Twyford

A new florist is blossoming in Twyford and Wokingham Borough Council’s Mayor Cllr Barrie Patman will be officially opening Amber Lilies this coming Saturday (November 14).

Twyford Owners Paula Hulme and partner Mark Tilbury have named their new business venture after their neighbour’s seven-year-old daughter Amber Lilie. Amber will be joining Mayor Cllr Patman and friends and colleagues at a special ceremony where a ribbon will be cut to celebrate the opening of the new florist.

Mayor Cllr Patman said: “I am honoured to join Amber in officially opening the new florist in Twyford. I would also like to extend my congratulations to Paula and Mark for their upcoming store opening. She has over 20 years’ experience as a florist and I hope her new business will be a flowering tale of success.”

Paula Hulme said: “Whether a customer is spending £3 or £50 we will give them a personal service. We pride ourselves on creating edgy designs to suit all budgets and tastes.”

Wokingham Borough Council ~ Twyford

The Berkshire County Blind Society is £125 better off thanks to the fundraising efforts of young people from Twyford Youth Centre. And on November 9 the Twyford young people will be presented with a certificate for their achievement by Tom Conlin from The Berkshire County Blind Society

Back in the summer, Twyford young people organised a huge ‘It’s a Knock-out’ event at Twyford Recreation Ground and young people from across the Wokingham Borough joined families for a fantastic afternoon of entertainment, fun and exercise. The event was organised by young people from Twyford Youth Centre and it proved to be a real hit with everyone!

Twyford Teams tackled a 150-foot inflatable assault course and also took part in the high energy ‘human demolition zone’ which saw four competitors on podiums aiming to knock their rivals off by using a massive one metre diameter ‘wrecking’ ball. There was also a bungee run, football penalty shoot-outs where teams had to score as many goals as possible in three minutes and other attractions including a barbecue and other refreshments.

Debbie Coleman, Twyford youth worker, said: “After last year’s successful 'It’s a Knock-out' competition, the young people wanted to organise another event to raise funds for the Berkshire County Blind Society. This was an event run by local young people from Twyford Youth Centre and they did all the work, from arranging the funding to organising the equipment. It was a huge success and they should be very proud of their achievements in organising this event. They are very much looking forward to meeting representatives from The Berkshire County Blind Society.”

Wokingham Borough Council ~ Twyford

Pupils at Robert Piggott Church of England Infant School in Wargrave are at the forefront of using information and communications technology (ICT) to enhance their work - and that’s official!

Following an extensive external assessment, Wargrave Robert Piggott Church of England Infant School has been awarded the prestigious ICT Mark by Becta, the government funded body responsible for promoting the use of ICT in Britain’s schools and colleges.

The award recognises the school’s success in developing the strategic use of ICT in both administration and across the curriculum. Parents will have proof that their children are attending a school at the forefront of modern technology.

Headteacher Sally Ann Akers said: “We are delighted to be awarded the ICT Mark, it recognises our positive approach to ICT and the benefit it brings to our children. We believe that ICT can be used in every aspect of learning and that it is essential our children are equipped for the modern world.”

Cllr Rob Stanton, the borough council’s executive member for Wargrave children’s services, said: “Robert Piggott Infant School is to be congratulated on its achievement. I hope they will continue to explore new ways to use information and communication technology to enhance life inside the classroom. School staff work hard to ensure technology is embedded in the curriculum and this award is a testament to this. This award demonstrates the excellent ICT management and teaching that is taking place in the borough’s schools.”

Neil McLean, executive director for schools and families at Becta, said: “Robert Piggott Church of England Infant School thoroughly deserves the accolade of an ICT mark. They clearly demonstrate how important it is to take a holistic approach to using ICT in schools. Their investment in new technology has contributed to substantial improvements in learning.”

Wokingham Borough Council ~ Wargrave

On Friday (November 6) pupils from across the Wokingham Borough will be taking part in an event to mark Anti-Bullying Week at Twyford Youth Centre.

This year’s Anti-Bullying Week is focusing on the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s national campaign ‘stay safe in cyberspace.’ Twyford Cyber-bullies use mobiles or the internet to deliberately upset someone else and research has found that more than a third of 12 to 15-year-olds have faced some form of cyber-bullying*.

Pupils from Wokingham Borough’s primary and secondary schools are attending a series of workshops focusing on different aspects of cyber-bullying and how to tackle the issue. The workshops are being led by youth workers, community wardens, police community support officers and police officers and the event will be rounded off with a talk by Chief Inspector Denise Blackburn.

