Wokingham Borough Connect
We had suspended our email newsletters in order to focus on keeping the community updated following the death of Her Majesty The Queen. We are now re-starting these newsletters.
 Books of condolence for Her Majesty the Queen
Wokingham Borough Council joins the rest of the country in mourning following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Borough Mayor Cllr Caroline Smith said: “On behalf of the residents of Wokingham Borough and the staff and members of the borough council, I would like to express my deepest sorrow at the death of our esteemed monarch Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“Most people living in this country today will have no knowledge of life without her as our Queen and I know that the grief will be real and long-lasting. For more than 70 years she reigned with compassion and grace and she leaves a far-reaching legacy that spans the whole world and will be felt for many generations to come.”
Books of condolence have been opened at locations across the borough for anyone wishing to express their sadness and to give their condolences.
Locations include:
- Civic Offices in Shute End, Wokingham. 9am to 5pm, Thursday 15, Friday 16, Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 September
- Wokingham Town Hall, Market Place Wokingham, 9am to 5pm, Thursday 15, Friday 16, and Tuesday 20 September
- Oakwood Centre, Woodley, 9am to 4.30pm, every day until the day after the funeral at 5pm
- Charvil Village Hall, 9am to 5pm until Monday 19 September
- Earley Town Council Helpshop, Radstock Lane, 9am to 4.30pm, Thursday 15, Friday 16, and Tuesday 20 September
- FBC Centre, Finchampstead. 9am to 5pm, Wednesday 14 to Saturday 17 September
- Parish Church of St Nicholas, Remenham. 9.30am to 4pm, daily (access may be restricted during church services)
- School Green Centre, Shinfield. 9am to 5pm, Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 September, 10am to 4pm, Sunday 18 September and 9am to 5pm, Tuesday 20 September
- The Pavilion, Pound Lane, Sonning. 10am to 1pm and 2.30pm to 5.30pm on Thursday 15 September
- Swallowfield Parish Hall. 9am to 4pm, daily until Monday 19 September
- The Old Pavilion, Recreation Road, Wargrave. 9am to 3pm, Thursday 15, Friday 16, and Tuesday 20 September
If you are planning on visiting to sign a book of condolence on Monday 19 September please check with the relevant Town or Parish Council first as, following the announcement that the day of the funeral will be a Bank Holiday, opening times may be subject to change.
People unable to attend and sign the local books of condolence are also able to sign the National Book of Condolence online.
 Find out about volunteering in your community
The Volunteer Recruitment Fair, run by the Wokingham Volunteer Centre, is returning next week to the Charity and Community Hub in Erfstadt Court in Wokingham, on Tuesday 20 September from 11am to 2pm. The fair is open to all residents and it’s a chance to meet the borough’s wonderful local charities.
There is a demand for volunteer workers in the borough, with plenty of jobs available including charity shop work, fundraising, gardening, event organisation, administration, social media marketing, scout and brownie activity helpers, support volunteers, online listeners, friendship champions and many more.
Whether you are a graduate looking for work experience, retired, or have extra time on your hands, come along to the fair and see how rewarding volunteering can be. Alternatively, search for jobs on the Wokingham Volunteer Centre portal.
 Visit the Arts Trail this weekend
This weekend (Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September) sees the return of the Wokingham Arts Trail.
The annual Arts Trail is an opportunity to get out and about in the borough and meet a range of local artists who will be exhibiting their work at venues across Wokingham, Woodley, Crowthorne and in Lower Earley.
There's plenty of fantastic work to view on the trail with a range of paintings in various media, glass, ceramic, jewellery, textiles and more.
All venues on the trail are free to visit and are open 10.30am to 5.30pm.
You can find out more about the event, the artists taking part and download a copy of the venue map on the Wokingham Arts Trail website.
 National Fitness Day at Cantley Park
Our free open day at Cantley Park in Wokingham is next week!
To celebrate National Fitness Day on Wednesday 21 September, we're hosting a wide range of sporting activities for all ages and abilities and you can sign up for as many as you like.
The day kicks off with an outdoor boot camp at 7.45am and will run until 6pm when the Power-Up activities for children finish.
Activities include: Pilates, Tai Chi, My Journey/Dr Bike drop-in sessions, open tennis courts, yoga, Boccia, Nordic walking, BXGFit boxing taster session, cardio tennis, circuits and Zumba.
Visitors are asked to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for each activity and to bring a water bottle. Boxing gloves will be provided for the BXGFit boxing taster session and poles are provided for Nordic walking. Residents attending Yoga lessons will need to bring their own mat if possible.
Staff will be available to answer questions and there will be healthy food and hot and cold drinks available at Cantley Park Café. The Places Leisure team will also be on hand to provide a range of challenges and information about the new Wokingham Leisure Centre at Carnival Hub.
To sign up, visit our booking site and choose your class(es). Drop-ins are accepted on the day, however we advise you to check capacity on our booking site beforehand. If you are unable to access the booking system, call the Sport and Leisure team on (0118) 974 3728.
 Wokingham library opening at the Carnival Hub
In the last week our team has packed up more than one kilometer of book shelves ready for their move to the Carnival Hub where the new Wokingham Library will be opening next week.
In respect for Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II, the new library will be opening on Tuesday 20 September at 9.30am rather than on the Monday as originally planned.
The new Wokingham Library at Carnival Hub will offer all the current favourite spaces such as browsing areas for books and resources, access to computers, study areas and a fantastic children's area with lots of fun seating and space to relax.
The space has also been designed as the perfect location to run a wide range of popular events which include everything from arts and crafts, writing workshops, lectures, community groups, children's activities and drop-in sessions on everything from making the most of your technology, to learning about family history.
During the coming weeks we will be announcing more about the different events taking place at the new Wokingham Library @ Carnival Hub so make sure to keep up-to-date on our Library Events Page, or by signing up to our Libraries e-newsletter.
 Book chat at the new Shinfield library
If you've yet to visit the Shinfield micro library, why not come along to our new Book Chat session on Friday (23 September) to see this great space for yourself?
Part of the School Green Centre in Shinfield, the new self-serve library has around 2,000 books on offer for library users to enjoy.
Book chat is the perfect time to drop into the library, meet fellow book lovers, chat about your favourite books and swap recommendations of other titles you might like to read, whilst enjoying some great food and drink from the Robyn's Nest Cafe.
The chat takes place on Friday 23 September, 10.30am to 11.30am. The event is drop-in and there is no need to pre-book.
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