Woodley Town Mayor Cllr Juliet Anderson awards local heroes as nominated by the community of Woodley 

We were delighted to award Woodley’s local heroes at our recent Annual Town Meeting, held in the theatre at The Oakwood Centre on 23rd May. 

Neighbour of the Year

Vikram Singh was awarded Neighbour of the Year for supporting people in Woodley to stay safe online and avoid being scammed. David Lawson, one of Vikram’s nominees, said: “Vik is a real community hero because he has helped me and other neighbours stay safe online.”

Volunteer Group of the Year

Woodley Lunch Bunch were awarded Volunteer Group of the Year for their continued work providing a packed lunch delivery service to families in Woodley who are having a difficult time financially, or in other ways, during the school holidays. Brent Lees, one of the nominees, said: “Many people have had challenges associated with the pandemic and the cost of living crisis and are juggling whether to put the heating on or feed their children. Lunch Bunch is an organisation that helps with some of those challenges and that’s why I felt they were very deserving of this award.”

Juliet Sherratt, chairperson of Woodley Lunch Bunch praised and thanked the volunteers of the group for their dedication and continued support to help the local children of Woodley.

Volunteer of the Year

Peter Hawkins was awarded Volunteer of the Year for his dedication helping others and encouraging individuals to take up and enjoy bowling. Peter is a founding member of Woodley Bowling Club and also helped build the Clubhouse. Stephen Treeves, one of the nominees, said: “I can’t think of a better tribute as Woodley Bowls Club celebrates its 60^th anniversary than to give someone who was a founder member and who helped build the club and see it move forward to get an award for his work in the community.” Stephen also praised Peter’s wife Viv, who is also a valued member of the community. 

Mayor’s Award

Former Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel, awarded Shane Mason from the Good Companions Pub, for his work providing meals on Christmas Day and Boxing Day to the elderly & vulnerable, alongside providing a free soup kitchen during the winter. 

“Ever since Shane and Leanne took over the management of the Good Companion Pub, they have set out to make community the heart of what they do. From November last year to January this year Shane and Leanne provided a free soup kitchen at the pub. On Christmas Day and Boxing Day, in collaboration with the charities Woodley Lunch Bunch and Woodley Share, they sent out over 120 Christmas dinners, celebration boxes and presents for local children. For their outstanding contribution to the community, I am delighted to nominate Shane and Leanne for this year’s Mayors Award.”

Videos of the winners can be watched on our YouTube channel: @WoodleyTownCouncil.

Voted at the Annual Meeting on 7 May, Cllr Juliet Anderson was elected as Woodley Town Mayor, while Cllr David Bragg was elected as Woodley Town Deputy Mayor. 

Cllr Anderson’s chosen charity for the year is SHARE Woodley.

It is one of 15 free community fresh food and pantry sites set up by the food sharing charity SHARE.

You can find out more about SHARE’s services on its website.

Invite the Mayor

To invite the Mayor or Deputy Mayor to an event, please email: 

[email protected]

Woodley Town Council awarded the following grants at its recent Strategy & Resources Committee Meeting.

Life Education

£310 awarded to pay towards running workshops over two days at Highwood Primary School – providing health, wellbeing and drug prevention education to children.

Woodley Bowling Club

£350 awarded to pay towards re-carpeting the main lounge area and corridors in the club house. Find out more about the club HERE. 

Woodley Festival of Music & Arts

£350 awarded to pay towards the cost of venue hire, Arts adjudicator and other professional fees, publicity, and piano hire for the festival. The Festival is held at the Oakwood Centre each year. Find out more about the Festival HERE.

Woodley Photographic Club

£350 awarded to pay towards the purchase of a new projector to display photographic images. The club meets on Mondays at the Oakwood Centre. Find out more about the club HERE.

Young person A

£100 awarded to pay towards the costs associated with taking part and representing England at the Dance World Cup in Prague in June/July 2024. 

Young person B

£100 awarded to pay towards the costs associated with taking part and representing England at the Dance World Cup in Prague in June/July 2024. 

Changes to amounts

At the meeting, it was decided that the maximum community grant amount awarded be increased to £350, with the individual grant rate remaining at £100.

Our Grants

During the current financial year, Woodley Town Council has allocated funds to make the following grants:

Community Grants – Up to £350, for community groups / organisations either based in or supporting residents of Woodley, to fund one-off costs such as specific projects or purchases.

Individual Grants – Up to £100, for individuals under the age of 21 living in Woodley, excelling in sporting or cultural activities, to fund representation at county, regional, national or international events.

Youth Grants – Up to £3,000 (although exceptions will be considered), for organisations, to assist and facilitate projects that reach, engage and support young people (those aged 21 and under) in Woodley.