Cllr Rob Stanton, executive member for Twyford children’s services, said: “Anti-Bullying Week shines a light on bullying, and sends a clear message that it is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in our schools and local communities. Sometimes cyber-bullying is not taken as seriously as other forms of more traditional bullying as the perpetrator may be anonymous. This doesn’t mean that it doesn’t cause upset or harm to children and young people.

“Young people’s lives are full of modern technologies such as mobile phones and the internet and we must all do everything we can to ensure they are used safely and constructively in a positive way – not to bully their peers. During Anti-Bullying Week, pupils will join forces to spread the word to make cyberspace safe.”

Julian Bushell, Twyford senior adviser - behaviour, attendance and emotional literacy, said: “The experience of being cyber-bullied, as with any bullying can be very painful for those who are the targets. Anti-Bullying Week gives schools and youth services the opportunity to address the issues around cyber-bullying in a positive way, involving the whole school and youth community in tackling the problem.”

Wokingham Borough Council ~ Twyford

Here is the latest Twyford/Ruscombe, Sonning/Charvil/Hurst and Wargrave/Remenham neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Anne Chalmers:

Sadly, reports of personal belongings being stolen from parked vehicles have increased.

Your local neighbourhood police team is working closely with local sports and leisure venues, and public houses whose car parks are targeted. I would urge any visitors leaving their cars in car parks to ensure that their belongings are not left in their vehicles. We will continue to conduct empty car campaign, identifying vehicles and their owners who’ve left belongings on show and offering advice.

There have been reports of cars being broken into at the Wee Waif public house car park, Sonning Lane, Redingansians Rugby Club and Reading Hockey club. Personal items stolen include ladies handbags, laptops, mobile phones and new clothing still in the store bag.

I urge you not to leave items on display and to take your personal items with you if possible when you leave your car. We continue to work to reduce these crimes and, under the Empty Car Campaign, officers visit hotspots to offer advice and provide a visible police presence in the areas.

PC Neblett assisted officers with two warrants for drugs executed in the Woodley area. Enquiries from this led to the arrest of a female from Drovers Way Woodley on suspicion of possession of a Class A drug. The investigation is still ongoing with the female currently on police bail. PC Neblett was also part of the team which entered a house on Reading Road, Woodley on 16 October. The officers discovered that the house was being used to cultivate cannabis in extremely large quantities. The sole occupant at the address was arrested and is still helping police with their enquiries. The house was subsequently stripped of all the cannabis plants and the equipment used to grow them.

PC Giles Murphy arrested two 17 year old men for Public Order offences following a report of anti-social behaviour (ASB) at Waitrose in Twyford.

In my last update I mentioned reported instances of ASB in Hurst village, these include unacceptable behaviour at the youth shelter, usually late at night or early hours of the morning and property “for sale” signs being removed and thrown into the village pond. We continue to patrol areas of concern. If anyone has any information relating to these incident please contact your Neighbourhood Police team on 0845 8 505 505

We have had reports from residents on the Pennfields estate about incidents of ASB. We are working with residents, specific departments within Wokingham Borough Council and our local Youth Services to resolve specific problems. We will of course continue to provide high visibility patrols in the area.

Speeding and car crime remain the top priorities for the neighbourhood team. We are regularly conducting speed surveys using the speed indication device (SID). This month PCSO Anne Chalmers and PC Terry Neblett conducted speed surveys using the SID on Lodge Road and the A321 Wokingham Road. Results identified several motorists travelling in excess of 30mph, these individuals will be contacted by the Neighbourhood Police Team. The results of the survey will also be passed to our Traffic Police Team.

Over a two day period PC Neblett, PC Murphy and PCSO Chalmers showed a visible presence at the junction of Lines road and Lodge Road in Hurst. There is a prohibition for all vehicles entering Lines Road except for access, with signage both at this junction and its junction with the A321. Over 30 cars were stopped during the operation, with the officers passing suitable advice regarding the access. All apologised after being informed the offence carried a £30.00 non-endorsable fixed penalty ticket.

Patrols have been conducted around the junior and infant schools in Wargrave at school run times – words of advice have been given and tickets issued where needed. Whilst we don’t wish to give out tickets it is your responsibility to park your car legally and safely - please ensure that you look at the road markings and restrictions when collecting your children from school.

On 16 October PCSO Jackie Daniels arranged a meeting with the Headteachers of Robert Piggot junior and infant, Crazies Hill and Colleton schools to discuss the ongoing problems that the inconsiderate and dangerous parking is generating not only for the children but also the local residents. Also invited was Thames Valley Police Roads Safety Officer Andrew Luck to the meeting as well who is helping us to put a long term resolution in place.

