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West Berkshire's Community Champions have been celebrated in an awards ceremony at Shaw House in Newbury.
The Community Champion Awards are an opportunity to say thank you to people who have done something special for their local community and honour those individuals and community groups who have gone above and beyond to support residents throughout West Berkshire.
We're delighted to announce that our 2022 Community Champions are:
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Junior Citizen of the Year: Swara Dasarwar
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Volunteer of the Year: Sarah Johnson
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Community Group of the Year: Purley Sustainability Group
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Lifetime Achievement Award: Mike Warner
Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate unsung heroes in their communities.
You can find out more about the winners and their achievements, along with other Highly Commended nominations on our website.
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Delivering our Council Strategy |
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Four years ago, we set out our Council Strategy to make sure West Berkshire remains a great place to live, work and learn. We've worked hard to achieve this - delivering core services and improving in our priority areas. We couldn't have done it alone and are grateful for the support of residents, businesses and our partners in helping deliver this Strategy.
As we reach the end of the current strategy period we're sharing our highlights of what we've delivered for you and with you during this time.
You can find out more on our website and watch our highlight reels on our YouTube channel.
We are now asking for your views as we develop our Strategy for the next four years. The theme for our new Strategy is 'forward together', and we will continue to work with you and for you to make West Berkshire the best it can be.
Have your say on our new Council Strategy here.
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A new exhibition at West Berkshire Museum will share the art, thoughts and words of Ukrainians who have settled in the district over the past year.
 One year on from the start of the war, in the War.Art.Hope exhibition, three Ukrainian artists speak about their experiences and how they use art to sustain themselves and bring hope to others.
It showcases the work of artists - Nadia, Natalia and Luda – and features a series of three emotional short films. Alongside films of Nadia and Natalia, the third tells the story of the Brickman’s, a West Berkshire family who host a young couple, Max and Katya, through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
The exhibition will run at the West Berkshire Museum in Newbury from Wednesday 22 February until Sunday 26 March.
If you’d like to become a host to a Ukrainian guest, you can find out how here.
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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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Do you own a hospitality business? Or know someone who does? If so, our Environment and Economic Development team are running a Sustainable Hospitality Webinar on Wednesday 1 March at 5:15pm.
 The webinar will focus on bringing together experiences from those already on their journey to become more sustainable, so that others can learn directly from them.
Andy Kershaw, Director of Property at Marstons, will be giving the perspective from a national chain, and Colline from Colline’s Kitchen will be talking about her experience as a local independent café owner and caterer. Topics will include energy, transport, supply chain, funding, and the lessons learnt from navigating these areas.
To book your place on the webinar, please register here. This will be a live session on our YouTube Channel.
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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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The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust are holding events in Newbury and Reading to share more about plans the redevelopment or relocation of Royal Berkshire Hospital and the services it should provide.
Newbury Matters and Reading Matters will include a brief presentation and a discussion about the future of healthcare and hospital services locally. If you are unable to attend you can complete a survey online to have your say.
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There are just 78 days until district, parish and town council elections.
Make sure you've registered to vote by Monday 17 April. You can do this at gov.uk/register-to-vote - and don't forget that for the first time, you need to bring ID with you as well.
And finally...
- If you have a spare room or empty home, and can offer a home to a Ukraine guest or family, you can register to be a host. Please get in touch with the Ukraine Hub Team at ukraine@westberks.gov.uk or contact us on 01635 503579 for an informal chat.
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