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For the whole of September, we are celebrating all things environmental!
We will be highlighting some of the fantastic work going on across the district as well as how residents can get involved. We have included some information in this newsletter but keep an eye out on our socials and residents newsletter to see more!
Did you know, 13 million items of used clothing ends up in UK landfill every week?!
Want to make a positive difference? Why not challenge yourself to only buy second hand clothes during September? Save money, grab something unique and help save the planet!
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We are holding a webinar on 5 September, 5.30-6.30pm, and will be joined by local green businesses, including: Sheepdrove Organic Farm, Cotswold Fayre and Thatcham Refillable.
Join in to hear about what these businesses are already doing to help get the district closer to carbon neutrality, along with ideas and guidance for other businesses and residents in the district.
Keep an eye out for the link on our Facebook page.
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Come and find us at Greenfest on 10 September! GreenFest is a free, fun day of sustainability solutions for all ages held across Hampstead Norreys, covering topics from transport, community action, nature, and many more. You can find us in the Climate Action and Community Zone, as well as the Transport Zone.
Cllr Steve Ardagh-Walter, Executive Member for Environment and Transformation, will also be speaking about our carbon neutral journey.
We have also put on extra dedicated buses from Newbury to Greenfest to help visitors to use public transport to attend the event.
 80% of plastic waste pollution passes through our rivers, streams and ditches on its way to the sea…Let’s Blitz it!
During 17-25 September we will be supporting the PlasticBlitz campaign by Thames Rivers Trust, to clear up the harmful litter and plastic waste on land around our rivers and river catchment areas. To register your litter picking group, school or community organisation call Action River Kennet on: 01672 512700 and set off on a PlasticBlitz.
We can also provide litter kits on a first come basis - find out more here on our webpage.
Don’t forget to tag us and PlasticBlitz into your pictures and videos and use the following hashtags: #plasticblitz #riverlambourn #riverpang #riverkennet #riverstrust #chalkstreams
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Next month is National Recycling Week which will be running from 19- 25 September.
The waste team will be out in the district that week providing recycling advice and information. Please keep an eye on our facebook page to find out where we will be: @RecycleWestBerkshire.
This year’s theme is ‘Let’s Get Real’ and will look at tackling the common myths about recycling.
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Listen to Cllr Steve Ardagh-Walter, Executive Member for Environment and Transformation, and a member of our waste team talk about our new waste services across the district. There will also be a chance to have your pre-submitted questions answered too in the Q&A.
Keep an eye out for the link on our Facebook page, as well as how to pre-submit questions for the session.
Free Bus Travel on World Car Free Day: Thursday 22 September 2022
 Many bus operators across West Berkshire will be offering free bus travel on World Car Free Day, Thursday 22 September 2022. This initiative follows on from previous successes in the run up to Christmas 2021, and the Easter and Jubilee long weekends in 2022. For World Car Free Day free bus travel will available on more services than ever before! Details are currently being finalised, and will be advertised locally and on the Council’s website.
On 22 September you could consider using the bus for work or school, or to see friends or family. Buses are an environmentally friendly mode of transport and they serve many areas of the district. Information about timetables can be found here and there are variety of tickets available for purchase including a recently launched Group Ticket valid for up to 4 people, great for days out as a family or with friends.
 Hungerford Environmental Action Team (HEAT) are hosting a Home Energy event at Hungerford Town Hall on 24 September 10.30am - 4pm.
This year’s big HEAT initiative offers plenty of information on how to reduce the energy consumed by your home. At this free event, come meet experts, advisors, companies and local residents with case studies keen to help draw up your individual energy cost and carbon emissions reduction roadmap for your home.
One sixth of the UK’s climate heating emissions come from running our homes so this is a chance to find out how you can make a difference.
Great Big Green Week is a national celebration of all things environmental, taking place between 24 September and 2 October. You can find nearby events on the official website here, but keep an eye out for events throughout September in your local area.
Holding an event? Don't forget to register it here to make sure visitors can find it!
The Countryside Team has an annual capital programme for Public Rights of Way (PROW). One of our first projects to be completed this year was improvement to a byway in Wokefield which had been damaged by vehicles. Now, it's a fine off-road route through a beautiful quiet area on the boundary of West Berkshire and Wokingham.
The Ramblers’ Association volunteer strimming group (see photo) helps West Berkshire Council clear vegetation on Public Rights of Way. The group is now in operation again following a hiatus over the last two years. We gave them some initial refresher training and off they went to tackle the late spring jungle!
The rights of way team has purchased a ride-on mower to speed up the clearance of surface vegetation on PROWs. Traditionally a walking flail has been the main machine used for this type of clearance, but the new ride-on has proved to be very versatile due to its narrow shape.
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In West Berkshire, we have an incredible 1,192km of beautiful Public Rights of Way to enjoy. This is one of the longest networks in the South of England!
As dog owners know, there is something special about exploring rights of way with our four-legged friends. Be it walking your favourite daily route or discovering new areas and hidden gems. However, it is best to check your route before you leave to make sure it is suitable for dogs. For example, a stile that is lamb-proof may be difficult for your dog to use!
