 Weekend festive events to watch out for
There are festive events to look out for this weekend across the area.
Wokingham town centre will be transformed into a festive wonderland on Sunday (26 November), promising a fun and free day out for the whole family at Wokingham Winter Carnival.
Organised by Wokingham Lions Club, the day will see a host of street entertainers, music, singing and dancing, with festivities starting at 10.30am. Free parking and bus travel are available for the event.
Remember parts of the town centre will be closed to cars from early on Sunday for setting up. Peach Street will be shut at its junction with Easthampstead Road to the junction at Rectory Road/Shute End and by the entrance to the Denmark Street car park.
Woodley town centre has its Christmas lights switch on and carol service on Saturday (25 November) from 4.30pm. The free event includes carols led by Woodley Concert Band and the Sainsbury Singers, as well as a host of festive treats.
Remember, you can use free bus travel every Saturday in the borough in the run up to Christmas to help you attend local events and support local businesses. This is paid for by a Government grant.
Other festive event dates for your diary
 Have your say - potential new A329 cycleway
We want your views on the second stage of a proposed cycling and walking link from Wokingham town centre to Winnersh, this time between Emmbrook Road to Mill Close on the A329 Reading Road.
We’re consulting until 21 December on this section, which we hope will form part of a new 1.6-mile (2.5km) route along the main road.
It’s one of many improvements outlined in our Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) and would be externally funded.
This second phase, incorporating Woosehill Spine Road junction, could include new toucan crossings to help you to cross the roundabout safely, either on foot or by bike, without having to use the subway. Detailed drawings of the second phase can be found on Engage Wokingham Borough.
If work goes ahead, the full route would run from Sadler’s Lane, near the M4 overbridge at Winnersh, to the western end of Broad Street in Wokingham. It would have a segregated cycle track, separate from both the pavement and the road, and other safety features.
Traffic would remain two-way but the speed limit would be reduced to 30mph.
Design work is being paid for through the Government’s Active Travel Fund. If it's built then this would be externally funded.
 300 children get lessons to tackle knife crime
Three hundred school children from across the borough joined a three-day “Positive Choices” workshop promoting personal safety as part of Operation Sceptre, the national week of action against knife crime.
The three-day event last week was organised in partnership with Thames Valley Police. Children from five secondary schools learned about knife crime, cyber-crime, online safety and much more.
The workshops were fun and dynamic, with hands-on First Aid training on CPR dummies, physical challenges and virtual reality headsets.
St Crispin’s School in Wokingham hosted an information session for parents. Key speakers were Amanda and Stewart Stephens, the parents of murdered local schoolboy Olly Stephens who lost his life to knife crime in 2021.
They shared their story, discussing the challenges of social media, bullying and the need to support and create safe spaces where children can ask for help. Visit the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit website to find out more about the work done to keep communities safe.
 Get cost of living help for the winter
Winter is here, with colder weather and higher energy bills for many. This is on top of the massive increase in food costs for everyone in recent years.
We’ve got guides to help you depending on your situation:
Remember to check the cost of living help hub if you want to see all the local help options. Or if you need help with things relating to Christmas and the festive season, check the section on help at Christmas.
The festive waste collection changes during December and January have been confirmed. The link we provided for this information in Tuesday’s Residents’ Round-up didn’t work for some residents – this one will work for everyone. Please accept our apologies for any confusion caused.
What you might have missed
We send updates every week across a range of topics to keep you informed about the services you care about. Here’s everything from the last week:
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