Wokingham Borough Connect
 Schools Round-up
Westende pupils walk and wheel for poetry
Poet James Carter visited Westende Junior School on 17 January after one of its pupils won our recent active travel poetry competition.
James led an assembly, then gave workshops to each year group looking at different elements of poetry. The children wrote poems ranging from pretending they were very boastful gods or giving impossible gifts to loved ones to Viking “kennings” about scary wild animals. Some of the pupils then read out their work to the whole school.
The children really enjoyed James’ fun and engaging workshops, as well as the assembly and finale featuring musical accompaniment by Steve the melodica.
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel will run from 20 until 31 March and is open to all primary and secondary schools including SEN schools. It’s the UK's largest inter-school walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling challenge, inspiring pupils to help improve air quality in their neighbourhood and discover how these changes benefit their world.
On each day, schools compete to see who can record the most pupils walking, using a wheelchair, scooting or cycling. To register, please visit Sustrans website.
‘Living roof’ bike shelters to take root in schools
We’ve secured funding for six green-roofed cycle shelters in primary and secondary schools to encourage more pupils to ride.
The shelters will be installed at St Crispin’s School and The Holt School, both in Wokingham, The Piggott Church of England Senior School in Twyford and The Forest School in Winnersh, and Westende Junior and St Paul’s Church of England Junior schools, both in Wokingham.
All are either in our air quality management areas or are designated air quality schools under a scheme funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Each shelter has a green “living” roof and is covered with sedum, a tough plant that can thrive in those conditions. Green roofs provide a safe space for wildlife and can also help improve air quality by filtering and absorbing pollutants like nitrogen dioxide.
New anti-idling signs going up very soon
The Public Protection Partnership, who monitor air quality across Wokingham borough on our behalf, have launched a campaign to reduce engine idling.
Their experts at WSP, a consultancy firm, have researched the reasons that residents don’t switch off when they should, identified “hotspots” where the problem is worst and suggested some ideas to tackle it.
This includes signs encouraging drivers not to idle and warning of the impact on the environment, which were designed after reviewing the success of previous anti-idling schemes. You’ll start seeing them around the borough soon.
Our thanks to DEFRA for providing a grant towards this valuable work.
Bike checks keep pupils pedalling safely
We’ve been running lots of Dr Bike sessions in our air quality schools, with trained mechanics performing a basic bike check on the children's bikes to make sure they are safe to ride on the road.
These are offered to all eligible pupils in Years 5 and 6 before they participate in Bikeability training with our partner Avanti Cycling.
Recent participants were Floreat Montague Primary School and Emmbrook Junior School, both in Wokingham, Wheatfield Primary School in Winnersh and Nine Mile Ride Primary School in Finchampstead.
Prizes up for grabs in scavenger hunt
Walking, cycling and scooting are great ways to get to know your local area. Get out on your bike, scooter or your own two feet and look for these items in our active travel scavenger hunt.
There are nine pictures on our competition sheet that you can find when you’re outside. Just tick off the items when you find them and then send your completed answer sheet to us.
The competition closes on 28 February. All correct entries will be entered into a prize draw. The first prize is a £25 Decathlon voucher with three runners-up prizes of family swim ticket vouchers for Carnival Hub in Wokingham. Good luck!
 Commuters enjoy safe riding with free checks
We staged a two-day Dr Bike session at Twyford station on 24 and 25 January offering free bike checks and bike marking while handing out free emergency bike lights, cycle maps and water bottles.
Despite the chilly, damp weather there was a lot of interest, with slots quickly snapped up as Dr Bike made bikes roadworthy by pumping up tyres and changing brake cables and pads so cyclists were guaranteed a safe ride home.
Everyone who used the service really appreciated our help - and one lady was particularly grateful for the free goodies as her son had taken her bike lights, so she’d cycled over from Woodley in the dark!
Looking ahead, we’re pleased to announce that we’ll be installing three deluxe bike repair stations at Bia Cycling and Waitrose, both in Twyford, and at another location in Woodley, all with DEFRA funding.
 Electric Cargo bike trials for local businesses!
In a few weeks, the My Journey team will be taking delivery of two Urban Arrow electric cargo bikes. We will be loaning them to businesses within the borough for them to trial to see how an e-cargo bike can benefit their business.
Capable of carrying loads of between 300 and 630 litres, the cargo bikes can replace cars or vans for most local journeys and are perfect for first and last mile deliveries.
If your business is making deliveries across the borough, could you play your part in reducing transport emissions and making Wokingham a greener place to live and work?
Benefits of E-cargo bikes
- Save money on fuel and vehicle costs
- No more parking charges
- Reduce transport emissions;
- No sitting in traffic jams!
To discuss borrowing a cargo bike please contact myjourney@wokingham.gov.uk
 Wokingham Bikeathon
Wokingham Bikeathon will take place on Sunday 11 June 2023 from 8.15am to 2.00pm. On-line registration will be open on the Bikeathon website from 1 April. There will be a choice of a 15, 25 or 35 mile route and the Bikeathon committee are looking at adding a longer route of 50 miles this year too.
The Bikeathon is run by volunteers and raises money each year for good causes. The nominated charity for 2023 is the Wokingham Foodbank. Proceeds were distributed to other charities after last year’s event and organisations which have received donations from the Bikeathon recently include:
- First Days Children's Charity
- Sprockets (Youth) Cycle Club
- Bike the UK for MS
- Wokingham Foodbank
- Share Wokingham
- Sport in Mind
- Ehlers-Danlos Support UK
- Smart Works Reading
- Addington School Association
- PACT
- Daisy's Dream
- Home-Start Wokingham
- Headway Thames Valley
- Windsor Forest Unicorns (Registration volunteers)
- 1st Emmbrook Scouts (Food stop volunteers)
- ARC Counselling (Food stop volunteers)
- Wokingham Camera Club (Photography volunteers) – supporting Children’s Liver Disease Foundation
 Government urged not to cut Borough's bus funding
Bus services in Wokingham borough need continued Government support because they still face financial challenges after the coronavirus pandemic. That's our message to transport secretary Mark Harper MP, who we’ve urged to meet us to discuss extending central funding beyond 31 March.
The Department for Transport has extended various types of recovery funding until then, while introducing a subsidised £2 cap on certain fares, but no further help is confirmed from 1 April onwards.
If these aren’t renewed, we can’t afford the hugely increased cost of subsidising all our local routes and will have to make tough decisions, as we’re facing unprecedented financial pressure and must protect key services like social care.
We’re doing our bit by redrafting our Bus Service Improvement Plan, a “vision” document that could help bid for funding in partnership with bus companies. It calls for things like cleaner, greener, more reliable buses and further improvements to passenger satisfaction levels.
Please take the bus whenever you can – it’ll help keep services going, and it’s healthier and better for the environment too.
 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
For more information on our regular cycle training and activities, visit our website
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