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To help you get ready for a jolly holiday season, we are once again offering free bus travel in West Berkshire!
On two Saturdays, you can travel all day, any time, completely FREE (do check the timetables) within West Berkshire, providing an excellent chance to explore and enjoy various seasonal events and activities in the run up to Christmas!
Mark your calendars with the following dates:
- Saturday 14 December 2024
- Saturday 21 December 2024
But that's not all! Free travel extends beyond West Berkshire to our neighbouring areas such as Reading, Didcot, Basingstoke, and Swindon. If you start your journey in West Berkshire, your return journey is also FREE! But you need to request a return ticket from the driver when boarding to take advantage of this offer.
Information available about the free bus travel offer at the following link https://www.westberks.gov.uk/transportchanges or you can email transport@westberks.gov.uk .
The Free Bus Travel at Christmas has been made possible by funding from HM Government, given to West Berkshire Council after submission of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
Free Saturday Service on Community Connect
West Berkshire Community Connect has been operating since January 2024, and as the festive season approaches and to complement the free travel being offered on public bus routes across the district, we are also offering a special FREE Saturday service on West Berkshire Community Connect for two dates in December.
It will operate on the following days and in the following locations:
If you wish to take advantage of the service you will be able to book via the passenger app, telephone or email up to 7 days in advance of the travel date, however you will not be available to book by telephone or email after 2pm on the Friday preceding the date you wish to travel. If you require further information, please email communityconnect@westberks.gov.uk.
Free Bus Travel at Christmas with West Berkshire Community Connect has been made possible by funding from HM Government, given to West Berkshire Council after submission of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
West Berkshire Council is pleased to announce a major step forward in our commitment to sustainability - all our waste collection vehicles that are used to collect weekly food waste from households, and the delivery vehicle for bins, boxes, and bags across the district, are now running on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a cutting-edge renewable diesel.
Made from certified sustainable materials, HVO can replace diesel directly and offers up to a 90% reduction in fossil carbon dioxide emissions, making it significantly better for the environment than regular diesel. This initiative is perfectly aligned with the Council's ambitious net zero target by 2030 for emissions we produce.
By making this switch, we anticipate replacing over 67,000 litres of diesel with this renewable fuel over the next year. This transition is expected to save around 230 tonnes of CO2 annually, which is equivalent to the carbon footprint of over 100 round-trip flights from London to New York!
Find out more.
Expanding on West Berkshire’s net zero ambition, an electric Refuse Collection Vehicle (eRCV) is also being trialled to further develop plans for more sustainable services.
West Berkshire Council introduced online permits for our household waste recycling centres three years ago, replacing paper permits. Car permits are valid for three years, so some residents will soon need to renew to keep their access active.
If your car permit is due for renewal, you’ll receive an email 28 days before it expires. This will prompt you to log in to MyAccount, where you can renew your permit with just a few clicks.
Even if your details haven’t changed, you must still renew your permit to avoid losing access.
If you’d like to update any details, you can easily do so from your MyAccount. Once renewed, your permit will be valid for another three years, ensuring continued access to our recycling centres. To book an appointment www.westberks.gov.uk/clickandtip
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We spend much of the year wanting it to be another season, and Christmas planning seems to be starting earlier and earlier, but it is a reality, it’s now just around the corner. It should be a season for company, family and friends, peace and calmness, but often it’s the reverse! PSG thought they would share some ideas to try and make it a reality and be a little bit more sustainable this year.
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Shop local this Christmas
When buying a gift, why don't you think about shopping locally. This will help save fuel and support local independent businesses. Remember to take your own bag!
Can your food shopping be done locally too? Local Food Map – Big Barn or find your local veg box scheme? And remember, make a list to buy only what you need! We have some great local shops in our area that offer interesting and unique options.
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Make your own Christmas presents
For those wannabe chefs and bakers amongst you, perhaps you can make some edible gifts?
The pressure is on from all the retailers, the TV and the internet to spend.. spend.. spend. Instead, how about having a go at making something. Perhaps you have some craft things lying around waiting to be used, or take a walk and use some things from nature to turn into a unique present or decoration.
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Sustainable wrapping
Tons of wrapping paper will be thrown out as much of it cannot be recycled (due to glitter and shiny bits). When wrapping, consider using recycled paper or get crafting with plain brown paper or leftover newspaper. Fabric is another creative festive wrapping option.
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Offer the gift of time
Perhaps you can walk a dog, babysit, doing some ironing for someone less able? This has huge benefits and very sustainable.
