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RESCUE

Rivers and Environmental Space Clean Up Exercise
15^th March

It went well; gentle exercise was promised and it arrived in abundance.

RESCUE

Rivers and Environmental Space Clean Up Exercise
15^th & 16^th March

Newtown GLOBE will be co-ordinating teams of volunteers at various locations around Newtown, Kennetmouth and Palmer Park.

Meet at

The Warehouse

1A Cumberland Road

15^th March from 1000 hr.

Tools, Gloves, Bin Bags supplied.
All we need now are some volunteers.
You can get Lots of Gentle Exercise; walking, bending, stretching and lifting, - and it won't cost you a penny.

Minimum Wage

Thousands of workers are being short-changed by firms who refuse to pay the national minimum wage, .

A survey for union organisation the TUC found around 150,000 staff are being denied rate of £5.52 an hour for adults and £4.60 for 18 to 21-year-olds, it says.

Those in restaurants, hotels, cleaning, hairdressing and childcare are most likely to be underpaid.

"If you know somebody who is not being paid the minimum wage, now is the time to help them. If you know a Scrooge employer who is not paying workers a decent wage for a fair day's work, now is the time to report them."

Employers can be reported to the minimum wage helpline on 0845 6000 678.

Independent Transport Commission - Public Hearings

Thursday 17 January 2008

Tuesday 22 January 2008

Monday 28 January 2008

HMRC débâcle

Today I received email from (apparently) the UK Government Alerting and Advisory Service for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Security

East Reading Safer Community Forum

has published its Autumn newsletter.
Please note that the former Rupert Square Information Shop is now NISS at the Sun Street Community Centre.

Biscuit Train

For decades Huntley & Palmer was the major employer in the town and were also responsible for building most of New Town. At its peak the factory employed 6,000 men and women. The business of producing and distributing biscuits required bakers, packers, clerks, blacksmiths, carpenters, drivers and shunters.

Huntley & Palmers' Locomotive No. 1 (aka the Biscuit Train) is a unique machine from the H&P sidings where is moved wagons of biscuits from the company sidings to the Railway goods yard. The engine is currently at Cholsey & Wallingford Railway and the Kenavon Railway Group wants to bring it home to Reading.

Transport Commissioner Calls For Evidence

Sir Brian Briscoe - Reading's newly appointed Transport Commissioner - has called for residents, businesses and organisations with views and ideas on the issue of traffic and transport in central Reading to come forward.

The Public Commission is particularly interested to hear from people with new ideas to solve the transport issues facing Reading. Visit the Council site for more details.

Ageing Well?

Your chance to tell Reading Borough Council what you want as you get older. This web page explains and includes a pdf survey form to download. This is the form

If you are over 50 you are invited you to take part in the survey.

Your Vote

Reading Borough Council are sending out electoral registration forms to those who have not yet supplied details.
If you are not registered you will lose your opportunity to vote in future elections.
If you have not registered please complete the form before October.

Registering for other services or paying Council Tax does not register you to vote.

Newtown GLOBE Meeting

at Werehouse 1a Cumberland Road

for further details see groups.yahoo.com/group/newtownglobe/

Samaritans Information Meeting

11 Dec 2007
Reading Samaritans need more volunteers to help answer over 30,000 calls, emails and visits every year from people in emotional distress or at risk of suicide.
Come to an open Information Meeting to find out about what they do, how they train and support, and how to begin what may be the most rewarding thing you ever do.
During this informal event, current volunteers will describe the work that we do and what is involved in being a Samaritans volunteer. This meeting is being held in

Reading Samaritans Centre
59a Cholmeley Road
Reading
from 20:00 to 21:30

- call Reading Samaritans on 0118 926 6333 and ask for an information pack, or email recruit at readingsamaritans.org.uk

National Poetry Day

Make your dreams come true on National Poetry Day, Thursday 4th October 2007

The 14th annual National Poetry Day celebrates the theme, Dreams, on Thursday 4th October with readers, young and old, enjoying poetry across the UK. A huge range of events are planned including a Dream Tour of the nation’s four capital cities.

A licence to be poetic for the day, National Poetry Day invites everyone to explore the theme of dreams, to appreciate works inspired by dreams and even create poetry about their dreams. Poetry with the theme of dreams abounds, describing magical and mythical other worlds, love, relationships, inspirations and desires. The theme offers broad scope to inspire people of all ages and cultures to be poetic for the day.    more...

An Evening of International Dance

Friday 28 September, 2007, 7.30pm
The Willink School, Burghfield Common

Salsa Dance, Belly Dance, Line Dance, Scottiish Dance, street Dance, Indian Dance and more.

An evening of international dance in aid of Save the Children.

Refreshments, Licensed bar and raffle all available throughout the evening.

Tickets: £5 per head (£6 on the door)
Tel: 07990 531724, 07971 241222, or 0118 982 0189

Flooding Risk?

The Environment Agency provide a Flood Warning service which you can see here...
Reading is, not surprisingly, in the Thames region.

For further information about flooding and warnings in force contact the Agency's Floodline on 0845 988 1188.

The Local Authority will issue flood warnings if necessary and these will also be broadcast on Local Radio.

Additionally warnings about floods and major incidents can be received via SMS from...

CATS

City Alert Texting System - "CATS has been especially designed as a means of getting vital and important information to members of the general public in any specific area in seconds in the event of an emergency or incident that requires immediate action or even evacuation."

CATS will warn registered users about floods, major accidents and Terrorist threats All postcodes within the U.K. are now being accepted on the CATS. network. CATS is the first media channel that allows messages to be sent directly to mobile phones that have been registered on the system for a particular area, you can register more than one post code but these must be registered individually and each postcode will be charged at the rate of £1.50 per post code on all major phone networks by reverse billed text message. (It's slightly different for Virgin phone users - see the website for details)

This is the link to CATS. I haven't registered my phone yet and I can't tell you if CATS is any good, but the site graphics are nice. Cost is £1.50 per postcode registered per year. I could register my elderly and frail relatives postcodes then I'd know if they are at risk. System operates round the clock, all year and is probably as good as the emergency control centre for the postcode registered.

Chalk Mines

This 'Subterranea Britannica' article on the Emmer Green (Hanover) mine includes remarkable photos of the mine and provides a wealth of information about the mine.

Hosepipe ban cancelled

Thames Water continues to lose about 10 thousand litres (10 tonnes) of treated water per second.

Can We Recycle?

The first two-week cycle of collections saw the amount of recycled waste increase by 41% (RBC figure)

A Thames Bestiary

"An utterly enchanting compilation that displays the enormous debt our artistic creativity owes to the natural world".
- Stefan Buczacki, author of Fauna Britannica, Garden Natural History, etc.

A richly illustrated book wherein short poems of intense observation are mixed with urban myths, strange facts, and plausible fictions. A Thames Bestiary features both the most obvious birds and beasts such as Mallard, Heron, Pike and Trout, but also more recent arrivals (or re-arrivals): Otter and Red Kite. More overlooked species such as Blackcap, Daubenton's bat, Puss moth, and Water beetle all find their way into this little volume.

This is the book that artist and Two Rivers Press’s founder Pete Hay was working on, with his long-term collaborator Geoff Sawers, at the time of his early death in 2003. With the help of new work from Sawers, and carefully-patched sketches and drafts from Hay, we have a complete work. It is luminous, bizarre, and consistently entertaining.

Two Rivers Press, now in its 14th year, is a Reading-based publishing co-operative with over 50 titles to its name, specialising in books of local interest and poetry by local authors.

“A deft mixture of traditional lore and dew-fresh observation, A Thames Bestiary offers us, by turns, a wry, tender, ribald and always joyful celebration of the wildlife still thriving on the banks and in the waters of England's one great river.”
- Mark Cocker, author of Birders and Birds Britannica.

A Thames Bestiary
72 pp. 168 x 128 mm, £7.00

See Two Rivers Press for an order form and for a complete book list.

PS

they also have Postcards from the Hedgehog by A.F. Harrold

East Reading Festival 2007

Put it in your diary now.

The East Reading Festival 17th - 20th May.

Things are happening all around East Reading over the four days and everything(*) will be happening at Palmer Park on Sunday 20th.

Reading Borough Council will be publishing details closer to the date.

* This is a specialised use of the word 'everything' that does not preclude things also happening elsewhere. Neither RBC nor eastreading.com will be liable if you are unable to find a particular 'thing' happening at Palmer Park.

Watch out for the East Reading Newsletter.

Festival Radio

Turn on and tune in to the East Reading Festival Radio on 87.9fm:
17 to 20 May - 24 hours a day

Call the studio on 0118 948 4554<BR> or visit www.readingcommunityradio.org

More details on this poster

Your Reading

The Cleaner, Greener, Safer Roadshow

Thursday 26 April
11am - 2pm, Broad Street

The Streetcare team will be offering advice on recycling and composting.

ANZAC Day

25 April 1915 - The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps joined British and French forces in an attempt to invade Turkey and control the Dardanelles. The attempt failed with great loss of life.

Since then - In Australia, New Zealand and Turkey the day is marked by dawn services and parades. This is the view from Adelaide..

"There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us
Where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours. "
President of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

"You the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears.
Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.
Having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well." President of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Newtown Globe

On Thursday 30th of November, Newtown GLOBE held their awareness raising meeting on the new Cross Town Route.

The meeting was well attended with approximately 60 people in the audience.

Councillor Tony Page spoke in favour of the scheme but also pointed out some of its weaknesses. The Thames Valley Business Park Management agents also issued a statement in favour of the scheme. Veteran campaigner from the first Cross Town Route in the 1990s, Brian Wright spoke passionately against the scheme and local campaigner Peter Burt presented a balanced critique of the scheme and raised some pertinent questions. The meeting was chaired by the Chair of Newtown GLOBE Rob White.

