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Making a difference in our communities


Volunteering is a terrific way to learn new skills, give back to your community, make new friends, keep active, and make a real difference to the people around you.


As it’s Volunteers' Week (1 to 7 June), this is the perfect time to give a big round of applause to all our dedicated volunteers across the Royal Borough.


Volunteers help in so many ways across our borough, whether as individuals or as part of voluntary and community sector groups. They also help to run services in our borough libraries, and at the Windsor & Royal Borough Museum.


Our Royal Borough Ambassadors – also volunteers – assist with helping to keep the public safe at town and royal events in the area. Please email Julia White if you are interested in applying. Meanwhile, our Community Information Champions share valuable information in their communities and organisations, reaching those who need to know.


Could you volunteer?


To help you get involved with what matters most in your community, check out the volunteering page on our website to see the range of opportunities available locally. We also work with the

Community Learning and Skills Service (CLaSS) to match volunteers to groups.

Carers Week - Supporting and celebrating our local carers


Next week is Carers Week (June 5-11) where the spotlight is on the support available for the many dedicated people – both adults and children – who have care responsibilities for a family member, friend or neighbour.

 

Caring can mean giving physical assistance, emotional support, or doing household chores like washing and shopping. Throughout next week, we will be highlighting some of the help available, using our social media channels and next week’s Residents’ Newsletter.


Together with our adult social care partner Optalis, we are also inviting carers of any age to a celebration event on Thursday 8 June, facilitated by all services working with carers and their families in the Royal Borough.

 

If you have caring responsibilities at home or in your community, come to Kerith Community Church on the Fairacres Industrial Estate, Dedworth Road, Windsor, for the free event taking place from 11am to 2pm.


No booking is required and there will be information, activities and lunch.

There will also be a 'meet the author' workshop specifically for young carers at 11am with Rab Ferguson, author of The Late Crew.


Booking for the workshop is required by emailing Sarah Collin.

Trading Standards seize more than 1,000 illegal vaping devices

 

More than 1,000 illegal vaping devices have been seized by our Trading Standards team.

 

The team carried out checks at 27 businesses in Ascot, Maidenhead and Windsor, seizing 1,011 illegal vapes from nine for destruction over the past six months.

 

In the UK, current regulations specify that disposable electronic cigarettes with a single use cartridge should have tanks not exceeding 2ml in capacity, and the maximum strength of nicotine should not exceed 20mg/ml. This equates to about 600 puffs, and this figure should be displayed on the packaging.

 

The seized devices, several of which are pictured above, are illegal because they provide between 3,500 and 7,000 puffs, almost 12 times the amount permitted under current regulations.


In most cases, the shopkeepers were unaware of the law and that they were stocking and selling illegal products. They were given a warning by Trading Standards officers who also provided advice on the regulations that vaping devices must adhere to in the UK.


Read more in our press release.

World Cafe is coming to Cox Green


Our next World Cafe will be in Cox Green ward on Saturday 10 June, from 11.30am to 1.30pm.


You don’t need to book. Simply pop along to Cox Green Community Centre, Highfield Lane, SL6 3AX. Free refreshments and goodies are also available.

 

World Cafés are informal events where you chat over a cuppa with community representatives and organisations, about what matters most to you in your neighbourhood. The aim is to find solutions to your local issues together, as well as discover support and meet fellow residents.

 

Since starting the World Cafes last summer, we’ve visited most of the wards across the borough, meeting more than 500 people. We’ll be going to the remaining wards during the next few months, such as Oldfield on Wednesday 26 July.


For more details about our World Cafes, please visit the RBWM Together website. You can also listen to Sumayyah Zeib, community engagement officer, recently talking about the cafes on Asian Star Radio.

Cycle with Confidence sessions for adults


New free cycling confidence sessions specifically for adults are being held on selected Saturdays until September – starting on 10 June.

 

The one-day sessions are designed to give adult cyclists skills and confidence, whatever their existing competency levels. Training will include looking at safe positioning on the road, how to navigate junctions and plan journeys.

 

The other dates are 8 July, 5 August, and 2 September. All of the sessions are being held at St Mary’s School, Cookham Road, in Maidenhead, SL6 7EG.


If female cyclists would prefer a lady-only environment, they can tick that option when they sign-up to a session.


Visit the council’s website for more details about the sessions as well as the online sign-up link.

Royal Borough Community Spotlight


Here are just some of the upcoming community events in the Royal Borough:


  • Holyport Summer Fair (Saturday 3 June, noon to 5pm) – Village Hall, Moneyrow Green. Holyport Community Trust are holding their annual summer fair. Perfect for the whole family, with a BBQ, tea and cakes and a beer tent plus loads of stalls and games. There's also a fantastic raffle with a top prize of £200 and 20+ other amazing prizes. Learn more on the Holyport Community Trust website 


  • Windsor Ascot & Maidenhead Community Land Trust information evening (Wednesday 7 June, 7pm to 9pm) - New Windsor Social Club, Hanover Way, Windsor, SL4 5NW. The evening is an open event, but please email the trust if you're planning to attend to help it know numbers. Visit the trust's website for more information and contact details.


  • Reading Phoenix Choir concert: Hope For Tomorrow (Saturday 10 June, 7.30pm) - High St Methodist Church, Maidenhead. The church is delighted to welcome the fantastic Reading Phoenix Choir for a special concert with a mixed programme of music to suit a wide range of tastes. Tickets £15 for adults and £3 for under-16s. For tickets and more information, visit the website.


  • Changing Earth Art Festival (Saturday 10 June and Sunday 11 June, 10am to 5pm) - Sir Bernard Miller Centre, Odney Club, Cookham. Come and join WildCookham to learn about our global wildlife with fun, interactive activities, music and hear the powerful stories behind the art from more than 90 artists. Entry is free and for more information visit the festival website where you can also view the workshop timetable and book a place.


  • Maidenhead Open Gardens (Saturday 24 June and Sunday 25 June) - Maidenhead Rotary Club are delighted to announce that badges for Maidenhead Open Gardens are now on sale at Braywick Heath Nurseries and on the club's website. More than 20 gardens will again be opening their gates providing tea, cake and much more. The cost is just £10 to visit as many or few gardens as wished over the weekend with all profits donated to Foodshare, Alzheimers Dementia Support, Thames Hospice, TVAP and other Rotary charities.


  • Rock the Rec (Saturday 1 July and Sunday 2 July, from noon) - Clewer Memorial Park, Dedworth Road, Windsor. Tickets for the two-day music festival are available at the Rock the Rec website or from Woody’s Café at Clewer Memorial Park. Along with local bands, the weekend will also feature stalls, food and a funfair.


  • Parallel Windsor (Sunday 2 July) - Windsor Great Park. It’s just one month to go until the award-winning Festival of Inclusivity, which will feature challenge events for all ages, health conditions and abilities. Visit the website to book tickets for the festival and for all Challenge Events. 


  • Charters School Summer Festival (Saturday 15 July, 11am to 3pm) - The festival will celebrate the Sunningdale school's 65th birthday and will be a great opportunity for the wider community to come together. There will be music throughout the day, with performances from current and past students, games, street food, a bouncy castle, football and tennis tournament and much more. Local charities and non-profit organisations will be part of the event, and the school has sourced a range of artisan products to feature in its Festival Marketplace.


  • Maidenhead Festival of Music & Dance - The festival is returning in its entirety in October and November this year, following disruption to the music section caused by the fallout from the pandemic. The closing date for entries to the dance section is 10 July. The closing date for entries to instrumental, piano and vocal sections is 30 September. Visit the festival website for further details and to enter.


If you have an upcoming not-for-profit community event or activity you’d like to promote in this newsletter, simply send basic information about your event to communications@rbwm.gov.uk and it could be shared with more than 21,000 local residents.


You just need to include a brief description, when and where it takes place, and a link to a website/social media page/contact where people can find out more.

Local Travel Updates


Industrial action by the Aslef Union will affect local Great Western Railway (GWR) and SWR services on Saturday 3 June.

 

For more information, please visit the GWR website or the SWR website.


For details of council works on highways, visit our website. For full local roadwork details, including work by utility firms, please visit the One Network website.

Keep in touch


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