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Become a supporter
Why not offer a gift that keeps giving throughout the year and continues to support the environment. Perhaps a membership to one of the organisations below?
You never know what you'll find in charity shops - they're always worth a visit – the perfect gift may be there waiting!
Consider buying a useful and sustainable gift such as a reusable cup or bottle, beeswax wraps, bird tables or bird feeders.
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Packaging waste hits 5 million tons!
The festive season is a time when we increase our waste with food, packaging and wrapping paper. Alot of packaging will be thrown away and not recycled, and the total amount of waste created at Christmas is estimated to exceed an incredible 5 million tons!
Try reducing any unnecessary packaging by reusing existing materials, and ensuring what we do throw away is properly recycled.
For more information about West Berkshire Council waste reduction, what you can recycle over Christmas and waste and recycling collection dates please visit: www.westberks.gov.uk/christmaswaste
Also check out https://www.purleysustainability.co.uk/recyling.
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Cooking Waste
Consider reducing the mountain of food we see at this time of year – this saves money, reduces waste, and saves the packaging which is often astronomical.
Remember to leave some freezer space spare for any leftovers. Use the food waste provision we have available, or if possible, compost what you can’t use and use it on your garden later in the year, completing the cycle and returning the nutrients to nature. Waste less this Christmas - West Berkshire Council
Experiment with new recipes to use up food that would otherwise be wasted. Some ideas from Love Food hate waste.
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Be mindful
Whilst many of us try to make Christmas restful, it can be stressful with pressure of gift-giving, shopping and travelling.
Be gentle to yourself take yourself out for a mindful walk – we are so close to nature with many woods, rivers and chalkstreams on our doorstep.
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Take the time out – take a deep breath of fresh air, focus on your breath, look around and enjoy the sounds of nature.
Support wildlife
Cold weather can make it hard for wildlife. Consider helping wildlife out by setting up a bird table and put out high-fat foods (sunflower seeds, peanuts, bird feed) for robins and other garden birds. Remember to keep tables clean and topped up and away from predators. Keep clean water for drinking and bathing – the wildlife will appreciate this.
If your garden plants have fruit, berries, hips, seeds and nuts, they'll be a larder for birds - holly, hawthorn, ivy, rowan, honeysuckle and dogwood all provide tasty treats or attract tasty insects.
Don’t keep your garden too tidy – some mammals & insects will be using leaves for warmth and shelter.
Thank you to everyone who supported PSG this year and we look forward to more events next year. info@purleysustainability.co.uk Purley Sustainability Group We wish you a Merry Christmas!
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The Town and Manor of Hungerford is delighted that the Kennet Valley Wetland Reserve has been awarded a grant from West Berkshire Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) fund.
The generous £100,000 grant is a fantastic start to fundraising for this wonderful project. The fund is a major contribution to the cost of the infrastructure needed to provide public access to the wetland – a new road access from Charnham Park road, a bridge and a small car park.
This is an ambitious project to establish a 40-acre wetland reserve on the floodplain of the River Kennet to the north of the town. Formerly water meadows and then Grade 4 agricultural land, the site will be restored to a wonderful mosaic of wetland habitats benefiting wildlife, climate change and helping to mitigate flood risk in the Kennet Valley.
 Most excitingly, the wetland reserve will be open to the public all year round and with no entry fee. The Town and Manor plans to work with ARK, Action for the River Kennet, to provide educational activities on the reserve.
Thank you, West Berkshire Council, for allocating this substantial grant providing us with 45% of the cost for the initial wetland access infrastructure. This is such a positive start to our fund-raising campaign!
If you want to know more about this exciting project, please contact Claire Jones at Claire.jones@townandmanor.co.uk, call on 07379 058208 or visit our website https://townandmanor.co.uk/wetland-reserve
Promoting the conservation and enjoyment of the West Berkshire countryside.
Hedge Laying. One of the most popular activities of the Society’s volunteers is hedge laying. This technique of maintaining a healthy hedge is so ancient that there are references to its effectiveness dating from Roman times.
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Historically, the purpose of hedgerows was for stock proof fencing, yet today we recognise that hedgerows are vital for biodiversity. They are essential wildlife corridors and provide food, shelter, and nesting locations for a wide variety of animals. They also provide shade for livestock, protect crops from high winds, increase pollination and modulate crop pests.
