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QR codes on life buoy cases to pinpoint location in a water emergency
Our Community Wardens are launching a new water
safety initiative that could save precious minutes for emergency
responders if someone gets into trouble in open water.
The wardens have created unique QR codes which are
being placed in the life buoy casings alongside the River Thames and
around some lakes (with landowner permission).
The codes contain pinpoint information to make it
easier for services to find the location in an emergency. They also make
it easier to report any missing or vandalised equipment.
Read more in our press release.
Our wardens have also been out checking lifebuoys
along the Thames and at private lakes to ensure they're ready to save a
life if needed. Watch the video here.
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Water safety at the beach
We live in a
landlocked local authority but be water aware when you go away on
holiday in the UK or abroad during your summer holidays.
Flags are placed on beaches where the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, or RNLI, lifeguards patrol the beach.
The flags indicate whether it is safe to go into the water and where the lifeguards are monitoring people in the water.
The advice is
to swim at a beach with a lifeguard and between the red and yellow flags
as it is an area which is being constantly monitored.
Other tips
include not swimming alone, telling someone else where you are going and
when you’ll be back, and checking the weather and tides.
Inflatables can also be dangerous, particularly for children, who can be taken out to sea by currents.
Rip tides
Rips are strong
currents running out to sea, which can quickly drag people away from
the shallows of the shoreline and out to deeper water.
Rips are
especially powerful in larger surf, but they are also found around river
mouths, estuaries, and near man-made structures like piers and
groynes.
The RNLI advises:
- Don’t try to swim against it or you’ll get exhausted
- If you can stand, wade don’t swim
- If you can, swim parallel to the shore until free of the rip and then head for shore
- Always raise your hand and shout for help.
More information about rip tides is available on the RNLI website.
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First water bottles replenished as Windsor Platinum Jubilee Fountain is switched on
The
Windsor Platinum Jubilee Fountain has been switched on, providing free
drinking water for visitors and residents, helping to reduce single-use
plastic bottles and as a lasting tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II.
The
monument, close to Windsor Castle, was among the projects of the
Windsor Platinum Jubilee Committee to celebrate Her Majesty’s historic
70-year reign, and also serves a valuable everyday purpose as a water bottle re-filling station.
Funded by several sources, the council postponed its installation due to Her Majesty’s sad passing.
It
is hoped the fountain will provide more than 25,000 litres of free,
fresh drinking water per year, encouraging healthy lifestyles. This will
also support the borough's sustainability ambitions by reducing the use
of single plastics by up to 50,000 bottles a year.
Read more in our press release.
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Celebrating the Royal Borough’s parks
Whether you’re walking the dog, taking days out
with family, enjoying a picnic, or simply chilling out, parks are
vibrant living spaces; a backdrop to our daily lives and a place to
reconnect with nature.
And multiple scientific research clearly shows
that time spent in green spaces – even just ten minutes – reduces
anxiety, improves our immune systems, and promotes wellbeing.
To celebrate national Love Parks Week, starting today
until 6 August, we’re running a mini online campaign on our Facebook,
Twitter and Next Door platforms showcasing the varied facilities in our
borough’s larger parks and green spaces as well as revealing some
historical tit bits about them. Most of the
parks being featured also show how many steps towards the daily
recommended total of 10,000 you could do, if you walked their
perimeters.
Plus you can meet your Community Wardens at Old Windsor Park (Monday 31 July, 10am to 2pm), and Broomhall Park in Sunningdale (Friday 4 August, again 10am to 2pm). Pop down and see them for a friendly chat, to get some tips, or share your ideas.
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Community celebrations to mark Maidenhead Library's 50th anniversary
Maidenhead Library celebrated its 50th anniversary last week with a series of free, fun celebrations.
Our
Library Service organised a full week of community celebrations to mark
the golden anniversary of this Grade II-listed landmark and community
hub.
There
were guest appearances by The Wombles, who are celebrating 50 years
since their first TV appearance, as well as exhibitions, author talks, a
murder mystery evening, and fun for children and also the older
generation.
On
Friday evening, the library was transformed into a silent disco,
offering the unique opportunity for those lucky people who'd bagged
tickets to bust their moves on the library dancefloor.
The
fun continued over the weekend, with live musical performances on the
library balcony, plus an Immersive Experiences dome in Library Square on
both days, offering fun for children and adults alike.
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First draw this weekend for the Windsor & Maidenhead Community Lottery
There’s still time to buy your tickets for the borough’s first draw, tomorrow Saturday 29 July, in the new Windsor & Maidenhead Community Lottery.
Tickets cost £1 and you choose which of the 68
local good causes across the borough will benefit - up to 60% of your
ticket cost.
Since the Lottery was launched in the borough three weeks ago, you’ve purchased some 900 tickets. Thank you.
Cash prizes for players are also up for grabs
along with the chance, as it’s the borough’s first weekly draw, to win
an afternoon tea and a spa session at a five star Windsor hotel.
To buy your tickets or find out more about how the lottery will benefit local good causes, visit the Windsor & Maidenhead Community Lottery website.
And if you’re a local good cause keen to boost your fundraising, signing up is free and simple on the above 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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Flower arranging demonstration (Tuesday
1 August, 2.30pm) in Gardeners Hall, St Leonard’s Road Windsor. This
event for all is held by Royal Windsor Rose Show Floral Club. £7.50
entry (cash only) and the opportunity to win the arrangements in the
raffle. Any queries contact 07786 703238.
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Braywick Nature Festival
(Saturday 5 August, 12pm to 5pm) at Braywick Nature Reserve, Hibbert
Road, Maidenhead, SL6 1UU. Experience your local nature reserve with
pond dipping, live music, nature trails, workshops and more. Family
friendly and free.
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Fifield Fun Day
(Sunday 6 August, 1pm to 5pm) - at Deep Meadows Fifield SL6 2NX. This
year the event is raising funds for Rosie’s Rainbow and ADS (Alzheimers
Dementia Support). Rides on a full-size steam train, dog show,
fairground, craft stalls, magic show, Punch & Judy, refreshments. A
great day out for all the family. Further details on the Oakley Green, Fifield & District Community Association website or on Facebook.
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Volunteer treasurer for the Pinder Hall, Cookham.
The Pinder Hall Trust Committee are looking for someone to take over as
treasurer and join this friendly, supportive charity. If you could
help, please contact pinderhall@cookham.com.
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Volunteers needed for Ascot Volunteer Bureau. The local
charity provides 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 bureau's website and if you're interested then 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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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 its Spitfire Simulator Experience, visit the heritage centre website.
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
The RMT union
has announced nationwide strike action involving 14 train operators,
including South Western Railway (SWR) and Great Western Railway (GWR),
on Saturday 29 July.
In
addition, there could be further disruption from Monday 31 July to
Saturday 5 August and from Monday 7 to Saturday 12 August due to
industrial action short of a strike by the ASLEF union. For updates, visit the GWR website and SWR website.
Planned engineering works are taking place on the South Western Railway network this weekend, Sunday 30 July. London
Waterloo to Windsor services will be diverted
after Twickenham and will terminate at Hounslow. For more
information, visit 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.
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