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Everyone's favourite bear has taken a seat in Newbury as part of Paddington Visits, a far-reaching trail spanning the UK and Ireland to celebrate the forthcoming release of Paddington in Peru, arriving in cinemas on 8 November.
Everyone in Newbury buzzed with excitement as they gathered to welcome Northbrook Street's newest neighbour. Newbury is one of 23 locations taking part in Paddington Visits, and is the hometown of Paddington's creator, Michael Bond.
Cllr Louise Sturgess, Executive Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, said:
"I'm delighted that we're partnering with the Newbury BID to welcome a Paddington Bear statue to Newbury. Paddington is a much-loved character which will bring joy and excitement to visitors of all ages and provide a unique landmark for the town centre.
"Paddington's presence will boost local tourism, encourage family-friendly activities, and create a focal point that brings people together and enhances Newbury's welcoming atmosphere."
Families and children can embark on an adventure to find their local Paddington, with locations ranging from John O'Groats to Land's End, Westport Co. Mayo to London. Find out more here.
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Learn and develop at West Berkshire Council |
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 Whether you're starting out as an apprentice or growing your career, we offer a range of roles with great training and development opportunities to help you succeed.
We are committed to supporting your development at all stages of your career. Whether it's through apprenticeships, professional development programmes, or leadership training, our focus is on helping employees grow within the Council.
You can hear more about this from April, one of our Transformation Business Analysts, here.
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If you or someone you know is aged 66 or over, you can use the government's 'can I claim Pension Credit?' checker in order to apply for pension credit and the extra support it provides such as the Winter Fuel Payment.
In West Berkshire alone it is estimated that around 600 pensioners have not yet claimed pension credit or applied to see if they're eligible.
Pension credit is separate from the State Pension and is worth, on average, over £3,900 a year and could provide extra cash to help with living costs to many people who need financial support. For example, pension credit may give people extra help if they're a carer, severely disabled, or responsible for a child or young person.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will be sending out letters to pensioner households inviting them to claim if they are eligible. The closing date for applications is 21 December, but we recommend you apply as soon as possible.
If you, or anyone you know needs help to apply for pension credit, in the first instance, please contact Citizen's Advice West Berkshire or call 01635 516605
You may also find this short video helpful.
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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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 We're teaming up with Veolia for the fifth free soil conditioner giveaway!
Mark your calendars for Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October, between 10:00am and 4:00pm. You'll be able to swing by our Padworth Waste Management Facility, and grab some locally produced soil conditioner made from the food and garden waste we collect from you and other households across the district.
For the giveaway weekend, no appointment is needed, just show up! But do bring along a form of ID or a recent utility bill to prove you're a West Berkshire resident. Please bring your own bags or boxes so you can easily carry and load the bagged or boxed soil conditioner into your car as these will not be provided – no direct loading into vehicles for health and safety reasons.
This is a free event, and some queues are likely during peak times. We'll be restocking throughout the day, so there's no rush to arrive early. We ask residents to take one bag/box to make sure everyone gets a chance to enjoy this fantastic offer.
Residents wishing to visit the household waste recycling centre must still book an appointment.
A pilot scheme to reduce speed limits in Theale starts on Friday 11 October.
Following feedback from the local community earlier this year, we’re introducing lower speed limits on several roads in the area. Most residential streets will see speeds drop from 30mph to 20mph, while three others will go from 40mph or the national limit down to 30mph.
This scheme is part of our commitment to creating safer, more pleasant neighbourhoods for everyone. The results in Theale will help us decide whether to bring similar changes to other areas in the future.
You can find more information on our .
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 We’ll be sharing plans for a new purpose-built classroom building at Falkland Primary School, Newbury at a Public Engagement ‘open evening’ at the school. It's being held between 6-8pm on Thursday 24 October. Residents and the wider community will be able to see the plans, ask our team any questions and have the opportunity to provide feedback, before the project is considered for planning approval.
