 Double-bill of approvals for film studio plans
The creative industries in Wokingham Borough have been given another boost after plans for two film studio buildings were approved.
We’ve given consent for Winnersh Film Studios to build a new sound stage on land off Eskdale Road, at Winnersh Triangle Business Park, as part of a bigger vision for a “creative quarter”.
Our planning committee has also allowed Shinfield Studios to build new offices and other facilities to support its emerging film and television operations, as well as a café.
Both buildings will rate “excellent” against global BREEAM sustainability standards and will create substantial numbers of jobs, supporting our borough’s economic development.
Together, the Winnersh and Shinfield ventures are expected to create a “cluster effect” attracting film and television productions to the borough.
The film and television industries will play an increasingly prominent role in our region's economy for years to come and we're pleased to be playing our part in enabling this.
Our borough has starred in many high-profile productions in recent years, and we hope this decision will allow that to continue.
 Meet Aga who helps improve residents’ wellbeing
You’re funding your community through Council Tax – which helps us deliver vital services to residents.
Meet Aga who works in our Sport and Leisure’s Prevention Team. She delivers tailored physical activity programmes to borough residents living with health conditions including diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and many others.
The activity programme includes cardiac rehabilitation, cancer rehabilitation, GP exercise referral, falls prevention, ESCAPE pain, mindful health and wellbeing sessions, dementia-friendly sessions and physical rehabilitation sessions which assist people recovering from a stroke.
Support is available to residents. Find out more about how Aga makes a difference by visiting our website.
 Community store and affordable uniform part of £250,000 fund
A new community store and support to make school uniform more affordable are part of newly funded projects to help people in hardship in Wokingham Borough.
These projects have been launched thanks to the £250,000 Hardship Fund which Wokingham Borough Council has allocated to boost delivery of its Tackling Poverty Strategy.
The Hardship Fund will deliver long-term, high value projects designed to give a much greater long-term value to our residents than the cost of the initial seed-funding investment.
More than £100,000 has been awarded by Wokingham Borough Council in the first phase of this work to voluntary organisations to support residents in the borough who are experiencing hardship. Funding has been awarded for:
- £32,000 for Roots Community Store - a community food project by Wokingham Foodbank, SHARE and First Days Children’s Charity
- £35,000 for School Days – Affordable Uniform For All - improving access to no/low cost uniform and other essential learning tools by First Days Children’s Charity
- £37,000 for School Days – Affordable For All - a project to poverty proof the school day by First Days Children’s Charity
Find out more about these projects on our website.
 Join the Big Recycling Hunt
It’s Recycle Week (16 to 22 October).
This year's theme is 'The Big Recycling Hunt', focusing on items which can be recycled but are commonly missed in our homes. Have a look around and see if you can find any items which can be recycled which are ending up in your bins.
Visit our website for a full list of what to put in your green recycling bags and food waste caddies, or use the online Recycling Locator tool to find out what to recycle where.
 Apply for Healthy Start card for your family
The government may help you buy healthy food and milk if you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four-years-old.
If you're eligible, you'll receive a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. Your benefits will be added to this card every four weeks.
Your card can be used to buy:
- Plain liquid cow’s milk
- Fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
- Fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
- Infant formula milk based on cow’s milk
You can also use your card to collect:
- Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
- Vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to four-years-old
To check your eligibility and sign up, visit the NHS website.
What you might have missed
- Every year more than 100 people die and nearly 1,000 are injured as a result of fires caused by heating appliances. The Public Protection Partnership is offering free safety checks on electric blankets and small portable heaters at Wokingham Fire Station, Easthampstead Road (RG40 2EH) on Thursday (19 October). You must book an appointment between 9am and 3.30pm by emailing Victoria.roseblade1@westberks.gov.uk and include the venue and a preferred time for your appointment
- There is now extra time to respond to our consultation about our constitution. Our constitution sets out how we operate and how decisions are made, ensuring we are as efficient, transparent and accountable as possible.
You have until 5pm tonight (October 17) to submit your comments
- Check our jobs board for the latest vacancies to join us – new jobs added in the last week for social workers, family support officers, finance officers and more
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