last week.

• Last chance to have your say here about changes to parking arrangements in Newbury, Thatcham, Hungerford, Lambourn, Pangbourne and Theale, including limiting Blue Badge parking to 3 hours. The survey closes at midnight on Friday 2 August.

• Lambourn Junction CIC has become synonymous with embracing projects by the community for the community, but is always keen to build on their acheivements. Get in touch here if you want to join the volunteer team.

• It’s the last chance to get involved in The Big Butterfly Count which runs until Sunday 4 August. Given that the weather has taken a turn for the better at the moment, why not take the opportunity to assess the state of our butterfly population. Click here for more information.

• Lambourn Carnival’s Disney-themed Scarecrow Trail starts Friday 2 August and runs until 16 August. Trail maps are on sale for £2 from The George, The Wheel, Goodies or Universal Stores. Proceeds in aid of Lambourn Junction Youth Club.

• Don’t miss the charm and excitement of Great Shefford’s Annual Village Best in Show Event on Sunday 18 August. A day brimming with fun, competition, and community spirit, perfect for the whole family.

• Lambourn Sports Club is taking bookings from all car-boot sellers, small businesses, crafts and entertainment for The Summer Fete on Saturday 17 August. Car boot spaces cost £10 and a small business/craft space costs £20, but all must be booked and paid for in advance. Simply comment on the facebook post here and Cathy will contact you.

• Berkshire Vision is a local sight-loss charity providing a wide range of support services to anyone who is blind or visually impaired in Berkshire, including a full programme of adapted sports and social activities lined up for August. With opportunities to enjoy a drink and a chat at one of its social groups across the county to swimming, dragon boating, tandem cycling and much more. For full information call 0118 987 2803 or click 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.

• Have your say

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

Draft Parking Review of Off-Street Parking Places Amendment 13 (REF0013IM) – deadline 2 August 2024.
Argyle Road, Hampton Road and Derby Road, Newbury: Proposed 20mph speed limit – deadline 9 August 2024.
Draft Nuisance Policy 2024-2027 – deadline 19 August 2024.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Offer User Voice Survey – deadline 1 September 2024.
West Berkshire Bus Service Survey 2024 – deadline 8 September 2024.
Draft West Berkshire Statement of Gambling Principles 2025-2028 – deadline 12 September 2024.

• Latest local newsletters

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

• Local groups can apply for funding from the Lambourn Carnival Committee at lambournfestival@yahoo.com or write to the committee c/o 9 Mill Lane, Lambourn.

• 4LEGS Radio broadcasts on Fridays and Saturday mornings: click here for more information and how to listen any time. If you’d like to get involved in any way contact Chris Capel on 4legsradio@gmail.com. Chris is also very grateful for any financial donations, which will be matched by Greenham Trust here to help cover the overheads of the studio in Eastbury.

• Lambourn’s Animal Food Bank “Helping Dogs and Cats” requests donations to be dropped at: 27 Beales Farm Road, Lambourn RG17 8PZ or contact Kaelie Watts at 078421 93795.

• Textile, clothes and shoes recycling facility next to Woodlands St Mary Sport and Social club.

• East Garston Flood and Pollution Forum sends out topical emails about sewage and flooding. To go on the mailing list please contact Martyn on martynwright345@btinternet.com. Please report any problems to Thames Water regarding flood and sewage issues. Also see our general flood and pollution advice here.

• The Lambourn Junction needs your help by nominating the Lambourn Junction Community Interest Company for a £1,000 grant by nominating them on the movementforgood website and casting your vote.

• Lambourn Growers plant/seed swap station at the porch of 4 Bockhampton Road. Totally self-service. All local growers welcome to join the facebook group here.

• If an overgrown hedge makes it hard to walk along a path, please report it here.

• Free dyslexia advice and help sessions at Lambourn Library. Contact Dyslexia Specialist Jacqui Flisher on 07787 127771. Or, to book a free 30-minute telephone or Zoom call click here and fill out the contact form.

• The Lambourn Junction supports local families in need and requests donations (food or cash). Please visit its facebook page for available timings or call Julie on 07840 780345.

• Lambourn Sports Club’s ‘A’ darts team welcomes new members to play Thursday evenings. If you are interested, please contact team captain Luke on 07427 460695.

• Lambourn Fire Station is still seeking on-call firefighters who work or live near the station and would like to help the community. See here for more information on the role (which is paid). See here for history of Lambourn Fire Brigade.

• Lambourn Library stocks All Yours Boxes. So if you need support with period products, you can visit the library during opening hours and ask a member of staff, no questions asked. See here for library opening hours.

• Lambourn Sports Club’s ‘A’ darts team welcomes new members. Click here for details or contact team captain Luke on 07427 460695.