 Part of new road in Wokingham opens
A section of the new South Wokingham Distributor Road opened yesterday (Monday).
The Eastern Gateway section of the new road, also known as William Heelas Way, links London Road to Waterloo Road and is now in use. It includes a new road and railway bridge, as well as improvements to Waterloo Road.
As this part of the new road is now open, the Waterloo Road level crossing has been permanently closed. The new bridge can be used as the alternative crossing point. Landscaping around the area is anticipated to be completed by end of March.
The distributor road creates access for new homes in the area and minimises the impact of the increase in traffic on nearby residential roads.
The final section, which will complete the project, will run west across Easthampstead Road to Finchampstead Road - connecting at the existing Tesco roundabout.
 More than 100 solar panels installed at school
Shinfield St Mary’s Primary School get even greener following the installation of 116 new solar panels across its building’s roof, allowing it to massively increase the amount of sustainable energy generated on site.
The new panels mean the school can now generate enough to power more than four family homes, as well as saving around 2.88 tonnes of CO2 from being generated since they were installed last year. This is the equivalent to planting 34 trees.
The panels will also help the school tackle the spiralling costs of energy which look set to continue into this year.
As part of the project we also presented the school with a set of solar powered educational kits aimed at helping pupils get hands on experience with using solar power to generate energy.
 Leisure strategy set to be approved
A new leisure strategy setting out how we’ll support residents’ physical and emotional wellbeing is set to be approved. We’ll use our own leisure offering and effective partnerships with a wide range of other organisations to do this.
The four key priorities for the strategy are promoting health and wellbeing to residents, raising participation and reducing levels of inactivity, maintain and extend accessibility to indoor leisure facilities and maintain and extend accessibility to outdoor spaces.
Our executive will consider a report to approve the new leisure strategy (2021-2025) following extensive public consultation in 2021. This feedback means our final strategy and plan has been changed to include:
- new programmes to get young children and teenagers active
- targeted sessions for the borough’s black, asian and minority ethnic communities
- more sessions for older people
- more outdoor gyms
Have your say on Anti-Poverty Strategy
We’re asking people who live or work in Wokingham Borough to give their thoughts on our draft Anti-Poverty Strategy, which has been developed in partnership with the Hardship Alliance. This is a group of four local charities – First Days, Citizens Advice Wokingham, AgeUK Berkshire and Wokingham United Charities.
The strategy’s core objectives include prevention, supporting people in poverty, strengthening communities in their resilience to poverty and improving life opportunities for people living in poverty.
It will be underpinned by an annual action plan to address the immediate impacts felt by residents, and to ultimately move more people out of poverty.
The consultation survey is running until 11.59pm on Monday 21 February, via the Engage Wokingham Borough platform.
Views of Town and Parish Councils, voluntary sector organisations and professionals supporting people who face financial hardship are also welcomed.
What you might have missed
- It's Holocaust Memorial Day on Thursday (27 January) to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of others killed under Nazi persecution and in genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. The day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. For more information about Holocaust Memorial Day check out the blog from the libraries team.
- More than 105,000 eligible adults in the borough have had their Covid-19 booster jab. If you still need one there are walk-in vaccination centres in Bracknell and Reading, as well as being able to book a booster online through the NHS website
- We’ve adopted an Anti-Abuse Charter. We’ve been working alongside domestic abuse charity Kaleidoscopic UK on the document, which champions a culture of high standards by reporting domestic abuse and supporting victims throughout their recovery journey
- It’s the final week to apply for a free tree for your garden through our partnership with the Woodland Trust. We’ve got thousands to find homes for as part of our Garden Forest Scheme
- Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue service wants feedback on its website. They are making changes and want to improve user experience
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