Local people were angry, concerned and opposed to loss of green space round the Kennet Mouth area.

They felt that communication from council had been poor. Especially considering the council had presented this scheme to the business park, but not local people.

They also felt that there were a lot of unanswered questions and wanted to know why the council hadn't provided an officer to speak at the meeting despite a months notice.

Reading's 2020 vision and growth strategy were called into question if they meant building on our green space and reducing quality of life for local people.

Lots of ideas for tackling Reading's transport problems were suggested from the audience including extending the bus lane down London Road towards the A329(M), congestion charging, better walking and cycling facilities, and a new train station at the Thames Valley Park.

It was felt that talk of a tunnel under Kennet Mouth and a light rail scheme, on the part of the council was both impractical and unworkable.

Chair of Newtown GLOBE and the meeting Rob White said:

"I was very pleased with the way the meeting went. Lots of people attended, and I feel we achieved our objective of raising more awareness of this scheme"

"I was disappointed however, that council officers had presented on this scheme to the Thames Valley Business Park businesses, but despite a months notice were unavailable to talk to local people."

Exhibition - Sir Stanley Spencer

The Spencer Gallery's collection of Stanley Spencer's paintings and drawings will be on display in the Art Gallery at Reading Museum while the Cookham Gallery is being refurbished. The exhibition will run from 4 November 2006 to 22 April 2007

Stanley Spencer was born and lived in the Thames-side village of Cookham in Berkshire. He studied at the Slade School of Art UCL in London from 1908 to 1912.   Spencer developed a naïve style. Many of his works are religious in nature; some set Biblical scenes in Cookham and depicted the villagers as characters from Scripture.
The Stanley Spencer Gallery website www.stanleyspencer.org.uk/ provides information on the works temporarily at Reading and gives thumbnail images (and sketches) of these outstanding paintings and drawings.

Junk

Every day I get dozens of emails that I must not read. You might get similar ones.

NEVER open emails that tell you someone bought you a winning lottery ticket - how many lottery tickets do you buy for people you've never heard of?   Well, they bought some for you in return.

NEVER respond to emails offering a cut of the many millions of (usually) US Dollars stolen by a (foreign) government minister.

NEVER open the emails offering 300% return on anything.

The 'astute stock market tips' are sent by people who tell lies to create spamming websites and tell further lies about the email addresses used. They expect me to buy the shares?

This junk comes from people who are out to get your money.

Their sole purpose is to get your money. They aren't interested in facts, they selectively edit information and expect you to accept it.

Other junk comes through the letter-box. It even appears in 'Newspapers'. Where will it turn up next?

Reader's Digest

A Reader's Digest survey placed Reading 408th, in a list of Good Places to Live.

It was reported by BBC News - I can't imagine why.

Kennet Crew Art Exhibition

2 - 5pm on Saturday 24th March 2007
at the Sun Street Youth Centre.

Young people from Kennet Walk have been working on an art project for 6 months and now they want to show you what they have achieved.

Graffiti Masterpieces	Glass and ceramic collection
Street dance performance 4pm	Photographic displays

Kennet Crew Art Exhibition

Congratulations to the Kennet Crew on the success of the exhibition on Sat 24th March.
       

While it may be invidious to show only some of the exhibits, you really needed to be there.

I was particularly pleased to see poetry at the exhibition. This wasn't mentioned on the flyer and came as a very pleasant surprise.

Postal & Proxy Votes

Nearly 3,000 residents are being urged to make fresh applications for postal or proxy votes ahead of the local elections in May.

Reading Borough Council made the plea after only 11,825 of the 14,821 people registered for those votes sent copies of their signature and date of birth.

The 2,996 residents who did not respond must ensure the council receives a new form by 1700 GMT on 18 April.

RESCUE 2007

March 10 & 11 March 2007. GLOBE groups, and others, throughout Reading will be 'spring-cleaning' their local environment.

Newtown GLOBE will be litter-picking in the woods between Kennetmouth and Tesco's store.

This is an incredible opportunity to combine fresh air and gentle exercise and Newtown GLOBE invite you to join them any time between 10 and 2 on Sunday 11 March.

But don't be shy - if you see a group of people picking litter don't wait for a formal introduction; stop and have a chat.

Reading RESCUE 2007 - saving the planet one bit at a time.

GLOBE Workparty

The Newtown GLOBE group will be meeting by the foot-bridge adjacent to the 'Jolly Angler' at 10.00am on the 27th January. They will be weeding, mulching, planting and pruning as well as generally tidying up this patch of Green Newtown.

All this exercise is free and GLOBE will be delighted to share it with you.

KBCA - AGM

The Special General Meeting will be held at
Weirside Court
on Thursday 15 Feb at 7pm.

It is assumed that this special meeting will resolve the problems thay have experienced and that the Annual General Meeting can be scheduled.