Importantly, in the face of climate change, they suck carbon from the atmosphere, regulate water during flood and drought events, and provide a renewable source of fuel. But without continuous maintenance, over time a hedge becomes a degenerating gappy line of scrubby trees of much less value to farming, landscape and wildlife.
But why do we lay hedges? There are some very sound ecological and agricultural reasons for doing so: the shrubs and trees they contain require no further support, like watering, to keep them alive; and restoring a hedge with its existing associated wildlife is more valuable to both nature and the environment than introducing a new habitat. This is because a laid hedge uses the plants that are already growing in the hedge line.
Regional styles employ slightly different techniques, but essentially ‘pleachers’, stems partially cut through at the base, are bent over / laid to create a living barrier. Stakes are driven in to hold the pleachers in place, and the top bound with whippy growths to keep it all together. This results in a visually pleasing and economically created barrier and wildlife habitat which, if appropriately maintained, will last for hundreds of years.
WBCS volunteer work parties operate on Tuesdays throughout the year. The tasks include woodland and common management, coppicing, hedge-laying and hedge/tree planting. Do get in touch if you would like to join us or wish to find out more about getting involved with the barn owl group: enquiries@westberkscountryside.org.uk Website: www.westberkscountryside.org.uk
Farmers, land managers, advisors and others from the farming sector gathered at Sheepdrove Organic Farm on 6 November for the North Wessex Downs Annual Forum. Focussing on innovation in farming, delegates heard from the National Landscape (NL) team as well as from farmers from the area.
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 Through the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FIPL) programme the NL team has distributed over £2.9 million across 166 projects in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape since 2021. Projects have ranged from improvements for nature such as hedge and pond creation to improved access such as permissive paths and toilet facilities.
The programme included keynote speaker Julian Gold who was awarded Soil Farmer of the Year in 2019. Delegates had the chance to speak to farmers in the afternoon who had brought machinery and other exhibits to the venue.
For more details about the event North Wessex Downs website News section
Local business Thatcham Refillable recently celebrated their sixth birthday. It is estimated they have saved around 83,000 single use bottles in the past six years! People choosing to refill and reuse, really do make a difference across West Berkshire. West Berkshire Council supported the business with a green grant after covid, allowing them to invest in an electric cargo bike for local deliveries to help reduce their carbon footprint.
Photo: Jenny and Tom with some of their awards
They have a wide range of household cleaning products including laundry and dishwashing, along with body care items such as hair care and hand soaps. Plastic free household items are also available and transported to events in a mobile trailer. Products can be purchased at the Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham and Bradfield Southend village shop and there are collection points in Hungerford, Newbury, Compton & Tilehurst.
During the last six years, Thatcham Refillable have won various awards, including the N.W.N Best Green Business award 2022/2023, the Thatcham Town Council Community Contributor award 2024 as well as being Gold Plastic Free Champion accredited from Plastic Free Thatcham.
For further information please contact www.thatchamrefillable.co.uk.
On 29 October, the Mayor of Thatcham officially opened a new water fountain at the town centre, marking a significant step towards sustainability.
The fountain serves as a convenient refill station for locals and visitors, encouraging everyone to fill their water bottles instead of purchasing plastic ones. Nikki Coombe, chair of Eco-Friends (West Berkshire) said she was thrilled to see the new installation and hopes it will be a valuable resource, foster environmentally friendly habits in Thatcham.
Collaborating with volunteers from Eco Friends and Thatcham Town Council, the event highlighted the importance of reducing single-use plastics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGOaapy4VTE
DEFRA have released a consultation for their proposed changes to the assessment process for an area gaining 'bathing water status'. Wallingford gained their Bathing Water Status earlier this year and there are potential sites in West Berkshire and these proposed changes would help in those assessments and also help the river environment. The DEFRA proposed changes include:
- Removal of fixed bathing water season dates (which currently runs from May to September only)
- Expanding the legal definition of ‘bathers’ to include participants such as paddle boarders & rowers.
- Further considering water quality and public safety when applications are made for new bathing waters and assessed by DEFRA.
- Introducing multiple testing points at all bathing water status sites (Currently tested by the Environment Agency (EA) at one point, weekly from May to September).
- Ending the automatic de-designation of bathing water status after 5 consecutive years of a site's water quality being rated ‘poor’ by the EA.
To contribute and share your views, please respond to DEFRA’s consultation here. You do not need to complete every section but any views or thoughts are important. This consultation ends on Monday 23 December 2024. Putting Healthy Rivers at the Heart of the Community | Thames21
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