Annual Grants – No cap, for fully constituted ‘not for profit’ organisations either based in or supporting residents of Woodley, to fund annual running costs or specific projects.

Should you wish to apply for a grant, then full guidelines and application forms can be found on our Grants Page.

We are delighted to announce that the Mayor’s Charity Quiz night raised £1546.35 for the Mayor’s chosen charity, Woodley Lunch Bunch

Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel, hosted a Charity Quiz night, along with Woodley Town Deputy Mayor, Cllr Juliet Anderson on Friday at the Oakwood Centre.

The event was compered by Juliet, and involved a fun mix of games and a main quiz, which concluded with an interesting round named “Ikea or cheese?’.

Woodley Lunch Bunch

The bar was run by team members of Woodley Lunch Bunch, with additional support on score keeping. A spokesperson for the charity commented: “We are so grateful for the Mayor’s support. We ran the bar and helped with the scoring and had a lovely evening. Thank you to everyone who came and helped to raise such a fantastic amount.”

Woodley Lunch Bunch is a local charity which delivers lunches to children in Woodley. You can find out more about the charity HERE.

Raffle

The Mayor also ran a raffle with prizes ranging from bottles of champagne, chocolates, candles to vouchers for meals out. Janet would like to thank all the local businesses who generously donated prizes and to everyone who bought a raffle ticket on the night.

Winners

The Deputy Town Mayor produced a challenging and fun quiz, with additional games, including a ‘Heads or Tails’ round. The overall winners of the Quiz were the Valiant Vikings, closely followed by the Quiz & Tonics. The Valiant Vikings were presented with chocolate lollies by Janet.

Woodley Town Mayor

Janet thanked everyone on the evening for their generosity to help raise such an outstanding amount. “I would like to thank everyone here for attending the quiz, buying raffle tickets and spending money at the bar. I am delighted to raise much needed funds for Woodley Lunch Bunch, who do such a wonderful service for children in Woodley. I would also like to thank the staff at Woodley Town Council for putting the event together, as well as Juliet for being such a great quiz host.”

Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel, attended the Finale Concert of the Woodley Festival of Music & Arts and was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers to thank the Mayor, Woodley Town Council and the staff at the Oakwood Centre for their support each year.

Fiona Fisher, chairperson of Woodley Festival of Music & Art gave huge thanks for the facilities of the  Oakwood Centre and help from staff. She also said that the grant given by the Council goes a long way towards keeping the event going. 

Cllr Janet Sartorel is picture with Ann & Rod Manning who have sponsored the festival for many years. 

Progress to install CCTV in Woodley Town Centre continues with new fund donation

Woodley Town Centre Partnership has received a further £10,000 from the Police Community Fund, to add to the £5,000 they received in 2023. The money will go towards a CCTV system for the Town Centre. 

Wokingham Borough Council has also recently agreed to contribute £15,000, and Woodley Town Council has now adopted the project and is currently inviting tenders. 

Woodley Town Centre Partnership has already met with several bidders and is planning to work quickly to get an effective system installed.

Town Centre Manager, Brian Fennelly, said: “We are very grateful to have received this further contribution from the Police Community Fund. Wokingham Borough Council’s contribution is also very much appreciated, and it is very encouraging to have these two important stakeholders making an active contribution to Woodley Town Centre. Woodley Town Council has been fully supportive of the project all along and the Town Centre Partnership look forward to working with the Council at pace to get an effective CCTV system installed.”

CCTV Survey

The Town Council would like residents’ views on the potential installation of CCTV in the town centre. If you would like to feed into this, please take part in this short 1 minute survey.

We thank you for your time.

 

Woodley’s Clean Up Day 2024

Keep Britain Tidy’s ninth Great British Spring Clean is back and Woodley Adopt a Street (WASP) is hosting a Clean Up Day on Saturday 23 March

The WASP team will be meeting at Woodford Park Leisure Centre, Haddon Drive, Woodley on Saturday 23 March, at 10am and welcome local residents to come and join them to lend a hand.

WASP asks volunteers to wear gloves, strong footwear and suitable clothing. The team is also encouraging volunteers to bring along their own litter picker and Hi Vis, if they have them. Otherwise these can be provided while stocks last.

For further details please contact:

Shelagh Flower: 07879330403 / [email protected]

Wokingham Borough Council is reminding residents to ensure they have suitable photo ID to help them get ready for upcoming elections.

Local elections

Local elections are taking place on Thursday 2 May, with all 54 seats up for contention on Wokingham Borough Council. On the same day, there is also a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) election for the Thames Valley and there may be parish council elections if any seats are contested.

Although photo ID was a requirement at last year’s local elections, not all borough wards were up and so for many residents this will be the first time they need to bring ID. The change was introduced as a result of the Elections Act, which was passed in 2022 and has seen a number of changes to elections and voting.