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting will be held at

St John's Parish Room

Orts Road

19 March 2007

Neighbourhood Policing

in the Redlands/University area

A public meeting, to identify issues that affect you, will be held on
Wednesday 31 January
at St Luke’s Church,
Erleigh Road
at 7.30pm

The neighbourhood teams and volunteers will be carrying out street briefings to identify people’s priorities in the area.

Monday 22 January	7pm	Jubilee Road
Tuesday 23 January	7pm	The Mount, near Progress Theatre
Wednesday 24 January	6pm	Erleigh Road shops
Monday 29 January	7pm	Whiteknights Hall Dining Room

The teams are supervised by Sgt Dai Davies who in turn is overseen by Insp Kevin Sinfield.

Redlands Neighbourhood Team

PC Pete Flint - PCSO Jonathan Hare - PCSO Becky Platt

University Neighbourhood Team

Pc Neil Witcombe - PCSO Claire Tickner - PCSO Jason Gregory

For more information contact Lauren Breheny (x4840)

Proposed Changes To School Admission Timings - a Consultation

Views are invited on plans for 'Once A Year' admissions to Primary Schools.

The consultation document is available on the council website at the page given below and the pdf available from the 'related information' page includes the questionnaire form;
alternatively the questionnaire may be completed online.

Copies of the questionnaire should also be available at the Civic Centre Reception and libraries.

The closing date for return of completed questionnaires will be 22 December and the outcome of the consultation will be reported to the public Cabinet meeting held on 15 January 2007.

for further details see -
www.reading.gov.uk/NewsArticle.asp?id=SX14A8-A78202C1

Newtown GLOBE

Reading Councillor John Howarth and Wokingham Councillor Anthony Pokkock have been invited to speak in support of the plan.
Peter Burt and Brian Wright will be speaking against the plan.

The meeting will be at Wycliffe Baptist Church hall on Thursday 30th November. Door opens at 18:45 for a 20:00 hr 19:45 to 22:00. start.

You are invited - come to the meeting, have a listen , look at the plans, ask any questions and make up your own mind about the new Cross Town Route.

[The next Newtown GLOBE group meeting will be at at The Warehouse on Wednesday 6 Dec at 1930 hr.]

Junk Mail (aka Direct Marketing)

You can stop much of addressed junk mail by registering with the Mailing Preference Service online at www.mpsonline.org.uk or call 0845 7034 599 to request an application form. The online site also allows you to register with the Telephone and Fax preference services.

Missing

Black tomcat, 10 months old, with a small white star on his chest - micro-chipped.

He may have wandered into a shed or garage, so please check buildings/rooms outside.

If found please take him to a vet, who will be able to check owner details on the micro-chip.

Newtown GLOBE

Reading Councillor John Howarth and Wokingham Councillor have been invited to support the plan.
Peter Burt and Brian Wright will be speaking against the plan.

The meeting will be at Wycliffe Baptist Church hall on Thursday 30th Novemberr. Door opens at 18:45 for a 20:00 hr 19:45 to 22:00. start.

You are invited - come to the meeting, have a listen , look at the plans, ask any questions and make up your own mind about the new Cross Town Route.

[The next Newtown GLOBE group meeting will be at at The Warehouse on Wednesday 6 Dec at 1930 hr.]

Neighbourhood Policing

Our local police team; PCSO Sue Roff, PCSO Gary Johnson, PC Rob Lewis, PC Tristan (Buzz) Khezrzadeh, PS Mick Park and Insp Kevin Sinfield (and possibly others) will be continuing the meetings and surveys over the next 2 - 3 weeks. The aim to to produce a service that addresses the problems that affect us. Our community, which includes our police team, will be responsible for addressing problems that jeopardize our safety and security.

A Neighbourhood Action Group will be formed to determine our priorities within this area.

"What do I need to do?"

GLOBE

There is a wide variety of tasks and your skills may be ideal for any of them.

Come along and fit your skill to the task.

• Clearing brambles, nettles and those long creepy things - needs patience and courage (and gloves, we provide the gloves)
  
• Picking up litter - needs an eye for detail, a litter picking stick and a bag (guess what we provide)
  
• Planting bulbs - needs an appreciation of colour, a vision of the future and a trowel (yes, you're right; we've got the trowels)
  

We also need people to say "You missed a bit", so come along at any time between 10 and 4 on Saturday 28th October.
If you want to know more about the GLOBE group and what we are doing, and why, come along and ask.

Please wear sensible shoes or boots if you are going to join in. If you are going to do serious bramble-wrestling then thorn-proof clothing may be useful but for most tasks you just need to be warm and dry. We aim to enjoy ourselves while doing something useful.

The Newtown GLOBE meets on the first Wednesday of the month at
The Warehouse
1a Cumberland Road
at 7.30pm

The Newtown group is a member of The REading Globe Alliance - TREGA - and you can get more information here.

East Reading Artists

Newtown GLOBE - AGM

Although Agenda 21 is signed by the central government In practice the responsibility of carrying out the work is passed to each local authority as it is “closest to the people”.

If you want to know everything about Agenda 21 then this is the place to get it.

