Twyford

Twyford & Ruscombe Theatre Group present

The Edge of Darkness

May 15th, 16th & 17th at Loddon Hall, Twyford

Tickets £6 & £7 available from

Box Office: 0845 45 01308

Emma's memory is damaged, which could be why there is much she does not recognize, much that does not quite fit: but then why does she appear familiar with certain Russian phrases? Why has she such a horror of a harmless silver bell? Of a portrait on the wall? Of knives?

Brian Clemmens, well known for his TV writing for series such as The Avengers, brings his talent to the small stage with this Victorian chiller. A master of the short, intriguing story, this play will keep audiences guessing until the very end.

Performances start at 8pm.

Twyford & Ruscombe Theatre Group

Three plans to upgrade a much-loved country park in the Wokingham Borough have been whittled down to just one popular option by the public – with the borough council’s executive due to pledge its support for it on Thursday March 27.

More than 66 per cent of people who responded to the Dinton Pastures vision survey last year favoured the option to have a new centre at the heart of the site in Hurst, located where the existing café and office buildings are.

Wokingham Borough Council’s decision-making executive is set to offer its support for the option preferred by the public later this month. It is also due to give the countryside service the go-ahead to seek commercial partners to support the project financially and practically in the future so that the vision can become a reality.

The public was asked how it wanted the park to develop over the next 25 years during a summer-long consultation. Comments ranged from protecting habitats, upgrading walkways and paths and protecting the natural environment, and there were many about upgrading the existing buildings.

As a result of the first consultation, it was considered crucial to concentrate on getting the buildings on the site improved. Therefore a second consultation started in December on three basic options to improve the facilities. More than 900 people, including residents, park-users, watersport enthusiasts, golfers and anglers gave their opinion on three broad options for the park’s buildings.

Comments on upgrading other features at the park such as better footpaths, will be used to shape detailed improvement plans to the park at a later date.

The three potential visions that were looked into were:
· Option one – creating a golf clubhouse and watersports facilities in a two-storey visitor centre providing a view of the lake. This option would have seen boating equipment stored in the centre and with extra outdoor boat storage available and a new jetty and slipway. This was favoured by 32 per cent of respondents.

· Option two - creating a new centre opposite the bird feeding and picnic area next to Black Swan Lake. This was favoured by two per cent of people.

· Option three – retaining the exiting building for the new golf clubhouse and linking it to a visitor centre with an outdoor café area and courtyard area. Creating a separate building for watersports off Sandford Lane and building a new jetty, slipway and beach area. This option was favoured by 66 per cent of respondents.

Wokingham Borough Council

For the first time anglers will be able to net a whopper when Dinton Pastures Country Park’s Black Swan Lake becomes available for fishing.

Black Swan Lake at Dinton Pastures Country Park is currently only open for watersports but with reports of huge fish being weighed in at over 40lbs, a lot of interest has been shown nationally to angle for its fishy residents.

The 94-acre lake has been regularly stocked over the past 19 years, because it has been used as a growing pond for carp, to supply the Wokingham Borough’s other fisheries.

Anglers living within the Wokingham Borough are being given the opportunity to make use of the lake first by signing up for one of the limited spaces. The countryside service will be building 40 fishing areas for anglers over the next few weeks.

The countryside service has already contacted a number of anglers known to them via groups and forums but other anglers interested have until April 4 to register their interest before the offer is opened up to fishermen living outside the Wokingham Borough.

Watersport enthusiasts will be able to continue to use the lake as normal and the fishing will not impact on park-lovers’ enjoyment of the lake.

Cllr Simon weeks, executive member for environment, said: “We have some fantastic fishing at many of the other lakes in the borough but due to their success we now have long waiting lists to gain access to these waters. The stocking up of Black Swan over the last 15 years has made it an ideal opportunity to build on that success and create a great fishery for anglers in the area.
“There are plenty of big carp for anglers to net and so I urge anyone with a passion for fishing to sign up as soon as possible, as places are limited to just 50.

“I want to assure everyone that Black Swan Lake will still be used as normal for watersports and that this will not make any difference to the beautiful natural area that surrounds the lake.”

Anglers living in the Wokingham Borough that want to register an interest should call the countryside service on (0118) 934 2016 before 4pm on Friday April 4. From Monday April 7 anglers living outside the borough will be offered the opportunity to take up any remaining places.

Wokingham Borough Council

Youngsters are being invited to take part in a free Easter Bunny Hunt at Wyevale Garden Centre – Hare Hatch in Berkshire this weekend (March 21, 22 and 24, 2008).

Children, aged up to 11 years, who find all the bunnies in the hunt at the garden centre on Floral Mile, Hare Hatch in Twyford on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday (March 21, 22 and 24, 2008) will receive a mini Lindt chocolate bunny and the opportunity to win a bigger prize.

Garden centre Manager, Errol Austin said: “Those who successfully complete the Bunny Hunt during Easter Weekend will be in with a chance of winning the grand prize of £15 worth of Lindt chocolate.”

Entry forms for the event are available from the garden centre during the Easter Weekend, excluding Easter Sunday when the garden centre is closed.

