Wokingham Borough Connect
 Free SHINE open day - Thursday 23 June
We're hosting a free open day at Cantley Park in Wokingham for people who have not yet tried our over-55s SHINE activities.
And there's still time to sign up for tomorrow's event (Thursday 23 June) which runs from 9.30am to 6.30pm.
The aim of the day is to introduce people to SHINE and encourage them to sign up after trying out a variety of exercise classes. The event is for those over-55 who are not currently SHINE members.
There will be plenty of indoor and outdoor options throughout the day, including Zumba, seated exercise, yoga, tennis, Pilates and Nordic walking. The open day timetable is as follows:
- 9.30am - seated exercise; Yoga; Nordic walking
- 10.30am - Zumba
- 11.30am - AG Yoga; Pilates; tennis
- 1.30pm - Circuits; Pilates; Nordic walking
- 2.30pm - Zumba
- 3.30pm - Circuits; Yoga
- 5.30pm - Zumba
Pre-booking is required, but you can sign up for as many classes as you wish. Email shine@wokingham.gov.uk or call (0118) 974 3728 and let us know which classes you would like to join.
Due to the open day, all member classes scheduled for 23 June will be suspended and resume the following day.
 Park Yoga sessions
If you’ve never tried yoga before but wanted to give it a go, you can join in free sessions every Sunday.
Park Yoga Wokingham is held at Howard Palmer Gardens in Wokingham from 9.30am to 10.30am.
This activity is suitable for all levels of experience and is especially helpful for beginners. Sessions start slowly to help you warm up, before progressing into standing postures, balance, body conditioning and breathing techniques. The class ends with a relaxing guided meditation.
Yoga helps the body by improving your posture and strength, but it is also great for your mind and allows you to connect with the outdoors and meet new people.
Park Yoga is a charity and Wokingham is the only location in Berkshire, with donations welcome. The classes are held through the summer, from now until 11 September. You don’t need a mat, but you should bring a towel and a drink.
These sessions started in July last year and quickly gained attention, with 50 people coming in the first few weeks. Since starting in May this year, there has consistently been around 100 people attending, but there is more room to grow yet.
You can find out more via the Park Yoga Wokingham Facebook page.
 Visit My Journey at Wokingham Bikeathon
Hundreds of cyclists will be out this Sunday (26 June) to mark the return of Wokingham Bikeathon.
The Bikeathon is an annual bike ride which showcases some of the borough's most beautiful countryside with a choice of routes to suit all ages and abilities.
Starting and finishing at Cantley Park in Wokingham, riders have the opportunity to cycle a 15 mile, 25 mile or 35 mile route, all of which have drink stops and toilets. You can find out more about the routes, and register to take part, on the Wokingham Bikeathon website.Participants can also sign up on the day from 8.15am to 10.30am, although all payments on the day must be contactless.
And, whether you are cycling in the Bikeathon, or just coming along to see people off, you can also meet the Wokingham My Journey team who will be attending the Bikeathon to run an electric bike event in partnership with Wokingham Town Council.
 Enrol at the Recovery College this summer
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 the summer:
- Introduction to building positive habits - 30 June and 7 July, 10.30am to 12 noon
- Managing low mood - 1 July and 8 July, 10am to 11.30am
- Friends & family support group, 6 July 1.30pm to 3pm
- Recovering together - 11 July, 11am to 12.30pm
- Moving on with journaling (online) - 12 July and 19 July, 10am to 11.30am
- Hearing voices group - 14 July, 11am to 12 noon
- Explore painting and colour - 14 July, 1.30pm to 3.30pm
- Food and mood (online) - 15 July, 10am to 12 noon
- Living a more mindful life - 20 July, 27 July and 3 and 10 August, 10am to 11.15am
- Improving self esteem - 21 July, 10am to 12 noon
- Recovering together - 25 July, 11am to 12.30pm
The 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.
 Nutrition and Food tips for new arrivals in the UK
New to the UK? Why not sign up to our nutrition and food tips for new arrivals in the UK workshop at Wokingham Library on Wednesday 6 July, 1pm to 2.30pm?
The workshop will be run by registered nutritionist Joanna Hart and will cover topics including:
- What vegetables and fruits are in season across the year
- Eating to prevent common diseases such as diabetes type 2 and heart issues
- Guidance on where to get personalised nutrition advice and options to organise private tests
- Looking through recipes and at restaurant menus, and learning how to read nutrition labels
There will also be time to ask questions about foods or cooking you're not familiar with and to swap recipes. Participants are asked to bring a food (or photo) from their country so people can learn about it in the group.
Find out more and register on the Libraries website.
 Peach Place live music
If you missed the Skangsters last weekend then don't forget to head down to Wokingham town centre for the second of Beyond the Download's free live music sessions at Peach Place.
And this Saturday's event is set to be extra special as Beyond the Download has teamed up with Generation Studio to host a special Festival for Ukraine to help raise money for refugees.
The Festival for Ukraine starts at 2pm and runs until 10pm with bands playing throughout the day. You can keep up-to-date with the latest lineup on the event Facebook page.
Other dates planned for this summer include:
- 9 July – Funkin Souled Out plus support (4pm to 8pm)
- 6 August – Siren plus support (6pm to 10pm)
- 10 September – The New Highs plus support (4pm to 8pm)
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