Wokingham Borough Connect
 Sign your child up to the mini mile
Is your child a keen runner? If so, there are plenty of spaces left at the Children's Mini Mile which takes place at Cantley Park on Sunday 27 February at 10.15am.
There are medals for all finishers and awards for ages four to five, six to seven, eight to nine and ten to eleven year olds. Parents are welcome to run with their children on the route and children under eight must be accompanied by an adult.
To book your child's place, visit the Wokingham Mini Mile website.
Spectators
Residents are welcome to come along, show their support and watch the race events including the sold out Wokingham Half Marathon. If you are planning on watching, why not visit our local shops in the town and grab a cuppa too.
 Help shape fun activities for your child
Our sport and leisure team are working on a brand new holiday camp for borough children during the school holidays and wants to hear from residents to help shape its new activities programme.
The new holiday camp is a separate scheme (paid by parents) to the government-funded Holiday, Activities and Food Programme (HAF).
Formally known as Wokingham Active Kids, the new camp is set to be launched in the Easter holidays. We’ve launched a consultation survey and want to hear from parents and guardians on the sports and other fun activities they would like to see on the new programme. We also want views on the activity camp locations in Wokingham Borough and suggestions on how the current programme can be improved
The activity camp consultation survey is live and runs until 11.59pm on Monday 28 February. Residents can respond by visiting the council’s engagement platform, Engage Wokingham Borough.
If you need help completing the survey, please call the council’s customer delivery team on (0118) 974 6000.
 Free gym sessions and activities available at Wokingham Borough leisure centres
Places Leisure are hosting an open day at leisure centres across Wokingham Borough on Saturday 12 February.
The open day is available to members and non-members with different activities taking place at each leisure centre. The leisure centres will be offering free gym sessions and tours with the following activities available:
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Bulmershe Leisure Centre, 10am to 5pm. Activities include virtual group workout classes, active play and bounce, personal trainer taster sessions, family swimming and inflatable fun sessions
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Loddon Valley Leisure Centre, 10am to 4pm. Activities include virtual group workout classes, swimming and active play and bounce sessions
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Ryeish Green Leisure Centre, 10am to 4pm. Activities include group ride classes
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Arborfield Green Leisure Centre, 10am to 4pm. Activities include pay and play football, active play and bounce and group ride classes
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St Crispin's Leisure Centre, 10am to 4pm. Activities include group exercise classes and pay and play football
All other sessions available at the leisure centres throughout the day will cost extra.
If you are interested in attending an open day, simply head down to a leisure centre on the day and sign in with reception. We look forward to seeing you there.
 Get fighting fit this February
Have you made a resolution to keep fit? If so, you will be pleased to know that our sport and leisure team are running several fantastic promotions at our brand new boxing fitness hub, BXGFit, to help you kickstart your fitness goals.
7 Days for £7*
Get unlimited gym access for seven days plus two classes of your choice at BXGFit for £7 when you sign up as a new member.
Unlimited gym access includes use of the training ring, storage rig with three fitness stations, cube rig with attachments, punchbags including aquabags, heavy bags and uppercut bags, plus more.
Classes include boxercise, circuits, HIIT, flexibility and core, kickboxing, fluid fit, boxing for the over 60s, juniors boxing, express box, core blast, power hour and more.
Save 25% when you buy a three month package*
Save 25 per cent when you buy a three month class package before 11 February at BXGFit. The offer includes unlimited classes and is available to adults and juniors (aged eight to sixteen), detailed below:
- Adults - £99 for three months (£33 a month)
- Juniors - £62 for three months (£20.66 a month)
£30 a month gym only membership
If you are thinking of joining a gym this February, why not sign up for our gym only membership at BXGFit?
It costs £30 a month and you have unlimited access to the training ring, storage rig with three fitness stations, cube rig with attachments, punchbags including aquabags, heavy bags and uppercut bags, plus more. Offer excludes classes.
To redeem
To redeem these offers, please download the free BXGFit app, available on the Apple App Store or Google Play, email bxgfit@wokingham.gov.uk or visit the team at 12a Peach Place, Wokingham, RG40 1LY. Alternatively, call the BXGFit team on 07879 608 769.
BXGFit is open seven days a week, Monday to Friday from 6.30am to 9pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 6pm.
*Offers applicable to new members only. Classes subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply.
 Flagship leisure centre shaping up for summer
Work on our new leisure centre, library and cultural space continues with the Carnival Hub beginning to take shape ready to open in summer 2022.
It will offer a range of great facilities including swimming pools and a splash pad, spa area, a larger fitness suite, studio spaces, a four-court sports hall, cafe and a large library space.
The centre in Wokingham is being fitted out with a range of specialist equipment such as tiered bleacher seating, lighting, and sound in the main hall to make it the ideal venue to hold cultural events.
Work to make this one of the most energy-efficient leisure centres in the country continues including the installation of solar panels and air source heat pumps on the roof.
 SHINE refer a friend promotion
Calling all SHINE members, get one free class credit when you refer a friend and they purchase a pack of ten credits before 28 February*. Plus you will both be entered into a prize draw to win a pack of ten credits.
