Wokingham Borough Connect
 Schools round-up
Lucky winners reap rewards of getting active
One lucky boy is riding to school with joy after he won a brand-new micro scooter in our prize draw. Harvey, a Year 4 pupil at Gorse Ride Junior School in Finchampstead, was randomly chosen from 180 entries to this year’s Active Journey campaign.
All pupils received a bingo card and crossed off nine walking, wheeling or cycling journeys throughout November. After completing the card, they handed it in for the chance to win a prize.
The campaign is part of the Active Movement programme, which encourages children to get active more regularly by adding standing and movement to their daily routine in the classroom.
Active Journey is supported by our public health team in partnership with our My Journey Wokingham active travel team. By improving physical activity among young people, it supports our mission to reduce childhood obesity.
Children from all 10 schools that took part in the competition won goody bags including a reusable My Journey water bottle, a family swim voucher from Places for Leisure, a biodegradable medal and high-visibility slap bands and stickers.
Gorse Ride pupil wins high viz quiz
Grace from Gorse Ride Junior School in Finchampstead has won our Be Bright Be Seen quiz about active travel and safety.
This promoted the need to wear bright, visible clothing during the winter months, when light is lower and it gets dark earlier. Staying visible when walking, cycling or scooting helps vehicle drivers to see you, keeping you safe.
Congratulations to Grace, who won a set of high-viz jackets with the school logo on for her class.
Points make prizes for active pupils
Many of our schools took part in our Innovation Valley Rewards competition between 1 and 10 December and we had lots of entries.
Pupils competed to rack up points on the smartphone app, which can automatically detect your journeys, by travelling actively or taking public transport.
First place was a tie between Wescott Infant School in Wokingham and Wheatfield Primary School in Winnersh and each school will receive a £50 national book token.
Second place was a tie between Emmbrook Junior School in Wokingham and Nine Mile Ride Primary School in Finchampstead who both receive a £30 national book token.
The five runners-up, which won a £10 book token, were Evendons and Floreat Montague Park primary schools and the Holt and Emmbrook secondary schools, all in Wokingham, and Gorse Ride Junior School in Finchampstead.
Please download the app, which is open to everyone, and look out for more competitions in 2023.
Bling your bike, scooter or yourself competition
As you can see from the photos on our social media pages, we had lots of brilliant entries into our Christmas competition and we even received a Christmassy video of a decorated scooter.
The winners were Lacie, eight, from Westende Junior School and her brother Lincoln, four, who attends Wescott Infant School.
The runners-up were Teddy, six, and Isabelle, four, from Wescott Infant School in Wokingham; Bethany, seven, from Westende Junior School; and sisters Sophie, five, and Chloe, three, from Emmbrook Infant School, all in Wokingham.
 Local resident wins an electric bike
A Wokingham borough resident won the coveted top prize of a new electric bicycle worth almost £2,500 in this year's Love to Ride Cycle September challenge.
Sue got back into cycling about 18 months ago and now regularly rides to the Wokingham foodbank warehouse in Winnersh, where she is a volunteer, instead of taking the car.
She was taking part in Cycle September for the first time after the charity put a team together and couldn’t believe she’d won the prize when she received an email.
Love to Ride is brought to the borough by My Journey Wokingham as part of a raft of initiatives to encourage residents to travel more actively.
There is still time to register for Love to Ride's Winter Wheelers challenge and be in with a chance of winning the star prize of a bike worth £1,000. The winner will be announced on Christmas Day.
You can also earn daily prizes for cycling just ten minutes per day, either indoors or outdoors counts. Find out more at: lovetoride.net/wokingham
 Jill praised for making women’s cycling a Breeze!
Jill Bissell, who works part-time for our My Journey Wokingham team, has been praised by British Cycling for her fantastic efforts over the past eight years as a Champion for its Breeze women’s riding scheme.
She volunteered for the role in 2014 to enjoy more adult company, having previously taught children for several years as a Bikeability instructor, and has since led 150 Breeze rides with more than 850 participants.
This is on top of her work promoting cycling in the borough’s schools and running lessons for children, including a weekly balance bike club for those aged two to four and Learn to Ride classes for youngsters struggling with pedal bikes.
