 REMINDER - community litter picks this weekend
Come join the borough-wide Annual Litter Pick this weekend to make a difference to where you live.
To take part in a litter pick, you will need to wear gloves and sturdy shoes. We encourage you to bring your own litter picker and high-visibility vest, but if you don't have any, we will provide them to you while stocks last. Bags will be given out to collect litter. Locations are:
- Arborfield Parish Office and Arborfield Green Community Centre (10am, 23 March)
- Barkham Village Hall (10am, 23 March)
- Margaret Gimblett Pavilion, Charvil (2pm, 23 March)
- FBC Centre (9.30am) and The Greyhound (10.30am), Finchampstead (23 March)
- Remenham Parish Hall (9am, 22 March)
- King George V field car park, Sonning (10am, 23 March)
- Swallowfield Parish Hall (10am, 22 March)
- Loddon Hall car park, Twyford (10am, 22 March)
- Mill Green (10am) and Ladds Garden Centre (10.30am), Wargrave (22 March)
- Rainbow Park Community Centre, Winnersh (23 March, 11am)
- Wokingham Town Hall (23 March, 10am)
- Woodford Park, Woodley (22 March, 10am)
Apart from keeping your local area clean, community litter picks also give you an opportunity to meet new people and educate children about the importance of looking after our world.
Visit our website to find out how to contact your local organiser if you're interested. Our Annual Litter Pick is organised in support of Keep Britain Tidy's Great British Spring Clean.
 Last chance to join creative workshops
There’s still time to take part in the free Wokingham Borough Forest of Imagination workshops for the rest of this month:
These free events and activities are taking place across the borough for residents, alongside creative workshops for hundreds of school children.
In May there will be a free four day event and showcase at Dinton Pastures Country Park, from 22 to 25 May, as part of Wokingham Borough Forest of Imagination 2025. It’ll be a day out for the whole family with
The showcase will feature new sensory installations co-created by professional artists and schools, incorporating ideas from local community groups. There will also be participatory activities, performances and digital experiences for visitors to enjoy and deepen their connections to nature.
If you want an idea of what it will be like – watch the film from the 2024 Forest of Imagination in Bath. The project is fully funded by a grant from the Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
 Select the image above to view a larger version
Timings confirmed for roundabout works
As part of the South Wokingham Distributor Road project, we're going to improve the junction of Finchampstead Road and Molly Millars Lane.
This will involve long-term closures and diversions at different exits of the junction, at different times, from this summer until spring 2026.
There’s also a chance of overnight and full weekend closures in May. Timings can always change, but we expect works to run as follows:
- Early April to late July – some overnight and weekend closures only
- Late July to early September – Molly Millars Lane closed at eastern end
- Early September to about late 2025 – Finchampstead Road closed north of junction
- About early 2026 to March 2026 - Finchampstead Road closed south of junction
- About one week in March 2026 – some closures for finishing works
For a more detailed look including diagrams, please see our latest South Wokingham community newsletter - and sign up for future updates.
You can take a detailed look at the finished route, which we hope to complete in partnership with Balfour Beatty by early 2027, and see how we’re offseting the environmental impact. To see all current and planned roadworks across the borough, check out our live map.
 Help your borough to be more inclusive
We have started consultation on a draft policy as we look to update our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy for the next four years.
Views are being sought via our Engage Wokingham Borough platform, with the aim of helping to create communities where everyone feels welcome.
We want to make sure we have a policy that is ambitious and truly represents the diversity in our borough, setting out clear objectives to improve EDI.
Following an initial consultation, which was held in December and January, we have reviewed feedback from residents and focus groups to formulate a draft policy.
Your views will help take us forward and be certain that we are addressing the right priorities, with a view to adopting the agreed policy this summer. The latest consultation runs until Monday 14 April.
 Mayor recognises heroes from across the area
An evening of celebration was held to thank individuals and charities that make Wokingham Borough a better place to live. Cllr Adrian Mather presented certificates to winners of the Mayor’s Honour Awards at the Oakwood Centre in Woodley.
Around 75 people attended the event, which is held annually to shine a spotlight on people who have been chosen throughout the civic year, while also giving local charities a chance to network with one another.
You can read a full list of winners and their good deeds on our website.
Nominations for next year’s Mayor’s Honour Awards will open in August. These should be no longer than 100 words and set out why the nominee should be considered. To nominate an individual or group, email the mayor’s office on mayoralsupport@wokingham.gov.uk.
What you might have missed
Here’s all our email newsletters for residents from the last week:
If you’re interested in getting these updates directly, you can sign up on our website.
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