For those who do not have suitable ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate (VAC). This can be done online, or by completing a paper form and sending it to Wokingham Borough Council’s electoral services team.

For the local and PCC elections in May, the deadline to apply for a VAC is 5pm on Wednesday 24 April.

Check your ID

Before applying, check the ID you already have. Accepted forms of ID include:

• Passport
• Full or provisional driving licence
• Blue badge
• Certain concessionary travel cards, such as an older person’s buss pass or an Oyster 60+ card
• Identity card with Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) mark
• Biometric Immigration document
• Defence identity card
• Certain national identity cards

Expired ID will also be accepted, as long as the photograph on the document still resembles a likeness of the elector.

 A full list of accepted forms of ID is available on the Electoral Commission’s website, along with more information about photo ID and how to apply for a VAC.

Check you are registered to vote

If you turn up at a polling station without suitable photo ID, you will not be issued with a ballot paper. Bringing your poll card alone will not entitle you to vote. Before starting an application for a VAC, you must first remember to check you are registered to vote. The deadline to register is 11.59pm on Tuesday 16 April.

Changes to Ward boundaries

Changes have been made to the electoral ward boundaries in Wokingham borough, with two new constituencies.

Key dates

Register to Vote – Deadline Midnight Tue 16 April

Cancel/amend existing postal/proxy – Deadline 5pm on Wed 17 April

New Postal Vote Applications – Deadline 5pm on Wed 17 April

Free VAC – Deadline 5pm on Wed 24th April

Find out more HERE.

Electoral Services Team

You can contact WBC’s Electoral Services Team by email, or call (0118) 974 6000 to request a paper copies of application forms. The team will also be happy to help with any queries you may have in completing a form.

Woodley Town Council publishes Climate Emergency information on its website to help the community of Woodley to contribute to Climate Change

In October 2019, Woodley Town Council declared a Climate Emergency. Alongside becoming a carbon neutral organisation by 2030, the Council committed to work with all parts of the community to aid the reduction of harmful greenhouse gas emissions, as well as supporting Wokingham Borough Council with the implementation of its Climate Emergency Action Plan. 

While we continue to make plans and carry out actions in line with our Climate Emergency Action Plan, we have updated our website to include a dedicated section with information to help our residents when considering how they can reduce their impact on climate change.

The information is divided into six key areas:

• Waste & Recycling
• Homes & Energy
• Food, Consumables & Goods
• Travel & Transport 
• Carbon Offsetting
• Other Resources.

Each section has information about local and national initiatives, with references to useful apps and ways in which everyone can contribute to reducing their carbon footprint and the impact it has on climate change. You can access our Climate Emergency Information Hub HERE. 

Wokingham Borough Council has now finalised Council Tax bills for 2024-25

Paper bills will be posted from 11 March, however, Wokingham Borough Council is encouraging residents to access their Council Tax Bills online.

You will need to register for an account and you can switch to paperless billing, which is quicker and more environmentally friendly.

You can set up an account HERE.

Woodley Town Council Precept

We have reduced the Town Council Precept by £3.06 per Band D household for 2024-25. Find out more about this HERE.

Matthew Barber, Police & Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, has written to four major retailers in an effort to prevent the sale of illegal e-scooters.

In his letter to Argos, Currys, Decathlon and Halfords, Matthew Barber commented that while the sale of e-scooters is perfectly legal as they can be used on private land, the use of privately owned e-scooters in public places is currently illegal and asked the retailers to “consider the continued sales to be consistent with being a responsible corporate citizen”.

He added: “I fully understand that there is nothing to prevent you selling these products, but I would ask you to consider if it is responsible to continue to do so… I would ask if you would be content for your children to ride an e-scooter illegally, potentially putting themselves and others at risk and urge you to reconsider your position.”

You can read Matthew Barbers full statement on the Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner website.

Woodley

We’d like to remind you that e-scooters are not permitted to be used in the precinct or in public places around Woodley. 

We have previously published a summary of the rules and regulations from Thames Valley Police. 

Members of the Planning & Community Committee have recently raised concerns about parking issues outside of Woodley schools at drop off and pick up times. 

Members have witnessed inconsiderate, and often illegal, parking at schools, which has caused near misses between pedestrians and vehicles. This has been particularly noted around secondary schools, when older aged children are leaving at the end of the day. 

Concerns were also raised that traffic speeds were high, and due to illegal or inappropriate parking along the road, some students are often seen walking in the middle of the road, putting themselves in danger of being in an accident. 

Members are looking to hold discussions with Wokingham Borough Council and the My Journey team to consider ways of improving the situation, as well as requesting additional civil enforcement activities to enforce any illegal parking. 

Members will raise this again as a future agenda item.