Jill says: “The Breeze programme has given me the opportunity to meet so many new people and discover new cycling routes - and cafes! I find it particularly rewarding to run short rides for beginners, or ladies who are returning to cycling after some years, and see them grow in confidence and then tackle some longer, more challenging rides".
“Our rides are always sociable and include a stop for coffee - and as one lady said to me recently: ‘You don't notice the miles when you are chatting!’"
Rachel Fennell, British Cycling’s Breeze area co-ordinator, added: "Jill is amazing and passionate about getting everyone into cycling. She is patient, knowledgeable and has encouraged many people to take up cycling in her area.”
Jill is also a committee member for the Wokingham Bikeathon, which is a fun annual cycle challenge organised by volunteers. Next year's will be held on Sunday, 11 June starting and finishing at Cantley Park in Wokingham.
 Electric Cargo Bikes coming to Wokingham
We’re taking delivery of two electric cargo bikes, which can carry loads for delivery, in January. We want local businesses to trial them to see if they would be able to use them instead of vans.
E-cargo bikes are cost effective: Consider how much you could save on fuel, maintenance, taxes and insurance. With My Journey's new short and long-term rental schemes, businesses can try before buying so there’s no up-front investment needed to give it a go.
A convenient way to get around: An E-cargo bike rider can easily reach their location quicker, without waiting in traffic, compared to other delivery options. There’s simply no faster way of moving goods around.
No more looking for a parking space: Save valuable time looking for a convenient place to park. An E-cargo bike can be cycled door-to-door making unloading deliveries both easier and quicker than a car or van.
Large loading capacity: Our E-cargo bikes can carry loads of up to 630 litres and can therefore replace cars and vans for most local deliveries. The electric motor also means that carrying heavier loads is much easier than a normal bike.
Be emissions free: E-cargo bikes emit no CO2 so are a far more environmentally-friendly option of moving goods around the borough. This will help us meet our pledge to do everything in our power to tackle the climate emergency.
Check out the Urban Narrow XL E-cargo bike which is one of the bikes we have ordered. For more information, please contact us.
 Reuniting owners with stolen bikes
Thames Valley Police (TVP) is looking to reunite owners with bikes that have been recovered in Reading following a series of thefts.
The bikes are believed to have been stolen from across the Thames Valley, particularly Reading, Bracknell and Wokingham.
TVP are inviting anyone in Wokingham Borough who believes their stolen bike may be among the recovered haul to get in touch.
Photographs of four bicycles can be found on the TVP website though additional bikes have been recovered which are not pictured.
If you believe your items may be among those bikes recovered please go to the TVP website quoting reference number 43220395732.
 Winners flagged up in football competition
Our community engagement and My Journey Wokingham teams recently ran a competition to celebrate the 2022 World Cup, which involved identifying 16 countries with their flags.
This proved very popular and six winners who answered all the questions correctly each received family tickets to a Reading FC match. Our thanks to the club for donating the tickets and congratulations to the winners.
 Changes to Leopard 3 bus route
A new year brings a new route for Reading Buses' Leopard 3, which will be taking advantage of the new section of the Nine Mile Ride Extension which opened at Arborfield last month.
From Monday 2 January, the route, which previously went along Biggs Lane and Park Lane, will now use the Nine Mile Ride Extension via Princess Marina Drive and Sheerlands Avenue.
Two new bus stops will be added at Harvest Path, just south of Bohunt School and Hogwood Lane and Marino Way, south of Hogwood industrial estate.
The new route will provide a better route for pupils travelling to and from Bohunt School. You can see a map of the revised route and new timetable at My Journey Wokingham.
 Regular cycle training and activities
- Bikeability Learn to Ride sessions (£6) at FBC in Finchampstead on Wednesdays and Woodford Park Leisure Centre in Woodley on Thursdays
- FREE Balance Bike Clubs at FBC on Wednesdays and Woodford Park Leisure Centre on Thursdays
- FREE Dr Bike checks at Woodford Park Leisure Centre in Woodley on Thursdays from 19 January 2023
- FREE Dr Bike checks at Twyford station on Tuesday/Wednesday, 24/25 January
- FREE family cycle sessions in February half-term to learn tips on riding in a family group. Visit Avanti's website to find out more.
For more information on our regular cycle training and activities, visit our website.
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