Go Local On a Better Environment is the local endeavour and Reading has 6 GLOBE groups. Newtown GLOBE is our nearest group. This group has worked on various problem areas and green spaces in the past and looks forward to increased activity in the coming months.

Next meeting - to be confirmed -
5 Sept 2006
1930hr
at the Sun St Community Centre

New waste collection regime

In addition to Recycle bins the council will be encouraging the Green Waste recycling. Garden waste (grass cuttings, plant clippings, prunings and weeds) will be collected for composting.

A Green Waste bin or sack is available at a discounted price from the council. A 240 litre bin (the same size as the burgundy recycling bin) or a 90 litre re-useable bag. The bin will cost £25 and the sack £10.   The Green Waste will be collected at the same time as Recycling.

The reduction of household waste in grey bins will help reduce the cost of waste-disposal.

The council's plans are given here.
Frequently asked questions and the answers to them are here

If you want more information about the new Green Waste collection write to:
Streetcare, 6 Darwin Close, Reading RG2 0SG or Phone 0800 834 035

Will they reverse their decision?

Development Brief for Station Area

The planning brief documents can also be found at Reading libraries, at the council's planning reception at the Civic Centre and on its website.

The Brief, when it is adopted, will define guidelines for those who want to develop property in this front door to Reading. Consultation

Assist the Police

The competition has five categories to recognise the work of staff who serve their neighbourhoods, including

• community police officer,
• police community support officer,
• probationer,
• special constable
• volunteer

Seems like an easy search to me, but they're making a fuss. So help them out. You can read about it here.

Local Election Results

Labour lost 3 seats; Lib Dems gained 1 and Conservative gained 1. Turnout overall was 38%
full results here.

Safer Community Partnership

This, and more, in the East Reading Safer Community Forum newsletter.

Mayor's Summer Games Festival

Free Sports Taster Sessions
13.30 - 16.00h (all ages)

Mayor's Summer Games 2006

• Thursday 27th July 2006 - Activities: Handball & Brazilian Football
• Thursday 3rd August 2006 - Activities: Tag Rugby & American Football
• Thursday 10th August 2006 - Activity: Ultimate Frisbee

for further details

www.reading.gov.uk/sportandactivity

or phone

Sport and Activity Development Team 0118 939 9027

Reading Street Games 2006

Eight weeks of cricket training sessions kick off on Monday 12 June with the launch of the second Reading Street Games cricket season.

This is the fourth season of Street Games, and the second season of cricket. Youngsters who took part last year have gone on to join and play for local clubs; two youngsters have even gone on to county trials demonstrating the success of the scheme.

After the eight weeks of training, there will be a festival at Cintra Park on 6 August for all of those who took part.

Reading Street Games programme is an initiative by The Sport and Activity Development Team and is designed to share knowledge, skills and enthusiasm for sport by helping people gain qualifications and mentoring skills from experienced sports coaches.

The times and locations of the sessions are:

Tuesdays	13th June - 1st August	Cintra Park
Wednesdays	14th June - 2nd August	Kensington Road Rec.
Wednesdays	14th June - 2nd August	Palmer Park
Thursdays	15th June - 3rd August	Amersham Road Rec.
Fridays	16th June - 4th August	Coley Park

If you would like to find out more about Reading Street Games, or how to volunteer, then contact the Reading Street Games team on (0118) 939 9027

Paul Gittings, Reading's Liaison Councillor for Healthier Reading and Sports Development, said: "Reading Street Games is proving to be a huge success, and it is fantastic that we are able to offer a second season of cricket. The aim is to encourage even more people to take part in sport and enjoy its benefits, and it is particularly gratifying that some of the youngsters have gone on to play for local clubs who are the lifeblood of cricket in the community."

Swan Upping

New waste collection regime

The decision is being reviewed in August by the Environment Scrutiny Panel. The council are asking for your comments both for and against the decision.

for further details

Reading Borough Council

or contact:

Councillor Chris Maskell, Chair of the Environment Scrutiny panel

ERAPA

The East Reading Adventure Playground Association is run by a small committee of volunteers and offer facilities for children and their families in the East Reading Community.
They provide a hall for hire and a large outside Play Area also suitable for special needs. They are looking for volunteers.
The Annual General Meeting is at

ERAPA Hall
Palmer Park (London Road side)
at 8pm
19 July 2006

If you would like to help, or just know more about ERAPA then contact the Editor and she'll pass the email on.

Community Safety Month - June 2006

The campaign visited East Reading's Palmer Park on Friday 30th June 2006.

Road Closure

Today I discovered the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 - aka NRSWA.

The Department of Transport have an interesting page about Traffic Management Act 2004 .

Bike week

Entry is free to anybody (not just RCC members) and the Hunt can be done anytime during Bike Week. 
Find the answers to 6 questions and you could win one of the top prizes of a £100 cycle voucher for use in a Reading cycle store.

Download the entry form from the RCC website.