Errol added: “We are also hosting Breakfasts with the Easter Bunny in our restaurant during the Easter Weekend. Bookings, which are essential, may be made in-store from now (March 14, 2008) onwards. The event costs £4.99 per child and includes breakfast, a visit from the Easter Bunny and a gift. All children must be accompanied by an adult.”

The Easter Bunny Hunt will take place at Wyevale Garden Centre – Hare Hatch on Friday, March 21, Saturday, March 22 and Monday, March 24 during normal opening hours. The garden centre will be closed on Easter Sunday (March 23). The winner will be contacted by the garden centre on Tuesday, March 25 and invited to collect their prize.

To find out more, please call Wyevale Garden Centre on 01189 403 933 or call in at the garden centre, which is located on Floral Mile, Hare Hatch in Twyford.

Sat 15 Junior Rangers Wildlife Watch Group, Wild Weather

Monthly meeting for children interested in local wildlife and the environment.

This month learn to measure different types of weather and make an anemometer.

For 8-12 year olds. Meet at Dinton Pastures. £1 per session.

Sun 16 Friends of Lavell’s Work Party

Practical conservation volunteer group, meet Sandford Lane, car park, Hurst. 10am - 12pm.

Sun 23 Easter Sunday Trail

A hunt for clues around the lake at California Country Park to win an Easter Egg.

Meet Cafe. 2pm

Wed 26 Bird watching for beginners (1 of 4)

This short course, run by members of the Wokingham and Bracknell RSPB Local Group, is an introduction to bird watching for people new to the hobby, who want to learn how to get started. It consists of two indoor sessions, and two practical sessions outside

The evening starts with an introduction to common birds, with slides, pictures and sounds, and will then deal with practicalities such as binoculars and telescopes and how to use them, which bird books to buy, and what clothing to wear. It will then deal with basic identification skills

Cost: £12 (Payable to the RSPB) Course bookings through the Countryside Service.

Fri 28 & Sat 29 Stars in your skies

(Weather depending) Reading Astronomical Society hosts an evening’s viewing of the night skies, with the chance to see Saturn and Mars. Meet at main car park atDinton Pastures, 7pm

Sun 28 Star Gazing Workshop

Reading Astronomical Society will be running two workshops offering practical guidance for amateur astronomers. Meet Loddon room 2pm, Dinton Pastures.

For more information please contact: Countryside Service 0118 934 2016 countryside@ wokingham. gov.uk

Lynn Yardley
Countryside Ranger (Education and Interpretation)
Wokingham Borough Council Countryside Service, Dinton Pastures Country Park, Davis Street, Hurst, Berkshire RG10 0TH
Tel: 0118 9342016, Fax 0118 9341987
Taking Care of Your Countryside

Pupils at The Colleton Primary School left the classroom behind to have some green-fingered fun last week, helping Wokingham Borough Council’s tree and landscape team plant 2,000 trees around the Twyford-based school.

The youngsters from across the Twyford school planted the trees with help from school staff and Wokingham Borough Council’s tree contractors as part of an on-going project to replace a conifer hedge around The Colleton Primary School.

A 200-metre long leylandii hedge was removed in October 2006 as it was preventing light from getting into houses near the school. It was also costly to trim and failed to meet the new high hedges’ legislation.

The council’s tree and landscape team agreed to take down the hedge but pledged to replace it with a more appropriate species of tree, so that residents could enjoy more sunlight but the school’s boundary fence was maintained.

Youngsters at the school in Colleton Drive gave a helping hand during the planting and are now waiting to watch the young trees grow to form a new hedgerow.

Cllr Simon Weeks, executive member for Twyford environment, said: “The planting of more than 2,000 trees around Colleton Primary School shows that Wokingham Borough Council is determined to tackle nuisance hedges blocking out residents’ sunlight but maintain the green environment.

“We would never want our residents’ quality of life to suffer but at the same time we do not want the green nature of the borough, which is enjoyed by residents, to disappear. This is a way of making sure neither residents’ enjoyment of the environment nor quality of life is compromised.”

Chris Wallis, headteacher of The Colleton Primary School, added: “The children really enjoyed being part of this project and helping the tree team plant so many trees. We look forward to seeing the trees grow over time to become a beautiful feature of our external environment.”

Wokingham Borough Council ~ Twyford

A landowner who fenced off the end of Davis Way in Hurst to use as their own, has been ordered by the High Court to pay damages and legal costs of at least £19,000 to Wokingham Borough Council and has been warned if they obstruct or damage Davis Way again they could be sent to prison.

“This was an unlawful obstruction and interference with the highway, which destroyed the highway surface and enclosed a section of it by erecting a fence and a gate. It was a very serious matter and not one that the council will tolerate,” said the council’s head of legal services Susanne Nelson-Wehremeyer.

The council had already repaired most of the damage done by the Hurstlandowner following an earlier order from the High Court allowing them to do so. The latest order, to which the landowner has seven days to object to, allows the council to complete the repair work after which the final award of damages can be assessed.

We are unable to name the landowner owing to an ongoing criminal prosecution.

Wokingham Borough Council ~ Hurst