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 We're counting down the days to the Shaw House Summer Fair - join us this Sunday!
Out on the lawns you can browse over 45 craft stalls of local makers and visit the caterers offering a variety of hot food and drinks. There will be live music, activities with Ugly Duckling Crafts, performances from Mr Muddle the Magician, children’s rides and the opportunity to meet some Shetland Ponies. There will also be a dog show, so remember to bring along your four legged friend! Dogs on leads are welcome outside.
The House, including the Exhibition Rooms, will be open. The Dressed for Shaw costume exhibition will also be on display.
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 Pedestrianisation in Newbury town centre could be extended to midnight each day under a trial we're proposing.
The proposal would see the pedestrianised zone, which currently runs from 10am to 5pm, extended until midnight. With the town centre being traffic-free for longer, everyone will be able to enjoy an improved environment in the evenings, more space for outdoor dining and events, plus it will encourage people to make sustainable travel choices.
A decision is set to be made next week and, if approved, we're aiming to begin the trial on Monday 14 August - ahead of the Festival of the Moon event in the town.
The trial will deliver one of the commitments made by our new administration for its first 100 days in office. It also supports aspirations in the Newbury Town Centre Masterplan.
The trial will last for at least six months with residents invited to share their experiences of the new arrangements in a survey.
You can find out more in this news article or jump straight to the report.
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New bus service connecting Newbury and Harwell Business Campus
 Last week we joined partners across West Berkshire and Oxfordshire at a roadshow launch for the new bus service to connect Newbury and Harwell Business Campus. This green and fast service for commuters and leisure users will launch on 23 July so please use this service and leave the car at home if you can! The timetable for the new X34 service can be found 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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 Click image to enlarge
Sunday marks three years since we published our Environment Strategy which outlines the steps we intend to take with our partners to reach carbon neutrality. As always, we've been very busy delivering projects across the district over the last year and have created the roadmap above showing our key achievements. From new recycling centres to flood alleviation schemes, our climate action is helping both people and nature. Read our Environment Strategy and previous roadmaps (in our annual reports) on our webpage here.
 Last week saw the launch of the Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) which brings together organisations including West Berkshire Council, Thames Valley Police, schools, alcohol services and local retailers to help reduce the crime, anti-social behaviour and harm caused by underage drinking. Cllr Jeremy Cottam, Chairman of West Berkshire Council, was in attendance to celebrate the partnership.
You can find out more about the work of the Community Alcohol Partnership here, but it includes:
- Working alongside local retailers to prevent underage and proxy alcohol sales. Proxy sales are when a person aged 18 or over buys alcohol on behalf of an underage person
- Providing help, support and information for young people through youth services and local schools
The partnership will also aim to work more closely with partnership organisations to provide alcohol health harm workshops in youth settings and provide good practice advice to retailers on development of a challenge 25 policy.
Please get in touch for more information.
 To find out how satisfied residents were with local public bus services, last summer we asked for opinions on the changes and improvements made so far. Now, we want to gather views on ticketing improvements in the last year, the £2 National Single Fare Cap Scheme, your experiences of the service in recent months, suggestions for improvements, changes to existing bus services, and views on the new bus services we are expecting to introduce in the coming months.
To take part, please complete the online survey by midnight on Sunday 10 September 2023.
Paper copies of the survey are also available on request by contacting 01635 519394 or transport@westberks.gov.uk.
 Members of the community of Ukrainians who have come to stay in Newbury under the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme, will be unveiling a temporary exhibit on the wall of Newbury Town Hall in the Market Place at 5pm this afternoon (Wednesday 12 July).
The exhibit consists of yellow and blue ‘angels’, handmade by Ukrainian women, and each one represents a child that has been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. This memorial to the child victims of the war was first exhibited in Slovakia in 2022. At the time there were 241 ‘angels’ represented by handmade dolls.
The ‘Angels of Ukraine’ exhibit will stay in place on the wall of Newbury Town Hall until Monday 17 July. From Newbury, it will then be going to Portugal, and on to other countries around the world.
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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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 Newbury Friends of the Earth is holding an Open Evening in Goldwell Park, Newbury on Thursday 20 July at 7pm.
Dr Susan Millington, the project coordinator, will be giving an overview of the Lockdown Woods project and introducing the various sites of the five Lockdown Woods in the District. Joan Stacey will then lead a short ramble to look at some of the trees and will share some interesting facts, alongside Dave Webster who will talk about the wildlife on the trees and in the area in general. The coordinators will have set up a moth trap the previous night, so there should also be some interesting moths to admire.
No booking is required. Meet by the Lockdown Wood plaque at the bottom of the slope by 6:50pm, ready for a prompt start at 7pm.
For more information please email Newbury Friends of the Earth
 In addition to the annual Summer Reading Challenge, which is for children aged 4-11, we have a challenge for everyone 12 years old and over as well!
Pick up a Book Challenge card when you next visit a library to find suggestions of different types of books to read. Choose three of these and read your books before 15 September. If the suggestions you select are in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row on your card, you can enter a prize draw in your local library.
Please ask in the library for more details and start your challenge now.
 Most of our regular activities for children take a break during the school holidays, but some continue and others start! For instance, this summer you will find weekly Rhymetimes in Burghfield Common, Hungerford and Newbury libraries (apart from Tuesday 25 July).
The All Sorts Club at Lambourn Library, the Pot-luck Club at Hungerford Library and the children’s craft clubs at Burghfield Common, Hungerford and Theale libraries are all continuing, along with Theale Library’s Duplo Play sessions, with extra sessions taking place every Wednesday, 10.45am-2.15pm.
We also have a number of our popular LEGO sessions taking place at Burghfield Common, Newbury, Pangbourne, Thatcham and Theale libraries.
Additional activities also include:
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Sports-themed crafts at Theale Library on 2, 9 and 30 August, 1.30-3.30pm: join a skittles tournament, make a hoopla set or design a table-top football pitch.
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Explore Learning workshops at libraries in Burghfield Common on 10 August, Newbury on 18 August and Pangbourne on 22 August, all 11am-12.30pm.
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Summer crafts every Friday in August at Thatcham Library, 10.30-11.30am, and on Saturday mornings throughout the school holidays at Lambourn Library, 10.30am-12pm.
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Board Games Club at Pangbourne Library on 11, 18 and 25 August, plus 1 September, 2-4pm.
A variety of activities at Newbury Library are also happening on 16, 22 and 30 August, 2-4pm, in connection with the town’s Festival of the Moon.
Check with your local library to find out what’s happening to the weekly and monthly events near you.
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'My Future Career' event at Kennet School |
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Accompanied by our leisure partners, Everyone Active, and Cllr Owen Jeffery, we headed down to Kennet School for their 'My Future Career' event on Monday morning.
Pupils from Year Seven and Year Eight were given the opportunity to ask questions about our jobs and make suggestions for how we could improve Thatcham. They also had the opportunity to win a free ticket to Northcroft Lido by coming up with the most fun interview question they could think of. Some of our favourites included: "Have you ever been pricked by a cactus?", "If you could move to another planet what planet would it be?" and "If you were a shoe what shoe would you be?"
Choosing GCSE options is the first step students take to start thinking about their future career, and we're proud to be a part of this.
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And finally...
- Every day, people across the UK are making a difference by volunteering. Each year, outstanding examples of this work are celebrated through the King’s Award for Voluntary Service. There are many fantastic voluntary groups across Berkshire making a positive impact in their communities and now’s your chance to show your appreciation by nominating them for this prestigious Award. Nominations for this year’s awards are open until 15 September, 2023 – you can nominate a group here.
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