Water Fest

On the Kennet at Abbey Ruins, Chestnut Walk, Riverside Walk and the Riverside Museum.
Come and enjoy the sights and sounds of canal-based activities in one of the most historic and charming parts of Reading.

For more information about the Kennet and Avon Canal visit the K&A Canal Trust website

East Reading Festival 2006

Pick up a programme from your community group or see local Press.

Or Listen to...

East Reading's Festival Radio

An exciting new community radio for Reading. Listen out for Festival Radio and Eddie Winship reporting community news. See www.readingcommunityradio.org for the current plans. including "... interviews with people concerned and connected with the festival, and music from some of the musicians featured..."

Festival Radio programme can be found on 87.9fm with further details on their website www.readingcommunityradio.org

Safer Community Partnership

This, and more, in the East Reading Safer Community Forum newsletter. A pdf version of the newsletter can be downloaded from here.

South Asian Earthquake

Rafina is going to Pakistan with the KYDS Foundation charity (read the BBC feature).

National Poetry Week - Local winners

Consultations on Planning Policies and Proposals

The council have published the statement and it can be found, it is said, at all Reading Borough Libraries. Formal consultation on the Statement starts now and comments must be received by 25th Nov.

You can also download PDF copies from the council web site. You will need Acrobat Reader if you want to download and read the PDF documents - see below.

RESCUE Weekend

Reading Council will be supporting volunteers clearing rubbish, picking litter and planting shrubs.

If you haven't already joined a RESCUE team there are places available with Reading Green Party or Local residents.

These are the rallying points.

Give Your Views on Public Open Space in Reading

They would like to hear your views on the existing and future needs of the community for open space in Reading.

You can find out more at this council web page.
The consultation period ends 28th Feb 2006

Palmer Park consultation

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Tsunami Relief

Friends of Kennetmouth - 12 Nov

The group proposes to prune the willow fences and remove litter.
Tools are provided but you will need to bring your own work gloves.
Please wear stout footwear.

The Friends of Kennetmouth have adopted the area from GLOBE which, although it had a wider remit, has rapidly diminished in numbers. In common with other GLOBE groups in Reading the remaining members have refocused their attention on smaller, more contained targets.

report:
The small group cleared some of the more accessible rubbish and cut the willow fences.
It was stated that the fences had to be cut since willow grows so quickly.
The quick growing brambles were not cut.

Community Open Day - 7 Nov 12noon to 3pm

The Training Employment Advice (TEA) Shop propose to tell you.

TEA shop invites you to a Community Open Day on Monday 7th Nov from 12 noon until 3pm at "The Warehouse" (access from Cumberland Road).

You are invited to meet the TEA people. Some East Reading community groups will also be there; so you can avoid the TEA people if you want.

FREE food and drink * FREE entertainment for children.

Poetry Week 2005 - competitions winners

2nd Prize – U16

The future poem

Kate Kenyon (age 9)

3rd Prize – U16

Disaster

Jack Kenyon (age 6)

Residents' Parking in Newtown - Consultation

You are requested to respond to the proposed scheme by 16th Sep.

Community Cricket Tournament 2005

The 2005 East Reading Community cup took place at the Reading University Cricket Pavilion,
Elmhurst Road, Reading
on Sunday, 4th September

The event was organised by PC Tristan Khezrzadeh, Community Beat Officer for the Newtown area of Reading, along with a committee of representatives from local groups throughout east Reading.

Read the Police Press release - Howzat for community relations - East Reading.

The community competition has a web site here - Communities Cup - the East Reading Sports link. This site gives all the news on the 2005 competition and also includes many photos of the local heroes at the 2004 competition.

East Reading in Bloom 2005

Last year's East Reading Blooming was a tremendous success and has driven us to even greater efforts for this year.
Four planting sessions, with the Ridgeline Trust, have been held and I lost count of the number of baskets and window boxes filled.
We now await the judgement of our peers.

Reading Street Games

The coaching sessions continue and we are looking forward to the Cricket Festival
3rd July
10.00am - 2.00pm
Palmer Park

Sunday 31st July
10am-1pm
Vs North Reading/Amersham Road
Venue: Palmer Park

Find out more here.

The Forbury Gardens Bandstand

has also re-opened.and concerts will resume.
Sunday afternoon 3.00pm - 4.30pm

Sunday 5 June	Chalgrove Brass Band
Sunday 12 June	Reading Spring Gardens Band
Sunday 19 June	Reading Central Salvation Army Band
Sunday 26 June	Concert Band
Sunday 3 July	Beatroots Samba Band
Sunday 10 July	Charles Church Camberley Band
Sunday 17 July	Trinity concert Band
Sunday 24 July	Pangbourne & District Silver Band
Sunday 31 July	Waltham St Lawrence Silver Band
Sunday 7 August	Pangbourne and District SIlver Band
Sunday 11 September	Basingstoke Silver Band

Sunday 14 August (12noon onwards) -
Open Air Service to commemorate VJ Day and End of World War II
Followed by entertainment and refreshments in the Gardens
We'll Meet Again - 2.00pm
Woodley Concert Band - 3.00pm-4.30pm

Reading Street Games 2005

a new sports programme led by Reading Borough Council's Sport & Activity Development Team. The pilot Cricket season was developed in conjunction with the Berkshire Sports Partnership and the Berkshire Cricket Board.