We will be adopting a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to this problem which I know will not be popular with some people, but ‘running late’ is not an excuse that is acceptable. I will of course keep you updated as to our progress made in the upcoming meetings as I know this will be of interest to many of the residents of Wargrave.

PCSO Anne Chalmers continues to monitor and deal as necessary with the issue of school parking in Sonning and Hurst.

Many people will be aware of the recent events that have occurred with The Golden Cross pub in Station Road Twyford. In order to go some way to allay concerns, a public meeting was held with invited members of the public in close proximity of the pub to voice their feelings. It was held at The United Reform Church Hall in Twyford, involving the publican of The Golden Cross and his Area Manager, police officers and senior Licensing Officers from Wokingham Borough Council. It was a productive meeting, with Mark Gray the publican making undertakings against loud customers using the premise.

PCSOs Anne Chalmers and Jackie Daniels have been working closely with Wokingham Borough Council Licensing officer Karen Court, auditing licensed premises in the area. We are pleased to report all checks were in order.

PC Giles Murphy and PCSO Jackie Daniels presented a number of assemblies at Piggott Senior School, educating the pupils on acceptable behaviour at this time of the year – basically if they are too old to be accompanied by an adult they are too old to be ‘trick or treating’. Although some people enjoy this time of year, we did request that a person’s privacy is respected, and that individuals may not wish to take part. There were no major issues concerning ASB over the weekend of Halloween.

PCSO Jackie Daniels and PCSO Anne Chalmers, with the council Community Wardens visited Polehampton day care Centre. This was an excellent opportunity for the residents to meet, and find out about, their local Neighbourhood Police and community wardens. We were able to answer any concerns and questions the group had and provide crime reduction and personal safety advice,

On 20 October PC Giles Murphy and PCSO Jackie Daniels were invited to help the 2nd Wargrave Brownies with their Crime Prevention Badge. They had a lovely evening teaching the girls how to keep themselves safe as well as taking a few fingerprints. They did so well and were presented with the Crime Prevention Badge which they will wear with pride.

Whilst conducting an environmental audit in Sonning Lane, Sonning, Susan McIntyre, Emma Leroy (Wokingham Borough Council community wardens) and PCSO Anne Chalmers Identified and had removed car doors and other large items of waste from the road side ditches. We will be working along with local residents to ensure general litter deposited along Sonning lane, and the entrances of Reading Rugby and Reading Hockey club is monitored and removed. I’d like to thank all the local residents there assistance in dealing with this matter.

PCSO Anne Chalmers responded to residents who report pavements blocked by inconsiderate delivery drivers who parking pavements, outside shops on the Twyford High Street/London Road. I’d like to remind all shop managers that deliveries are made to the rear of their premises; any vehicle see inappropriately parking will receive a fixed penalty.

If your walkway is being blocked in this way, please contact your neighbourhood team on 0845 8 505 505.

The Neighbourhood Police team continue to conducting high visibility patrols and hold community street briefings, at which residents can talk with the team, we answer your questions and give crime reduction advice.

Wargrave Police Surgery 17 November at Wargrave Pavillion, Recreation Road, Wargrave 10am-midday.

Twyford Police surgery – Saturday 14 November Twyford Councillors meeting at The United Reform Church at 10am.

Neighbourhood Action Groups

Sonning /Charvil /Hurst - Wednesday 2 December 10am at Charvil village Hall

Wargrave / Twyford /Remenham – 3 December 7.30pm at Piggott School

Street Briefing, Sonning Meadows, Sonning 26 November at 5pm.

You can contact your neighbourhood policing team by calling 0845 8 505 505

Thames Valley Police ~ Twyford

Thames Valley Police Twyford neighbourhood policing team are visiting the Polehampton Sheltered Accommodation centre to talk to older residents in the community about their concerns.

Twyford Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Anne Chalmers said: “I have arranged to visit the residents to offer advice on areas of policing they may be affected by and listen to their concerns.

“I hope to talk to them about rogue traders, home security, bogus callers and anti-social behaviour.

“It is also an ideal opportunity to talk to them about specific concerns around fireworks and bonfire night.

“I will also be offering the residents personal alarms.

“Older people are sometimes not as mobile and able to get to our police surgeries so we thought it was important to reach out to them in this way.”

PCSO Chalmers will be at the centre from 10.30am on Wednesday (4/11).

Thames Valley Police ~ Twyford