 Paddling pool now open for summer fun
It's time for some outdoor water fun! The paddling pool at California Country Park in Finchampstead is now open for the summer.
The pool is open daily from 10am to 5.45pm. Each session is 1 hour and 45 minutes long, so there's plenty of time to relax and cool off in the water.
Tickets cost £3.10 for all ages entering the water, and £1.30 per adult who need to enter the pool area to supervise children but not the pool itself.
Book and pay online before you go.
 Give your views on California Country Park improvements
We're planning to improve California Country Park and want to hear your views.
Following last year’s enhancements to the play park and the car park, the proposed improvements cover the lakeside, which is a popular visitor spot, and other frequently used areas.
Works to the lakeside include building a paved seating area, picnic areas with spaces for wheelchairs and a timber deck extending to the lake for water bird viewing, as well as planting wildflowers for bird foraging.
Other improvements to include new surfaced footpaths to the lakeside, playground and woodland picnic areas; creating a flowering lawn and new plantings; and turning the existing historic well building into a visitor information point.
Did you know the Dinton Activity Centre offers bespoke tuition for sailing, canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) and more?
You can get personalised, one-to-one or small group (up to six people) sessions which are useful for refreshing or sharpening your skills.
If you've got your own boat or SUP, consider a lake access pass - there are flexible options including evening, half-day, full day and annual passes.
 Another chance to get out in nature
We've just finished building a new pedestrian and cycle path connecting two of the borough's nature parks.
The route runs through Hazebrouck Meadow at Arborfield Green and connects to its new counterpart at Hogwood Park, at the former Reading Football Club training ground in Finchampstead parish.
We carried out the work with funding that developers must pay towards community infrastructure as part of their permissions to build new housing in the area.
 ...and it's time to celebrate Love Parks Week
Celebrate our amazing parks and green spaces during the upcoming Love Parks Week from 26 July to 4 August.
The dozens of parks in our borough, including the flagship Dinton Pastures Country Park, give residents attractive green spaces to visit, socialise and connect with nature, while providing additional havens for our wildlife.
Many of them are also designated as Local Wildlife Sites by Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre for their abundance of natural habitats and plant species that help wildlife thrive and flourish.
Check out our Countryside service website to find out more on what's on offer!
 New signs help us walk around more confidently
We'd like to thank the Loddon Valley Ramblers for installing new footpath signs in various locations, helping residents walk around the borough more confidently.
The volunteer group, who we work in partnership with, have finished installing the new signs in Shinfield, Earley and Wargrave parishes, and are working hard to cover Arborfield and Wokingham Without parishes by the end of August.
The new signs either replace existing signs that are damaged or make clearer the routes of rights of way, so residents no longer need to worry about getting lost or trespassing.
The installations are funded by us, the Ramblers and Earley Town Council.
 Volunteers make paths safer and easier to use
The Ramblers have also carried out improvement works to our footpaths that are in poor or dangerous condition over the last couple of months.
Kissing gates were installed at both ends of the footpath beside Shinfield Studio off Cutbush Lane to prevent inappropriate use of the path by cyclists.
In Wargrave, they repaired the stile on a footpath and re-decked a damaged footbridge near Scarletts Farm at Hare Hatch.
Over the years, the Ramblers have been helping us improve our footpath network, making the borough more walking friendly. Thank you for all the great effort!
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