 Stay cool in hot weather
With the hot weather we have been having these days, have you thought of bringing your little ones to a pool or hiring a boat to enjoy some freedom on a lake?
Paddling pool
The paddling pool at California Country Park in Finchampstead is now open, welcoming everyone back to beat the summer heat on the water.
The pool opens at 10am and closes at 5:45pm every day. Each pool session lasts for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Visitors are welcome to stay as long as they like on weekdays from now until 16 July, when the pool is expected to be less busy than on weekends.
Booking for entry can now be made online. Tickets cost £2.60 for all ages entering the water, and £1 for adults who need to enter the pool area to supervise children but not the pool itself.
Boat hire
You can hire a variety of boats, including pedalos, paddleboards, canoes, single and double kayaks, and go out to the beautiful lake at Dinton Pastures Country Park.
A boat hire session costs from £8 for 30 minutes. Back-to-back sessions can be booked, if you wish.
Children as young as two can take part in the activity as long as they are accompanied by an adult in the boat and can fit into the life jacket provided by us.
Boat hire at Dinton Pastures on weekends and during school holidays are now open for booking online.
Lake access pass
If you have your own paddleboard, windsurf, dingy or kayak, simply book a lake access pass and launch off the shore at Dinton Pastures. You can buy an Annual Lake Access Pass for unlimited launching for 12 months. Alternatively, a Day Pass or Half Day Pass gives you lake access from 9am to 5pm or from 1pm to 5pm.
Find out more about lake access passes on Dinton Pastures website.
 Discover many different species at Dinton Pastures
Over a thousand residents became citizen scientists and discovered various species at Dinton Pastures Country Park over the past weekend.
The British Entomological and Natural History Society (BENHS) hosted the first weekend BioBlitz at Dinton Pastures on 18 and 19 June to celebrate its 150th year as a society.
The event invited families and individuals to find as many species as possible, such as white-tailed bumblebees, swollen-thighed beetles and robins, in the country park within 48 hours. There were learning and citizen science activities for all ages, including guided walks, conservation activities and wildlife recording/surveying.
Participants also had much fun and experienced a lot at the designated “base camp”, the new Dinton Pastures Activity Centre.
 New Nature Park in Three Mile Cross
There is a new nature park at the Parklands development, off Basingstoke Road in Three Mile Cross.
This 1.6-hectare green space has been well planted with trees and hedges alongside the existing hedgerow to the north and there are also footpaths with bridges plus two drainage ponds which form a wet grassland area.
The new vegetation needed time to grow before the park could open, but now it is a haven for a variety of species including bats, birds, stag beetles, hedgehogs, reptiles and amphibians.
Work is also continuing to expand Langley Mead nature park, to the south of Shinfield village, from 18 hectares to 40 hectares. This will include a car park, footpaths, seating and information boards.
Across the borough more than a dozen nature parks have opened alongside new housing, covering more than 120 hectares - about the size of 170 football pitches.
 National Meadows Day (2 July)
National Meadows Day is an annual event which takes place on the first Saturday of July each year to celebrate our meadows.
Our borough boasts many magnificent meadows, nature parks and country parks. For example, Charvil Country Park and Charvil Meadows are both designated as Local Wildlife Sites by the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre.
Let’s have fun in our countryside at its midsummer best.
For more on National Meadows Day, visit Plantlife website.
 Cantley Park Pavilion temporary closure
The pavilion at Cantley Park will be closed on 27 and 28 June (next Monday and Tuesday) while maintenance is carried out to the toilets and changing rooms.
The temporary closure applies to the café and Ashridge Room. There will also be no toilet facilities available in the pavilion for play area users.
There will be no classes or programmes running on these days.
Normal opening hours for the café are 10am to 4.30pm on weekdays, 8am to 4pm on Saturdays and 9am to 3pm on Sundays. Hours are seasonal and subject to change.
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