Wokingham Borough Connect
 Helping your staff to make a difference
Businesses and charities from across Wokingham Borough have joined forces to promote volunteering opportunities for employees.
A recent event at Wokingham town hall, organised by our economic development team and supported by our health and social care teams, explained the benefits of giving back to the community.
Participating charities were chosen by the Wokingham Volunteer Centre. Each one gave a Dragon’s Den style pitch to the audience, explaining how they were helping residents through the cost of living crisis and seeking volunteers.
A few common themes emerged from all the charities who spoke:
- A wide range of volunteering opportunities are available, allowing employees to find something that fit around their work
- Charities could benefit from the business sector’s expertise to help them run more efficiently and come up with new ideas
Several corporate businesses attended the event including Bayer UK, whose offices are based just off the M4 at Green Park.
Interest in volunteering opportunities is growing and if you’d like to get involved, get in touch with us.
 New kitchen showroom brings German flair
We’re delighted to welcome Kütchenhaus to Elms Walk in Wokingham, in a unit created by our multi-million pound town centre regeneration.
This state-of-the-art kitchen showroom is co-owned by father and son Marc and Tony Maritz alongside their business partners, AC Milan and England footballer Ruben Loftus-Cheek and his brother Isaac.
Residents planning a kitchen extension or replacing their existing kitchen can visit Kütchenhaus Wokingham to see the latest in German contemporary kitchen designs, including storage solutions and appliances from leading brands.
Marc said: “We were very fortunate to find such a fantastic location here at Elms Walk. The locals are very friendly, which has given us a real sense of community within the area.
“I hope we bring a warm presence and look forward to providing only the best possible service with honesty and pride. We want to build fantastic relationships with everyone who walks through our doors.”
 Taste of the Mediterranean comes to town
We continue the success story in welcoming a new and family owned restaurant to the town. Grilko based in Peach Place had its official opening in October.
Owner Imad Mobayed said: “We look forward to having Wokingham residents come and try our food and drinks. Whether you are a meat lover, vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free, Grilko will have a fresh and tasty meal waiting for you.”
It offers freshly made Mediterranean-inspired food including mezzas (starters) which are suitable for sharing include hummus, baba ganouj, stuffed vine leaves, falafel, chicken wings, lamb kibbeh and more.
Main dishes include chicken, lamb, vegan and vegetarian options including shish, shawarma, kofta, halloumi wraps and mixed grills, as well as nibbles, side dishes, cakes, baklava and hot and cold drinks.
We're pleased to continue attracting new and interesting businesses to improve our local offering, both to residents and the wider community.
After consulting businesses, Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has developed a draft strategy to take action on retail crime. He now wants more feedback from retailers before this is published in the New Year. To find out more or respond, please send his office an email.
 Gallery launches young person’s career
A recent graduate has taken his first steps on the career ladder thanks to R Young Art Gallery, based in Wokingham town centre.
After studying at university and working, while keeping his creative skills active, the young person was set to join the Denmark Street gallery as a freelancer – but the match was so good that he was offered a full-time role.
Owner Richard Young says: “After a few months’ tailored training and shadowing a colleague, he’s been working independently, and loves the specialist craft in framing, scanning and printing.”
The company offers originals, limited editions, picture framing and fine art services, and also runs some popular painting classes.
If you’re looking to employ and train younger workers, consider looking at resources like Berkshire Opportunities, Berkshire Growth Hub, and Guardian Jobs. You can speak to us or other employers, or contact the Growth Hub
 Helping you fight climate change for COP28
This year's United Nations' Climate Change Conference, COP28, will run from Thursday 30 November to Tuesday 12 December in Dubai. The conference aims to bring the world together to tackle climate change.
As part of this, we are running two events at Wokingham Library, which will focus on our ambitious action plan, the work that we are doing to tackle the climate emergency locally and how you can play your part.
The talks will be hosted by Cllr Sarah Kerr, executive member for climate emergency and resident services, on:
To sign up, click on the links above or call Wokingham Library on (0118) 978 1368.
In July 2019, we unanimously declared a climate emergency and pledged to do all we can to reach carbon neutrality by 2030.
Our latest Climate Emergency Action Plan was approved in September and shows how we plan to achieve this as well as the progress we’re making.
 Drop-in session helps businesses to thrive
Our economic development team were joined by their partners at the Berkshire Growth Hub and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) for a drop-in session hosted at the Salty Olive in Wokingham town last month.
Businesses chatted with the team and learned more about the support and advice on offer. A range of topics were discussed including starting a business, availability of commercial property, access to grants and business introductions.
Information was available to take away and we took people’s contact details if they wanted further discussion or to sign up for this newsletter.
Our thanks to Salty Olive’s owner Susannah Stewart for her support. The restaurant, which opened at Elms Walk earlier this year, was an ideal location as it has quiet areas for meetings or remote working.
Keep an eye on this newsletter for details of more events coming in 2024.
 Wokingham Positive Difference +
Date and Time: 15 December, 8.00am
Hosted by: WPD+
Face to Face Open Networking
Date and Time: 12 December, 8.00am
Hosted by: Woodley Business Club
Wokingham Speakers
Date and Time: first and third Tuesday of the month, 7.30pm
Hosted by: Wokingham Speakers (Toastmasters)
Wokingham - People, Planet, Pint
Date and Time: 7 December 2023, 6.00pm - The Rose Inn, Wokingham
Hosted by: Small99
Wokingham WIBN - Women's Business Networking
Date and Time: Thursday Afternoon Group: 12.00pm to 2.00pm, 2nd Thursday of the month; Friday Morning group: 9.30am to 11.30am, 2nd Friday of the month
Hosted by: Wokingham Women in Business Network
Other events you may be interested in
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