 Marking 80th anniversary of VE Day
2025 marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day, a celebration of 80 years of peace since the end of World War Two in Europe.
There may be events or street parties happening near you, your town or parish council’s website will be the best place to find out more. Here are some ways you can get involved locally:
Wokingham
Join Wokingham Poppy Appeal, Barkham Hookers and Elusive Brewing in Market Place where there’ll be military vehicles, poppies and a special edition Elusive Brew on Thursday 8 May.
At 11am, the Town Mayor will be laying a wreath at the war memorial inside the Town Hall. Please feel free to attend and pay your respects between 10.30am and 2pm.
Shinfield
The parish council is inviting residents to come together on Thursday 8 May. Starting at the war memorial on School Green, there will be a wreath laying and short service of thanksgiving from 8.30pm.
The Reading Scottish Pipe Band will then lead a procession to the beacon, which will be lit at 9.30pm.
Riseley
Come to the recreation ground from 12 noon to 6pm on Saturday 10 May for a range of activities to celebrate VE Day. Entry is free and you can bring your own picnic, gazebo and seating.
There will be face painting, a cake competition, craft stalls, live music, tug of war, a barbecue and tombola.
Wargrave
A special service of remembrance is being held at St Mary's Church on Thursday 8 May from 6pm to 7pm in collaboration with the Royal British Legion.
 Above: click to enlarge this diagram showing the location of the new nature parks in relation to the new road
Providing green spaces with new road and homes
Did you know that the new development at South Wokingham will include 40 hectares of new nature parks?
As part of the South Wokingham Distributor Road works, Balfour Beatty will be digging a drainage pond for one of three new nature parks at Holme Park.
This will be landscaped and planted by the housing developers at a later stage, along with two others at Chapel Green and St Anne's (east of Buckhurst Meadows).
We'll take these over when they're completed, and the developers will pay us a sum of money to cover their long-term upkeep.
The development will also have another 27 hectares of public green space including play areas, allotments and more.
There'll also be improvements to the existing footpath network including a more accessible bridge over the Emm Brook to the south of Gipsy Lane.
Find out more in our most recent South Wokingham community newsletter and sign up for future updates.
 Photo credit: Stuart Croft
Barn owl boxes give new homes for wildlife
Twenty two new barn owl boxes have been put up across the borough.
Eight have been added to new locations, while 14 older ones were replaced carefully, making sure this was only done when not in use by local owls.
We’ve been working alongside Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership and Wildlife Conservation Partnership for more than 20 years to increase the barn owl population across the area.
The new and existing boxes will be surveyed this summer to see how many barn owls have taken up residence and produced eggs and chicks.
Most breeding pairs now rely on man-made nest boxes, so making sure they’re replaced when needed helps keeping the population bouncing back.
The project has been funded by contributions that developers have to pay to offset the impact of development across the borough, and uses council-owned and privately-owned land.
 Food festival coming to Dinton Pastures
There’s exciting news for food and drink fans as The Great British Food Festival returns to Dinton Pastures Country Park in Hurst over the weekend of Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June.
The event is expected to sell out, just like last year, and residents are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance on The Great British Food Festival website to avoid disappointment.
People attending the event can expect a mouth-watering mix of the finest local and regional artisan producers, sizzling street food stalls, top chefs cooking live, a bar, craft and gift stalls, children’s entertainment, foraging walks and live music – all in the picturesque countryside of Dinton Pastures.
Tickets are available now and there is currently a limited offer to purchase tickets at a discount. Adult tickets currently £12.50, with group and family discounts available too.
Carers and children under five years old can attend for free but must book their ticket on The Great British Food Festival website.
 Free running programmes for Arborfield residents
Residents in Arborfield can get free running coaching and training programmes as part of a new scheme with our partners Places Leisure.
Whether you're new to running, or returning to running after taking a break, this personalised nine-week programme is a great way to develop your confidence and fitness.
Programmes start from 30 April or 1 May. You need to register your interest first and the team will get in touch.
This programme has been funded by Beat the Street and My Journey Wokingham. As part of it you’ll get:
- Tailored training plans
- One weekly group run a week (Wednesdays, 9.30am or Thursdays 6pm)
- Two solo runs a week
- Parkrun on the 8th week
- Comprehensive handbook with all the information you need
- Progress tracker
You can register your interest for My Way to 5k on the Places Leisure website.
What you might have missed
- A new LGBTQ+ youth group launches on Friday (25 April). All are welcome to Chill Out at The Bradbury Centre in Wokingham, which will run weekly during term time from 4pm to 5.30pm. It’s for school years 10 to 13, with snacks, board games and more, run by Support U
- Our MyJourney Wokingham team have put together a guide for disabled residents’ bus travel – outlining how you can get around as easily as possible across the borough
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Check our jobs board if you’re looking for a new role
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