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 Community Champion Awards are back, and we want your nominations.
These awards are a brilliant opportunity to say thank you to people who have done something special for the local community and will honour individuals and community groups who have gone above and beyond to support others throughout West Berkshire this past year.
This year there are four categories:
- Community Group of the Year,
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- The Pat Eastop Junior Citizen of the Year Award
- Volunteer of the Year.
We want to celebrate the amazing work that you do, but we need your help.
Past winners include: Cara Herman who helped set up ‘All Yours Period Box’ and helped raise over £27,000 towards period poverty; Mortimer Lunch Club which provides somewhere for older residents to meet and socialise to combat isolation and loneliness and Trevor Goodall, who following the death of his prematurely born twins in 1995, worked for his charity ‘New Life’ to raise over £1,000,000 over the last 25 years for specialist equipment, to increase survival for premature and seriously ill babies.
Nominations are open until 2 January. All of the awards will be judged by an independent panel and the winners will be presented with their award at a ceremony in February 2023.
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New Executive Director joins Senior Leadership Team |
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A new Executive Director has been appointed to join our Senior Leadership Team.
Clare Lawrence will take up the new post in March and will lead the Place directorate – which delivers a broad range of services from housing, transport and environmental delivery through to planning, economic development and public protection.
Clare arrives at West Berkshire Council having spent 30 years in local government working at a number of councils, including two in Berkshire.
Among the key projects Clare will be involved in will be the delivery of a new Council Strategy 2023-27 which will be implemented next year, a review of the West Berkshire Local Plan and the delivery of the town-centre strategies for Newbury, Thatcham and Hungerford.
Visit our website to find out more about the role and hear from Clare and Chief Executive Nigel Lynn.
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 Has the brilliant John Lewis Christmas Advert got you thinking about Fostering?
We pride ourselves on making sure children in care and their foster families feel supported and part of our community. By fostering you are able to provide a safe environment and a family life to a child unable to live at home. Your warmth and passion could help them reach their full potential and write the next chapter of their lives.
Like all communities and families, we love to get together and share our experiences and thoughts. We hold weekly coffee mornings, informal training evenings and great activity days with something for everyone; from kite flying and crumble making, to Halloween parties and rounders in the sunshine.
You will not be left alone throughout the application and assessment process, we will guide and support you during it all. There are different types of Foster placements, and we will work with you to decide which works best. We would like to hear from you; whether you can offer short or long term care or even some emergency or respite support.
If you’re thinking about becoming a foster carer with us, we’d love to hear from you. You can call the team 01635 503429 or email them.
 Educafe are hosting a Festive Bazaar in Newbury next week.
It’s a day where you can find out more about what they do and take part in festive activities. As well as their usual community café activities there will be games including guess the weight of the Christmas cake, a human fruit machine and activities for kids. Free hot drinks and cake will be available all day and a low-cost chilli lunch will be available between 12-2pm.
As well as bringing the community together the event will help Educafe fundraise to help them reach more people and continue supporting the community.
The event is open between 11am and 4pm on Friday 2 December at The Globe in Newbury.
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With over 1,500 members of staff corporately, plus additional members of staff working across our local schools and education settings, we're one of the largest employers in the area. There are lots of reasons to consider a career with us - from the wide range of services we provide to the training and benefits we offer.
Current vacancies include:
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 Sometimes you may be unsure whether someone needs urgent or emergency care and with winter pressures on the health service it’s important to go to the right place for help.
Dr Omar Nafousi, Emergency Medicine Clinical Lead at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, explains the difference between urgent cases and emergencies in this video.
Urgent care is for things like fractures, minor head problems or cuts but it's not for life threatening situations. In these cases, visit the NHS website or call NHS 111 and they will be able to help you.
If someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk, they need emergency care and you must call 999.
One of the main causes of damp and mould in your home is condensation. This leaflet explains how condensation is formed and how to keep it to a minimum.
If you don’t get rid of moisture it will encourage the growth of mould. Mould is a fungus and grows wherever there is moisture. You will see black pinpricks of mould on walls and ceilings. You will also notice a musty smell and items in cupboards can get covered in green fur. Damp and mould increase the risk of mites and can cause respiratory problems if it remains untreated.
If you are having issues within your private rented property and your landlord is not helping or supporting you, please contact the Environmental Health Housing Team on: 01635 503242, email us or at West Berkshire Council Environmental Health and Licensing Market Street, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5LD.
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We value your views on the decisions we take. There are several areas we are currently holding consultations on, including:
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 It’s Adult Safeguarding Week and we are using the week to highlight the types of situations where help and support may be required from our adult safeguarding team. We are sharing information about issues such as self-neglect.
Self-neglect can be triggered as result of a traumatic event, such as a bereavement. Self-neglect includes:
- Neglecting to care for personal hygiene or health
- Unable or unwilling to manage personal affairs
See our social media channels this week or learn more about other types of safeguarding concerns online.
If you need help and support, please email us or call 01635 519053
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Carers Event this Friday 25 November |
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It’s Carers’ Rights Day this week and the Carers Partnership for Reading and West Berkshire has organised an event for unpaid carers on Friday 25 November from 12.30-3.30pm at Frank Hutchings Community Hall, Thatcham, RG18 4QH.
Our Adult Social Care team will be there and will give a talk on Direct Payments. There will also be a number of other local organisations who can offer advice and support including Irwin Mitchell Solicitors who will speak about Wills, Deputyships, Trusts and Power of Attorney.
It’s a good opportunity to find out about support and to meet other local carers. Everyone is welcome to pop in and there will be free refreshments available. If you have any questions, contact Stephen Hammond or call 0118 959 4242.
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And finally...
The Giving Tree is open for donations. Whilst out shopping for Christmas presents this weekend, if you spot something suitable for the Giving Tree why not pick it up and donate it. To give a gift you can either visit one of the four venues across West Berkshire or you can use the online booking platform. Gifts can be a mixture of donations, toys and experiences and the campaign closes on 6 December.
For more information visit our website.
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