The project will provide a new two-storey building with eight classrooms, welfare facilities and break-out spaces. The existing modular units will then be demolished, and the liberated space re-landscaped to maximise the outside space for the children. The project also aims to resolve the drainage problems the school is currently experiencing on their playing field and to rationalise the existing car park layout.
Subject to planning approval, it is hoped that the building will be complete in readiness for the 2026 academic year, with work likely to start during summer 2025.
Trading Standards and the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue are encouraging you to bring your electric blankets and heaters to be tested by an expert to ensure that you stay safe and warm this winter. It is important that all leads, controls and plugs are brought along too.
You do not need to book an appointment but are asked to please be prepared to wait if the event is busy. The list of dates and venues are set out below and will be open to residents from 9:30am – 3:30pm.
- Monday 28 October – Hungerford Fire Station, Church Street, Hungerford, RG17 0JG
- Tuesday 29 October – Newbury Fire Station, Hawthorn Road, Newbury, RG14 1LD
- Wednesday 30 October – Frank Hutchins Community Centre, Bradley Moore Square, Thatcham, RG18 4QH
- Thursday 31 October – Wokingham Fire Station, 13 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, RG40 2EH
- Friday 1 November - Crowthorne Fire Station, 226 High Street, Crowthorne, Bracknell, RG45 7AP
Around 43 fires a year are caused by faulty electric blankets in the home and heaters cause around three fires a day in England. Regular testing is recommended to ensure that your equipment remains safe to use.
Please send any queries to moira.fraser@westberks.gov.uk or call 01635 519045
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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’d like your feedback on our draft Carers Strategy.
The strategy outlines our vision and priorities for all carers living in West Berkshire or caring for someone living in West Berkshire. We want West Berkshire to be a community where:
- Carers of all ages are identified, recognized and valued.
- Carers have access to relevant information and can access the support they need (either practical or emotional) to meet their ongoing needs.
- We want to ensure that intervention and support make a positive difference in our unpaid carers’ lives.
- Carers can achieve the desired outcomes that matter to them.
Please complete our survey by Sunday 17 November here.
Throughout September we posted information on how to be prepared for an emergency such as flooding or a fire. This included useful resources for you to know your local risks, where to be informed, how to create a plan, considerations in protecting your family and how to get involved in the bigger picture.
If you saw this information, we’d appreciate a few moments of your time to gather some feedback via the UK household preparedness survey. West Northamptonshire Council are hosting the survey and it should only take a few minutes to complete.
If you want to learn more visit:
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 Join us from 11am on Thursday 17 October for a free storytime and craft morning in the Children’s Section of Newbury Library.
Come along to this family storytime session of The Tiger Who Came to Tea, followed by a craft activity where children can get creative as they create their own tiger mask. With their new tiger mask in hand, children will then get to take part in a short drama workshop where they can pretend to be mischievous tigers who get taught good manners (just like in the book)!
The Corn Exchange will be putting on the stage show of The Tiger Who Came To Tea between Friday 25 - Sunday 27 October.
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Treasures in Store: A Volunteer’s Choice |
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This talk by Sue Ellis will explore a volunteer's choice of the treasures in store (and on display) at West Berkshire Museum, asking "Why have museums?" and exploring this question through the artefacts which have been chosen, looking at what they tell us about history, about ourselves, and about our culture.
Wednesday 16 October | West Berkshire Museum | 7pm | £5 | Book here
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And finally...
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We've received a number of reports of residents receiving texts about fake Penalty Charge Notices. Please be advised that West Berkshire Council would not send a text message regarding outstanding Penalty Charge Notices. Should you receive a text regarding this be aware that it is a scam and delete/block the number.
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National Highways are carrying out essential works at junction 12 of the M4 Theale Interchange. There’ll be no access towards Reading town centre from J12, 9pm Friday 11 October to 6am Monday 14 October. To get into Reading and avoid a long diversion, please leave the M4 at J11.
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