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 Our Public Health team are on a mission to help everyone in West Berkshire be healthy and active.
From vaccinations to drug misuse support, quitting smoking to helping children adopt healthy eating habits, their annual report outlines the health priorities and areas for improvement for the district.
It reflects on key successes over the last year and highlights upcoming priorities and areas where West Berkshire performs better than (or similarly to) the national average in terms of public health, including:
- Childhood vaccination uptake is higher than the England average
- Levels of new sexually transmitted infections (STI's) are significantly lower than the England average
- Levels of overweight and obese children are lower than the England average
- Levels of adults being admitted to hospital due to falls and levels of adults reporting long term musculoskeletal problems are lower than the England average
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Congratulations on GCSE results! |
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 Following the impressive results for A level, Technical and Vocational qualifications (see the figures here) we're pleased to announce a great result for GCSEs in West Berkshire too!
Based on provisional data, the percentage of young people in West Berkshire gaining standard or strong passes in English and Maths is higher than the England average. English and Maths are two facilitating subjects that aid successful transition to further study, apprenticeships or employment.
Indicative results this year show 71.9% of West Berkshire students achieved grades 4 or above for both English and Maths GCSE, with 50.9% achieving grades 5 or above. Individually, for English, 80.3%% achieved grade 4 or above, against an England average of 73.7%. In Maths, 76.7% achieved grade 4 or above, against an England average of 59.6%.
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 Heritage Open Days is England's largest festival of history and culture. Stories are told, traditions explored, and histories brought to life. It’s your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – and it’s all free.
Meet members from the Kennet Valley Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, explore the attic of the historic Cloth Hall and do a self-guided tour of the attic and to help you better understand West Berkshire Museum's unique history on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September, 10.30am - 3pm.
You can also join us in Shaw House's Great Hall on Sunday 8 and Sunday 15 September, 10.30am - 3pm, for introductory talks about the history of the house throughout the day (no need to book) and then explore the house, exhibition rooms and our historic costume exhibition ‘Dressed for Shaw’ and the English Civil War arms and armoury exhibition ‘Dressed for Battle’.
There will also be free bake house viewings but these must be pre-booked online and spaces will be limited.
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Keep up to date on road closures in your area by using the map of roadworks, including those of utility companies, on our website to plan your journeys. Click the link below for more information.
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There's now just under a week left to tell us what type of trees you'd like to see replace the felled Italian Poplars on Stroud Green.
We're asking you to rank, in order of preference, the type of trees you would like to see planted. The survey should take about 5 minutes to complete and is open until 1 September.
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 The Nature for Health project welcomed 55 children and their families to the Shaw House Community Kitchen Garden earlier this month to take part in a Fun with Nature workshop.
Activities at the workshop included a wellbeing walk around the gardens which focused on techniques we can use to make ourselves feel better including our breathing, slowing down and stopping to take in the natural world that surrounds us. The walk was able to make use of the current Altered States sculpture exhibition at Shaw House, the children copied some of the sculptures by stretching in the same positions.
Alongside the wellbeing walk, they made birdfeeders to take home, dug in the raised beds to search for bugs, and learned about what vegetables look like as they grow compared to how they look when we get them on our plates. They also listened to the Nature Trail story by Benjamin Zephaniah in the amphitheatre.
We had lots of positive feedback and look forward to running similar events in the future.
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Anyone can watch our Council and Committee meetings in person at our Market Street offices in Newbury and live on our YouTube channel to view the important decisions made by councillors on issues such as planning, waste services and schools.
Upcoming public meetings include:
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 We are interested in how satisfied you are with:
- Local public bus services
- Ticketing improvements
- The £2 National Single Fare Cap
- Changes and improvements to public bus services
We would also like to hear:
- Your suggestions for improvements to passenger waiting areas
- Your views on long-distance coach services
To take part, complete the online survey by midnight on Sunday 8 September.
Paper copies of the survey are available on request by contacting 01635 519394 or emailing transport@westberks.gov.uk
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The Nature for Health project was delighted to have Ben from Ben’s Berkshire Bees in the Community Kitchen Garden at Shaw House last week. He gave a talk on the world of honeybees, including everything you'd need to know to become a beekeeper yourself. Ben even brought along a demonstration beehive containing real bees!
The talk was really well received and we’re looking to put on more workshops in the future.
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And finally...
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Our annual electoral canvass is underway so you may receive an email from us asking if your household's details on the electoral register are correct. In the past we’ve seen posts saying that this request is a scam. It’s good to be on your guard, but this is not a scam and it’s important that your details are up to date so that you’re able to vote. Find out more here.
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