Credits can be used to redeem any one of the following classes including seated exercise, zumba, tai chi, pilates, circuits, pure stretch, line dancing, aqua fit, tennis, low impact aerobics and more.
How to refer a friend
- Send your friend our SHINE website link so that they can complete the membership and consent form, which can be found under ‘how to take part’ on our website
- Your friend must email the completed membership and consent form and send to shine@wokingham.gov.uk
- Your friend needs to register on our Glofox booking system and purchase a pack of ten class credits
- Once your friend has sent the completed form and purchased a pack of ten class credits, you need to let us know that you have referred them. Email us at shine@wokingham.gov.uk and tell us the name of your friend you have referred. We will enter you both into the prize draw to win a pack of ten credits and will contact the winner on 1 March
*There is no limit on how many friends you can refer. Offer valid until 28 February 2022. For terms and conditions, please visit our SHINE website.
 Ask for Ani for immediate domestic abuse help
Are you experiencing domestic abuse and need immediate help?
The government's codeword scheme 'Ask for Ani' (Action Needed Immediately) enables domestic abuse victims to access immediate help from the police or other support services from the safety of their local pharmacy.
Look for the 'Ask for Ani' logo at participating pharmacy windows in the borough and 'Ask for Ani' at the counter. You will be given a quiet, private space to speak to a pharmacy safeguarding professional. All information is treated confidentially and if you need further help, the pharmacy can help you access support from the police, a national helpline or the local support service, Cranstoun.
If you cannot visit a pharmacy, there is lots of help available on our domestic abuse webpage or alternatively, you can call our domestic abuse helpline on (0118) 402 1921.
Support is available to all domestic abuse victims and survivors, no matter their gender, race, religion, age, sexuality or financial status.
 The vaccine bus is back this Wednesday
On Wednesday 9 February, the Health on the Move vaccine bus will be at the Lower Earley library from 10am to 4pm, offering first, second and booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine to over 16s. There’s no need to book an appointment in advance – simply turn up and bring proof of age.
While vaccination rates are relatively high in the borough, there are still some residents who are yet to have their jabs. If you have any concerns or questions that you haven’t been able to find the answer to, you can contact our vaccine support team on covid.info@wokingham.gov.uk.
From, pregnancy and allergies to effectiveness and long-term immunity – no question is too silly or irrelevant. Once your questions have been answered, and if you would like to have your jab, you can come along to the vaccine bus, book your first, second or booster vaccination online, or visit a nearby walk-in clinic in Bracknell or Reading.
 Tell us your views on your local pharmacy
The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment is used to ensure that pharmacy services meet the needs of the population in your area. This includes where services are and what services are provided by the pharmacy or pharmacies near you.
We are asking patients and residents to share their experiences of using pharmacies in Berkshire. This includes questions about the services provided by pharmacies, as well as their location and opening times.
The survey includes equality monitoring questions so we can make sure our services are provided fairly and to those who need them.
To find out more and complete the survey, visit our Engage Wokingham website.
 Enrol at Wokingham Recovery College this year
The Wokingham Recovery College gives people with mental health problems the chance to access education, workshops and training programmes designed to help them on their road to recovery. The college aims to help people become experts in their own self-care and enable family, friends and staff to better understand mental health.
Upcoming classes for February:
- Living a stress less life* - 8, 15 and 22 February, 4pm to 5.15pm
- Hearing voices group* - 17 February, 11am to 12pm
- Recovering together* - 14 and 28 February, 1.30pm to 3.30pm
- Be more assertive* - 23 February, 2pm to 3.30pm
- Have your say* - 24 February, 10am to 11am
- Understanding emotions* - 25 February, 10am to 11.30am
* Virtual classes
Wokingham Recovery College accepts registrations from anyone aged 18 and over living in Wokingham Borough.
To enrol in the Recovery College, complete an online registration form available on our website and email it to: recoverycollege@wokingham.gov.uk. If you need help filling out the form, call (0118) 989 0707 and the Recovery College team will support you.
 Make sure your child has had their MMR vaccine
More than one in ten eligible children under the age of five in England haven’t had the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine or are only partially vaccinated.
This leaves these children unprotected and increases the risk of measles outbreaks occurring in nurseries and schools. Public Health England are reminding parents and guardians to ensure their children are protected by taking up two doses of the MMR vaccine at the right time.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, there has been a significant drop in the number of parents and carers getting their children vaccinated against MMR and taking up other childhood vaccines.
Measles is highly contagious so even a small decline in MMR uptake can lead to a rise in cases. As international travel resumes, there is more chance for measles to be brought in from countries where it is common. Catching-up children who missed out on their MMR vaccines during the pandemic is a priority, in order to help prevent a rise in measles cases.
Vaccinations remain the best defence against infection, so it is very important that children attend their routine vaccination appointments and catch up on any they may have missed.
If you think your child has missed their MMR vaccination or you would like to book them in for the vaccine, please contact your GP surgery.
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