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This Christmas, we have put together a sustainable shopping guide featuring lots of green local businesses across West Berkshire. We are encouraging residents to shop less but shop better, so why not choose fewer, more sustainable gifts this year to save money and waste.
 Funding is available for household energy-efficiency measures for low-income and low energy efficient homes.
Sustainable Warmth is a new Government grant scheme designed to fund energy-efficiency upgrades to residents who are most likely to be impacted by the high cost of rising bills. These improvements will help residents to use less energy and spend less on their energy bills.
To see if you're eligible, check the eligibility through the online application.
Deadline to apply is 31 December 2022.
If you require any further information, visit our website.
 The festive season is coming, and this year you will have even more reason to leave your car at home as free bus travel will be offered on selected days during this time.
Following on from successful free bus travel last Christmas, this Easter, and for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, bus journeys starting in West Berkshire, and the return journey if going beyond the West Berkshire border, will be free all day on the following days in November and December:
There are no time restrictions on the public buses, so why not take the opportunity to go Christmas shopping, look at festive lights, attend the panto at the Corn Exchange, go for a bite to eat in the local eateries or do a round of Pre-Christmas visits to family and friends.
On the same dates in the run up to Christmas Day there will be free pre-bookable Christmas Shopper service operated by the Council available for villages in West Berkshire who do not have a Saturday bus service.
Further details can be found on the Council’s website.
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Thank you to everyone who has started using the new weekly food waste collection service. In the first two weeks of collections we have collected 173 tonnes of food waste!
Remember food waste is collected weekly, on the same day as your black bin or recycling.
For more information about the service please visit: www.westberks.gov.uk/foodwaste and for tips on how to reduce your food waste please visit: www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.
*REMINDER: Collections from flats and communal dwellings begin from 28 November 2022*
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Christmas cards – you can send e-cards to friends and family instead of buying cards. Christmas cards from last year can be cut up and made into gift tags for this year.
Wrapping paper - gifts can be wrapped in newspaper or in cardboard boxes that you may already have. These can also then be recycled after use. Christmas cards and wrapping paper can be recycled as long as they do not contain glitter, foil or other embellishments.
Christmas Jumpers - many Christmas jumpers are only worn once a year so see if you can swap with friends of family instead of having to buy a new one.
Food - Don’t let your food go to waste this Christmas, visit: lovefoodhatewaste.com for money and waste saving tips. For any unavoidable food waste this can be recycled using the weekly food waste collection.
Follow @recyclewestberkshire on Facebook for more waste saving tips over the Christmas period.
Don't forget to sign up to our Waste newsletter to receive quarterly updates about our work across West Berkshire.
We'll be sending out more information about Christmas collections and recycling tips over the festive season.
Low Carbon Workspaces offers small and medium-sized businesses in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes grants of between £1,000 and £6,750 to cover up to a third of the cost of making energy improvements.
Reducing your carbon footprint and energy consumption is becoming more and more important for small businesses across West Berkshire who care about the impact they have on the environment. By applying for a Low Carbon Workspaces grant, your business could also reduce the payback time for any potential investment.
As long as you fit their eligibility criteria, you can help promote sustainable business across West Berkshire whilst cutting carbon emissions.
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 Businesses can find out about environmental initiatives and read advice for them on our Business West Berkshire website. We have put together a list of support available for going green, along with some case studies from local independent businesses. Watch this space as we aim to expand our engagement with West Berkshire businesses.
Managing Ash Dieback in West Berkshire
As part of our ongoing commitment to managing the risks associated with ash trees that are affected by the ash dieback disease, staff within the Countryside team carried out an annual highways tree survey during the summer months, focusing on the main roads within West Berkshire (A, B and C roads). Following this survey a number of sites alongside main roads have been identified as requiring tree felling, including the following two sites:
- A section of the A4 running directly north of Aldermaston Wharf
- A section of the A4 in Calcot, north of The Chase
In the majority of cases ash trees significantly affected with the ash dieback disease will be felled to ground level, although where safe to do so trees are reduced to a safe height to provide wildlife habitat. It is anticipated that this tree felling work will take place between December 2022 and February 2023.
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Back in 2019, Ruth Andreski and Penny Brewer, long-time residents of Lambourn wanted to beautify their village. Both Ruth and Penny are also passionate about biodiversity and wanted to do something to alleviate climate change. Despite limited ambition their plans began to grow and just keep on growing!
In the summer of 2020, we met Ruth and Penny and representatives of Lambourn Parish Council. Another resident, Gill Temple, wanted to create a community orchard and West Berkshire Council provided 30 fruit trees. Gill and her team did a magnificent job and the orchard was planted that December, during strict Covid restrictions.
In March 2021, Sheepdrove Organic Farm offered use of their land for tree planting. The group took up offers of trees from a number of sources including the ‘Blossom into spring’ scheme, the Woodland Trust and The Queen's Green Canopy.
A handful of like-minded enthusiasts were enlisted and Lambourn Environmental Group (LEG) was born. The group joined a Community Interest Company set up by the ‘Lambourn Junction’ who deal with the groups insurance and finances.
With trees donated from various sources (including the local Women’s Institute celebrating their centenary!) the energetic volunteers in Lambourn have planted almost 600 trees in just over a year!
The summer of 2022 proved to be a real challenge with watering a priority. With help from Mike Barker of Sheepdrove, the LEG are hopeful that most of the trees will survive. Undeterred, the group have two more projects this winter both at the eastern end of the village. The group are also recording sightings of hedgehogs in gardens and it seems that Lambourn has many hedgehog fans. The villagers are enthusiastic and generous with their findings!
To advertise their work the LEG entered the Lambourn Carnival in August 2022 (see photo). The talented Pat Lywood made four gorgeous tabards, each with a different slogan printed on the back. We hope to bring you regular updates on the work of the LEG and our other brilliant community groups via this newsletter.
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