Reading Street Games featured four Community Sports Clubs:

West Reading	Kensington Road Rec
North Reading	Amersham Road Rec
East Reading	Palmer Park
South Reading	Cintra Park

There will be 3 'seasons' per year, each featuring a different sport - the seasons for 2005/06 are: Cricket (pilot), Football and one other (to be confirmed).

For each sport, the Community Sports Club has a link to an established sports club, so that there is a pathway for the Young People involved to carry on if they show real ability and enthusiasm for the sport. For the Cricket pilot season, the Cricket Clubs are:

Kensington Road Rec	Purley CC
Amersham Road Rec	Kidmore End CC
Palmer Park	Reading CC
Cintra Park	Shinfield CC

The programme began with 8 weeks of cricket skills coaching, working towards a Cricket Festival in July - where the clubs playrd each other. After the Festival there were some League Fixtures and the whole 'cricket season' will be rounded off with a Presentation Evening in September to celebrate the achievements of everyone who took part.

The Cricket Clubs provide Qualified Cricket Coaches to deliver the sessions, and to mentor/advise Volunteer Assistant Coaches who were trained from members of the local communities. Each Community Club also had an 'area rep' to provide additional support and mentorship from SportReading - Reading Borough Council's Sport & Activity Development Team.

Reading-born professional cricketer Aftab Habib was the patron of Reading Street Games cricket season, he said:
"I was delighted to be asked to act as patron
for the Reading Street Games Cricket season - It's
great to see a programme like Reading Street Games
offering opportunities for people to play and enjoy
cricket and other sports, who wouldn't otherwise
have had the chance to take part."

The age range for participants in the sessions is 8-15yrs. Volunteers are welcome from age 16yrs with no upper age limit and from all sections of the community.

Reading Street Games Timetable - East Reading

There were 8 team coaching sessions
Anyone from 8-15yrs could attend the coaching sessions. Volunteers were also welcome from 16yrs and over to help deliver the coaching sessions.

Tuesdays 6-7pm
3rd May - 21st June
Venue: Palmer Park
Cost: Only 50p Per Session

Cricket Festival
Each of the four Clubs can enter
1 x Inter Cricket (U15) team
and up to
3 x Kwik Cricket (U13) teams.
Sunday 3rd July 10am-2pm
Venue: Palmer Park

League Fixtures

Each Club can field
1 x Inter Cricket (U15) team
and
1 x Kwik Cricket (U13) Team.

Sunday 31st July 10am-1pm
Vs North Reading/Amersham Road
Venue: Palmer Park

Sunday 7th August 10am-1pm
Vs South Reading/Cintra Park
Venue: Palmer Park

Sunday 28th August 10am-1pm
Vs West Reading/Kensington Road
Venue: Palmer Park

Presentation Evening
Friday 23rd September (probably) (Time, Date and Venue to be confirmed)

New Town Primary School Summer Fair

Bouncy Castle + Asian Food + Raffle + BBQ + Face Painting + Games + Tombola

Admission 20p

CommuniCare Fun Day

Bouncy Castle * Music and Dancing * Tinker the Clown * Face Painting * Games * Food and Refreshments

at the new CommuniCare Building between Kings Road and Norwood Road, behind Wycliffe Baptist Church

CommuniCare is the Information, Advice and Support Centre in East Reading.
where they offer to provide

• information to make your life better
• advice to find solutions to your problems
• support to help you tackle difficult issues

Reading Water Fest

Saturday 25 June 2005 , from 11.00am - 5.00pm
On the Kennet

Abbey Ruins, chestnut Walk, Riverside Walk
Riverside Museum, Bel and The Dragon
The Sights and Sounds of canal-based activities
in the most historic and charming parts of Reading

• Parades of Colourful canal boats
• Live music on Chocolate Island
• Traditional dance
• Craft Market on Chestnut Walk
• Boat trips
• Children's activities

Reading Police - Making a Difference

Thursday 23 June 2005

"We know there are hundreds of people in this borough who love Reading and want to make it a safe and reassuring place for everyone to live and this is why we have organised such a massive event." - Supt Dilip Amin, Thames Valley Police.

As well as a recruitment fair it will also be a chance for the public to meet the police and discuss how we can work together.

More information here.

Whiteknights Studio Trail 2005

18 - 19 June
Thirty-four artists exhibiting in twenty-two venues throughout the weekend. Art and craft work on show and for sale. Artists will be available to discuss their work and processes and to take commissions.

See www.studiotrail.co.uk for more details.

Studio trail is generously sponsored by The University of Reading

East Reading in Bloom 2005

Last year's East Reading Blooming was a tremendous success and has driven us to even greater efforts for this year.
East Reading Residents were invited to attend one of the planting surgeries and plant up a FREE window box or hanging basket to decorate their home!

