We planted our Covid Memorial Woodland just north of California Country Park, with the help of many volunteers earlier this year.

We’re now planning to open the woodland in 2026, giving it the best possible start and ensuring it thrives for years to come.

This year’s hot, dry weather made it especially difficult for young trees to establish, despite extra watering and care. 

During the winter, our teams and contractors will replant trees where needed, sow more wildflowers and continue preparing the site.

This extra time allows the woodland to grow into a healthy, resilient, and peaceful space for reflection and remembrance. 

We’ll share further updates next year as the woodland continues to take shape. 

More works held off to control congestion 

We're still working to reduce congestion on the roads in and around Wokingham town by postponing any works that don't have to be done right now. 

This will prevent additional pressure on the network while Evendons Lane remains closed by Thames Water due to a sewer collapse. 

Since last week, we've delayed Thames Water's planned works on the water supply in Bearwood Road, which would have caused unacceptable disruption. 

This will now be done in early 2026, once the current closure on Finchampstead Road to the north of Molly Millars Lane has been lifted. 

The closure will have moved to the south of the junction, where we're building a new roundabout, but the bridge under the railway will be open again. 

You can read a more detailed overview of all we’ve done to improve your journey in our latest Moving Around the Borough newsletter. 

Do you support your child with a learning disability or mental health condition? This could be an adult child or someone who is still at school.  

Whether it’s helping with daily routines, managing appointments, or simply being there emotionally, you’re a carer, even if you’ve never used that word. 

Caring for an adult child be isolating, exhausting and financially challenging.  

You might feel like you have to keep going no matter what, but you don’t have to do it alone. 

The Wokingham Carers Partnership is here to help. It offers practical advice, emotional support and access to tools like the Carers UK app and the Carers Passport, which can open doors to services and recognition. 

Support is available now - you don’t need to wait for a crisis. Reach out today to get support.  

Your care counts

Get the support you’re entitled to: 

• Want to help others – how to spot when someone is an unpaid carer
• How to get a carers assessment 
• Contact the Wokingham Carers Partnership, call the support number or find out about support via Age UK Berkshire
• Attend a local support group meeting 
• Register with Carers UK for support and resources 
• Discounted leisure centre memberships  

We're up for an award after installing electric vehicle chargepoints across the borough. 

We've been shortlisted as Best Local Authority EV Charging Scheme in the Transport and Energy Awards, with the winner to be announced on 20 November. 

We installed chargepoints on streets where many residents didn't have off-street parking, and where surveys showed higher interest in electric vehicles. We also placed a smaller number of faster 22kW units in our car parks. 

Thirty-eight were funded through the Department for Transport's (DfT) On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, with the rest funded by the supplier Flowbird. 

With new petrol and diesel vehicles being phased out, this is part of our efforts to help people switch to electric. 

We've adopted an electric vehicle charging strategy and plan to install at least 460 new chargepoints in partnership with Believ, and with funding from the DfT’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund.