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Congratulations to our local GCSE students
Well done to all our local GCSE students getting your results this week.
We’re
so proud to have high quality comprehensive schools in the Royal
Borough which provide a fantastic education to help local young people
to have the best start in life and achieve their ambitions.
Whether
you’re staying in full-time education, or starting an apprenticeship or
traineeship, we’re sure that many of you are marking the end of school
with much-deserved smiles and celebrations this week, reflecting all
your hard work during exams and coursework.
If
you didn’t get the grades you were after, please do speak with your
school initially for support and guidance on alternative options. You
can find independent wellbeing support via Kooth and on our website.
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Reminder: Work to begin on new toucan crossing linking Maidenhead town centre with homes north of the town
We're set to begin
work on a new crossing for pedestrians and cyclists across the A4 St
Cloud Way linking Maidenhead town centre with homes in the north of the
town.
The toucan crossing
will connect the new St Cloud Way development on the former Magnet
Leisure Centre and Ten Pin Bowling sites, as well as other properties
north of St Cloud Way, with the town centre by providing a link between
Holmanleaze and the Hines Meadow car park.
Work will begin on Wednesday 30 August and last approximately six weeks. It
will be carried out in phases and will require the closure of single
lanes on each side of the dual carriageway, eastbound and westbound.
This will allow traffic to continue to use the road, but traffic
management measures will be in place.
The project forms
another part of our investment into active travel and healthy travel
choices in Maidenhead, encouraging walking and cycling to and from the
town centre.
Read more in our press release.
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Boat hire now available from Ray Mill Island
We've been working with The Little Green Boat
Company to offer you the exciting opportunity to enjoy a beautiful part
of the River Thames around Ray Mill Island in Maidenhead this summer.
The company's small fleet of self-drive rowing and motor boats are available to hire by the hour from the island with advanced booking and walk-up hire available.
Why not enjoy some of the attractions on the island while you're there? There's a guinea pig enclosure, a cafe, as well as picnic tables and benches.
For more information and to book, visit the company's website.
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Windsor Leisure Centre shortlisted for exciting award
Congratulations to Windsor Leisure Centre, which has been shortlisted in the South Regional Club/Centre of the Year category at this year's ukactive Awards.
They are one of six finalists in the category, and the ceremony will take place at the New Dock Royal Armouries, Leeds on Thursday 26 October.
The
Royal Borough’s leisure centres are operated by Leisure Focus, a
not-for-profit charitable organisation established to work with local
communities, supporting clubs and individuals to achieve their sporting
and lifestyle goals.
Discover more about our leisure centres on the Leisure Focus website.
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Bin collections are not affected this Bank Holiday Monday
Household waste and recycling collections will take place as normal on Bank Holiday Monday (28 August).
If your bin
is due to be collected, please remember to put your recycling and
general rubbish out by 7am on the day and no earlier than the night
before.
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Summer Bank Holiday pharmacy opening hours
Please remember that many pharmacies will be closed on Monday (28 August) for the Bank Holiday.
Make sure you give yourself enough time to order and collect your prescriptions.
If you do need a pharmacy on Monday, please visit the NHS website to see which are open and times.
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Reading Festival and station closure - roads expected to be busy
With Reading Festival taking place this weekend and Reading station due to close from 7pm tomorrow, until 7am on Sunday, some main roads in Berkshire area are likely to be busy.
The closure
is a result of planned industrial action and roads are expected to be
particularly busy on Saturday night as day ticket holders return home
including, potentially, the M4.
Roads will be extremely busy again on Bank Holiday Monday when most weekend ticket holders leave the site.
Reading
Borough Council has worked with the festival organisers, Festival
Republic to produce travel information, which is available here.
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All welcome at our Merchant Navy Day flag raising ceremony
We will be marking Merchant Navy Day in the Royal Borough with the raising of the Red Ensign at 10am on Monday 4 September.
This short ceremony will take place at the war memorial, outside Maidenhead Town Hall, and you're welcome to attend.
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Back to school: Get the term dates for 2023/24 into your diary
With
the summer holidays coming to an end soon, and children going back to
school, make sure you’ve got the term dates for the new academic year in
your diary, mums and dads.
The first official day of term, Monday 4 September, is a Teacher Training Day set by the council.
For more information on term dates, visit our website.
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Reminder: Free swimming sessions for local teenagers this summer to aid water safety
Young
people aged 13 to 17 years old can enjoy free swim sessions at two
popular leisure centres during the school summer holidays, thanks to a
water safety initiative.
Leisure
Focus, our leisure operator, in collaboration with local partners
including the council itself, is running its “Safe Summer Swim”
initiative, with a mission to reduce the risk of young people getting
into trouble in lakes and rivers.
The
programme offers free one-hour fun swim sessions for 13- to
17-year-olds at Windsor Leisure Centre and Braywick Leisure Centre
(weekdays only), until Friday 1 September, making swimming accessible and promoting water safety.
With
up to 40 spaces available per session, this initiative seeks to provide
local teenagers with an opportunity to learn essential water safety
skills, improve their swimming abilities, and foster a greater
appreciation for water-related activities.
Safe
Summer Swim is funded by Leisure Focus Trust, Louis Baylis Trust,
Shanly Homes, Baylis Media CIC, and the Royal Borough. Read more about
Safe Summer Swim on our website.
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Royal Borough Community Spotlight
Here are just some of the upcoming community events and volunteering opportunities in the Royal Borough:
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Bray Church Teas (Sunday 27 August,
2.30pm to 5pm) - St Michael’s Hall, behind St Michael’s Church, High
Street, Bray SL6 2AB. Come and enjoy tea and homemade cakes. In aid of
various charities. For more information visit the church's website.
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Holyport Whist Club
(Alternate Tuesdays, 2pm to 4pm) – Holyport Memorial Hall. New members
and beginners are welcome. Call Jeanette Sperling on 01628 624442 or
email jeanettesperling37@gmail.com to learn more.
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River Thames Cruise
(Tuesday 5 September, 10am) - Organised by Maidenhead Heritage Centre.
For more information on how to book, and the other activities available,
including their special opening on Bank Holiday Monday, 1pm to 5pm,
visit the heritage centre's website.
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Royal Free Singers open evening (Wednesday
6 September, 7.30pm to 9.30pm) - Trevelyan School, Wood Close, Windsor.
Come and enjoy an evening with community choir, the Royal Free Singers.
Vocal warm-ups, rounds and part-songs, suitable for all, and an
introduction to Verdi's Requiem, the choir's next concert. No pressure,
no charge, all welcome. Send an email to let the group know you're
coming or ask any questions. Email membership@royalfreesingers.org.uk or visit the Royal Free Singers website.
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Cox Green Horticultural and Craft Show (Saturday 9 September, 2.30pm) - Cox
Green Community Centre. Classes include vegetables, fruit, flowers,
flower arranging, handicrafts, preserves, cooking, art and photography
for adults and children. Anyone can enter. Free entry for children under 14 years. View the schedule with more details on the website or email coxgreenhortshow@yahoo.com. Last date for entries is Monday 4 September. Show
opens to the public from 2.30pm when the exhibits are on display, plus
other attractions including a market produce stall, craft stalls,
raffles and cream teas.
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Younger People with Dementia (YPWD) volunteers needed. Do you have a caring nature, enjoy working with people, have an interest in dementia and like to be creative? Help
our team support younger people with dementia at our activity-based
workshops around Berkshire. For more information visit the website or email contact@ypwd.info.
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Volunteer with People to Places. The
Maidenhead-based charity is seeking volunteers to drive its accessible
minibuses, which provide transport to residents of the borough with
mobility challenges. The charity has experienced a significant increase
in journey requests for its dial-a-ride service since the pandemic and
desperately needs more volunteer drivers to meet this demand. By
becoming a volunteer driver, you'll have the opportunity to positively
impact the lives of those in your community who rely on their service.
For more information on the driver roles, visit the website, call 01628 587922, or email info@people2places.org.uk.
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Volunteers needed. Ascot Volunteer Bureau
is a charity providing transport for the older residents of Ascot,
Sunningdale, Sunninghill, and Cheapside, who have difficulty getting to
their medical appointments. It urgently needs volunteer drivers who live
in or near the SL5 postcode district and have their own cars. For more
information visit the website and if you're interested please ring 01344 625520 (answerphone service) or email ascotvolunteerbureau@gmail.com. Please provide your name, address and details of how you would like to be contacted.
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Volunteer needed: Editor of the Stanley Spencer Gallery newsletter. The
Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham is run entirely by volunteers. The
editor of the gallery newsletter is stepping down after 11 years in the
role, and the gallery is looking for a replacement. Published quarterly,
the newsletter is sent to around 550 Friends on its mailing list, as
well as appearing on the gallery’s website. It features short articles
about forthcoming exhibitions, events and activities at the gallery, as
well as highlighting the varied contributions of its team of volunteers.
If you would like to get involved, or to chat about the position,
please contact the Friends’ chair at richardabrealey@gmail.com.
If you have
an upcoming not-for-profit community event or appeal for volunteers
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.
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Local Travel Updates
Buses - new and extended routes
- The new Go2Gate bus route linking Dedworth with Heathrow Airport
launched earlier this month. The first journey from Dedworth is at
3.17am, with the last return trip from Heathrow at 11.45pm. Visit the website for more information.
- Changes to High Wycombe's bus network means that route 37
(linking Maidenhead, Cookham and High Wycombe) will be re-numbered to
route 7, with a new timetable, from Sunday 3 September. Visit the Arriva
website for more information. Maidenhead’s route 7 town bus service to Woodlands Park will remain as current.
- Reading Buses' routes 702/703, linking Windsor with London,
Heathrow, Ascot and Bracknell have new state-of-the-art buses and a new
name, ‘Windsor Express’. More information here.
- Carousel Buses' route 103 will be extended into Windsor from
Sunday 27 August, providing a new link from Windsor to High Wycombe and
Beaconsfield. See the website for more information.
- There are additional new overnight connections to Heathrow Airport - Carlone Ltd's A60 service from Sunnymeads and Wraysbury, and RailAir's RA1 service from Maidenhead.
For more information on bus timetables and routes, visit our website.
Rail - industrial action
Strike action by the RMT union will take place on Saturday 26 August and Saturday 2 September, while Aslef has announced strike action for Friday 1 September. A significantly
reduced service will run with trains starting later and finishing much
earlier. Many parts of the SWR and GWR network will have no service at
all. Journey planners will be updated in due course. Visit the GWR website and SWR website for updates.
Engineering work
Planned
engineering work this week will mean the line between Staines and
Windsor & Eton Riverside will continue to be closed tomorrow, Saturday 26 August. From Sunday 27 August to Friday 1 September
inclusive the lines from Barnes to Virginia Water and Windsor
& Eton Riverside and Hounslow will also be closed. Buses will
replace trains. Check before you travel and for more information, visit
the Network Rail website.
Council highways works
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.
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