Planting sessions were held at

Friday May 20th at Sun St Youth and Community Centre
Friday May 27th Wokingham Road (outside shops opposite Alfred Sutton School)
Saturday May 28th at The Ridgeline Trust, Hamilton Road
Sunday May 29th at the Pakistan Community Centre London Road

ANZAC Day 25th April

ANZAC Day is the Australian and New Zealand Day of Remembrance for those who gave their lives in wars. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) divisions were among those who fought the disastrous campaign at Gallipoli during the First World War.

East Reading Festival 21-24 April

Many thanks to all who contributed to the festival. Reports will follow soon. Some photos have been loaded.

The Festival included two important art exhibitions

'ART and SOUL' at the Church of St John and St. Stephen, Orts Road. and

'Back to the River Side' at the Riverside Museum

East Reading Festival 2005

This is the programme in pdf format (about 35kB). If you don't have the free Acrobat Reader, see below to download it

In celebration of the East Reading Festival, Reading Stained Glass and the East Reading Development worker joined forces to create a Stained Glass Window from the winning design in a competition between local Schools.

Designs were created by each student and the entries were taken to Reading Stained Glass for the judging. The winning schools were St John's Primary School and Redlands Primary School.

The winning designs were transformed into A3-sized windows to be installed their respective schools.

Click on a picture to see
the full size design

that was taken to
Reading Stained Glass

Some of the festival events ...

Sunday 24th April

Funday at East Reading Adventure Playground Association

Saturday 23rd - Sunday 24th April

'Back to the River Side' at the Riverside Museum

Friday 22rd April

Community Concert Pronounced Success

from our Rhône correspondent

St Lukes ran a community concert as part of the East Reading Festival. About 150 attended a very enjoyable evening.
We started with the New Elizabeth Singers, a large all female choir who sang a wide selection of music, songs from the shows, popular classics etc. Then the young people from the Hindu Temple came and danced two numbers under the title, “A Taste of Bollywood”. This was most enjoyable and different. There was a very short talk about Communicare who give support and advice in East Reading. The concert raised £451 for them.

There were 4 soloist in the course of the evening, Audrey Lane, Ken Littlechild, Katherine Lewington, Carolina Pittol and Ashoke Khare, the president of the Hindu Temple.
As I said, "two real treats tonight, a song in Hindi by the President of the Temple and the fact that the Vicar of St Lukes was NOT singing".

Selina and Elvina Christopher from St Lukes showed that Christians could do Bollywood dancing too with a number from the film Dhoom. St Lukes choir sang and were excellent.

The finale was the Outreach Band (Guitars and keyboard etc) The Bollywood Dancers from the Hindu Temple started swaying from side to side and doing the hand jive. A most varied evening and great fun.

During the interval people spoke to people from different groups. Some asked Communicare more about their work. Some went and spoke to the Hindu Dancers etc.

Indian Community Centre

The Buffet Lunch at the Indian Community Association was attended by the worshipful the Mayor of Reading Richard Stainthorp.

The mayor was presented with cheques for the Mayor's Fund, The Prime Minister's Fund and Disasters Emergency Committee (for Recovery from the Tsunami disaster).

Thursday 21st - Saturday 23rd April

London Marathon

Local Doctor Jude D'Cruz and Practice Nurse Rosie Crowhurst from the Pembroke Surgery,
Alexandra Road ran in the London Marathon to raise money for Save the Children.
Your money and your sympathy are both required.

The marathon was run over a distance of 26 miles 385 yards.
These two gave their all. You can give a little, or a lot, to Save the Children.
Hand it over at either of the surgeries
31 Alexandra Road or 9 Eldon Square.

Local Action for the Environment

"Come and hear about what has been done
for Your Reading & Discuss what we can do for Our Reading
4th April at 7.30pm Committee Room 5 at the Civic Centre".

We were given a brief presentation on the targets at which the council aimed over the past two years. It was pleasing to see that they achieved so much and that, in many areas, they were on-course to meet environmental standards set by our lords and masters at Whitehall. Reading Borough Council staff deserve a pat on the back.

We were then made us work for our tea and biscuits as we discussed ways to target the problem area of litter and fly-tipping.
These are unsightly - they detract from the town's appearance and may deter business;
they are costly - a higher proportion of your council tax is consumed in removing these problems;
they are hazards to the environment polluting land and water and harming wildlife.

We need to enable people to express their pride in Reading.

"Go back to your constituencies and prepare for Blooming Reading"

RESCUE 2005

The Rescue 2005 weekend 19 - 20 March 2005 was a great success with much rescuing done.
If you joined in, well done! If you missed it you will have to wait until next year for your chance to Rescue.

The people co-ordinating the efforts have tallied our returns and report that 300 people from 15 voluntary groups (plus Environment Agency, Parks and Streetcare staff) collected 40 tonnes of rubbish with 16 skips filled.

25 children received certificates recording their valuable contribution.

Well done to all of you.