When walking on Public Rights of Way, it is really important to remember that by law, your dog must be under your close control and on the line of the path. If a dog is allowed to run around off the path, trespass is committed against the landholder. Dogs must wear a collar with an identification tag bearing the owner’s name and address whilst in a public place.
Other key points to remember when walking on Public Rights of Way are as follows:
Keep your dog under effective control to make sure it stays away from wildlife, livestock, horses and other people unless invited. You should:
- always keep your dog on a lead or in sight
- be confident your dog will return on command
- make sure your dog does not stray from the path or area where you have right of access
Always check local signs as there are situations when you must keep your dog on a lead for all or part of the year.
It is good practice wherever you are to keep your dog on a lead around livestock. A farmer can shoot a dog that is attacking or chasing livestock. They may not be liable to compensate the dog’s owner.
However, let your dog off the lead if you feel threatened by livestock or horses. Do not risk getting hurt protecting your dog. Releasing your dog will make it easier for you both to reach safety.
Finally - always clean up your dog’s poo because it can cause illness in people, livestock and wildlife.
Never leave bags of dog poo around, even if you intend to pick them up later. Deodorised bags and containers can make bags of dog poo easier to carry. If you cannot find a public waste bin, you should take it home and use your own bin.
Remember - bag it and bin it - any public waste bin will do!
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 We’ve opened two new mini recycling centres in partnership with our waste contractor Veolia. The new sites are in East Garston (in the overflow car park for the Queens Arms, RG17 7ER), and at the end of Theale High Street (RG7 5AR).
The mini recycling centres have banks for plastic pots, tubs, trays, cans, small electricals, cardboard and paper. *Banks for food and drink cartons (including paper tubes with metal ends) and textiles are coming soon*
The new Theale facility will offer more recycling options and will replace the existing smaller Theale site. Please remember to place only the correct items in the banks for recycling and not to leave bags of recycling/rubbish next to the banks.
We're pleased to report that good progress is being made towards starting separate weekly food waste collections from 31 October 2022.
We're encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive support that residents gave to the proposals in our resident survey earlier this year. Ahead of the service starting residents will receive food waste caddies, a roll of liners and an information leaflet between August and October 2022.
Please store the new caddies safely and don't use them for collection until the new service starts at the end of October.
Cllr Steve Ardagh-Walter has been looking into local initiatives to help residents with home energy efficiency:
As we all know, home heating costs have rocketed over the last year, and there is likely to be a further increase this winter. This situation will push many people across West Berkshire into fuel poverty and very real hardship. One of the biggest causes of fuel poverty is draughty and poorly insulated homes: these waste lots of householders' money as well as unnecessarily contributing to global warming.
Fortunately, both draughts and poor insulation can be fixed quite easily. To make this happen locally I would like to form a voluntary group, provisionally named West Berkshire Draughtbusters. The aims of this group would be to find and fix draughts in homes occupied by elderly and vulnerable residents, and also to raise awareness so that many more people are equipped to improve their own houses.
Are you interested in energy saving and the environment, and would you be keen to make a difference across the community? We need practical people who are willing to give some time to find and fix problems in homes. If you are able to help, please contact me, Cllr Steve Ardagh-Walter, via email steve.ardagh-walter@westberks.gov.uk
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Work has been completed to construct a cycleway, and to improve footways and shared path sections, along the A4 Western Avenue, between the Waitrose roundabout and the junctions with Brummell Road and Old Bath Road. The works followed on from the Active Travel consultation carried out in 2021 and used Active Travel Funding from the Department for Transport.
The scheme represents a further step in improving facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, helping to make it easier to walk or cycle locally, to schools, shops and other facilities, while not affecting traffic capacity on the A4. The works have involved:
- Reconstruction and widening of the footway on the north side of the A4 Western Avenue, between Brummell Road and the Waitrose roundabout;
- Construction of a two-way cycle track on the north side of the A4 beside Robert Sandilands school grounds, to just west of the Waitrose roundabout, with the cycle track separated from the footway by a kerb line, and cyclists being separated from road traffic by a buffer strip alongside the carriageway;
- Widening of the existing, shared pedestrian and cycle path from the signalled crossing east of Old Bath Road and extending into the east side of Brummell Road;
- Alterations to the signalled crossing by Old Bath Road, to allow easier use by cyclists and pedestrians;
- Improvements to the shared cycle- and pedestrian path along the south side of A4 Western Avenue, west of the Waitrose roundabout;
- Improvement of the existing section of shared path in Old Bath Road near Wilson Valkenburg Court, and widening of the footway beside Speen Hill Close;
- Widening of the pedestrian refuge islands across the A4 by the Co-Op;
- Adjustments at the mouth of Brummell Road, to improve the pedestrian refuge and altering the kerb line to address overrunning by larger vehicles; and
- Resurfacing of sections of footway.
Consideration is being given to potential for further improvements in future phases to footways and cycle facilities around and to the east of the Waitrose roundabout, to improve access to Winchcombe School, Shaw Estate and areas to the east.
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Cycling is more than a hobby, it’s a life skill.
Once you take to two or three wheels, it opens doors to so much more! It's great exercise, is good for our planet, and is a great way to go exploring, get to school or to work.
We have an extensive range of cycling courses available for children and families for all abilities. Our instructors are qualified and DBS checked to ensure you are safe and learn in a fun but practical environment.
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