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Nursery children join Community Wardens and senior councillors for Love Parks Week litter-pick
We've been celebrating our fantastic parks and open spaces this week as part of Love Parks Week with a mini campaign on our Facebook, Twitter and Next Door platforms, showcasing the borough’s larger parks and green spaces.
Children from William Street Nursery in Windsor
supported Love Parks Week by taking part in a litter-pick in Bachelors
Acre, Windsor yesterday. They were joined by senior councillors, our
Community Wardens and even Orinoco the Womble, who popped across from Windsor Library to congratulate the team on their great work. Well done team!
Our thanks also to GoodGym Windsor and Maidenhead,
who kindly provided mini litter picks for the youngsters. Watch a video
of the litter-pick on our Facebook channel.
As part of the week, we've been highlighting fun
facts about some of parks and open spaces, including Home Park,
Ockwells, Guards Club, Hemwood Dell and Ray Mill Island, and how walking
their perimeters can contribute to your daily steps. There's also been
the opportunity for residents to meet our wardens, who help keep our
parks and open spaces pleasant places to enjoy.
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Food business operator prosecuted for failings
A food business operator has been sentenced to 100
hours of unpaid work and fined more than £2,000 in a successful
prosecution by our Environmental Health team.
Bartosz Rybka, aged 37, appeared at Reading
Magistrates’ Court on Friday 21 July where he pleaded guilty to a number
of failings at the Pierozek deli which had been located in Market
Street, Maidenhead. The business has now closed.
Read more in our press release.
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Braywick Nature Festival postponed due to forecast rain and thunderstorms
Unfortunately, due to adverse weather forecast for tomorrow, Braywick Nature Festival has to be postponed.
The team are
hugely disappointed and we apologise for any inconvenience. We have made
this difficult decision as we do not feel we could offer the best
experience in the heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast.
However, we will still be offering alternative free family nature activities from 15 to 17 August at Braywick Nature Reserve, with more details and tickets to be available on Monday. Keep an eye out on our social media channels.
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Volunteers help to improve our open spaces
Our thanks to volunteers from GoodGym Windsor and Maidenhead for their help in clearing the Oaken Grove Park pond in Maidenhead.
As an ornamental pond, it needs to be cleaned out
to allow the filtration system to work and prevent algae build up, and
the volunteers helped remove 30 wheelbarrow-loads of sludge from the
bottom of the pond.
We'd also like to thank volunteers from
pharmaceutical company AbbVie, who have been helping to improve the path
surface through the nature reserve at Braywick Park.
They did a great job cutting back and clearing
weeds and overgrowth causing obstruction on steps up to the top of the
reserve, and painting out graffiti on a wildlife hide next to the cut.
The day was organised with Employee Volunteering, which helps companies develop and deliver employee volunteering programmes.
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Upcoming parish by-election in Wraysbury
A parish by-election will be held on Thursday 7 September following the recent resignation of a parish councillor in Wraysbury.
Anyone interesting in standing as a candidate should contact our Elections Office on elections@rbwm.gov.uk, 07773959296 or 01628 682937.
The nomination period is currently open and closes at 4pm on Thursday 10 August. Nomination papers can be obtained from the Electoral Commission website or by contacting our elections team on the email or phone numbers above.
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First Winners in Windsor & Maidenhead Community Lottery
Last
Saturday (29 July) saw the first draw of our Windsor & Maidenhead
Community Lottery, an exciting new fundraising initiative we launched
for the benefit of good causes across the borough.
To
celebrate the first draw, there were two additional special prizes won
by two local residents – a luxury spa session at the Fairmont Windsor
Park Hotel, and an overnight stay at the MacDonald Windsor Hotel. Fourteen
local players each also won three free tickets to play in the lottery
because they matched two of the numbers drawn.
1,043
tickets were entered into Saturday’s first draw for the 69 local good
causes already signed-up to benefit from ticket sales. And you don’t
have to live in the borough to play the lottery, though you can only
choose to support the local good causes.
Windsor
Horse Rangers, Maidenhead & District Stroke Club, and the Alexander
Devine Children’s Hospice Service are currently at the top of the local
good causes fundraising board. Just behind them are the Alzheimer’s
Dementia Support Charity, Lilliput Learners Pre-School, Swan Lifeline,
and Wessex Primary School PTA.
The draws take place weekly on Saturday nights. For more details on how to play, or sign up as a good cause, visit our community lottery website.
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Working to reduce single-use plastics
We’ve been working to reduce single-use plastics in the borough through our Single-Use Plastics Action Plan.
You'll have seen last week we switched on the Windsor Platinum Jubilee Fountain, which is providing free
drinking water for visitors and residents, helping to reduce single-use
plastic bottles while standing as a lasting tribute to Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II.
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 our
sustainability ambitions by reducing use of single-use plastics by up to
50,000 bottles a year.
There’s
so many ways you can get involved in helping to reduce single-use
plastics, such as choosing to buy loose produce, bringing your own
reusable water bottle and coffee cups when out and about, and re-using
plastic bags instead of buying bin liners.
We’re
looking to start a local water bottle refill scheme that businesses can
join to promote themselves as places where the public can get a refill
for free. We’re currently inviting local businesses to register their interest here.
Please see the infographic here for more information on how we're achieving our action plan. You can read more about the fountain and its benefits in our press release.
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Reminder: Still time to register for solar panel group buying scheme
There's
still time to register for a scheme helping local residents and
businesses generate renewable energy through installing solar panels,
cutting energy costs and carbon footprint.
We
have joined forces with neighbouring authorities to group bid for
cheaper installation of solar panels through Solar Together.
Residents and businesses, with permission from the property owner to install the panels, can register until Friday 11 August.
The
applications are grouped together, and reputable installation companies
then bid to carry out the work through a reverse auction overseen by a
company called iChoosr.
There is dedicated Solar Together assistance for you to discuss options. Either email Solar Together or call 0800 092 0332 between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
For more information and to register, visit our website.
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Summer holiday fun at our libraries
There's a range of fun Summer Reading Challenge activities for children taking place at our libraries over the school holiday.
Visit
your local library this summer to join the free challenge. Sign up to
receive your Ready, Set, Read collector folder and then choose books to
read over the school holidays. Collect stickers and other rewards for
each book you read and add these to your folder to complete the
challenge.
The challenge runs until Sunday 10 September. Activities include:
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Boyn Grove Library - Design your own sports kit competition.
Collect a sheet to design your own sports kit and return it for the
chance to win a prize. Drop in during library opening hours until Friday
25 August.
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Datchet Library - Summer holiday crafts with Jacky and Sinead. Every Tuesday until 29 August, 2.30pm to 3.30pm. Drop in and make your own games to take home. Free. No booking required.
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Eton Wick Library - Create a bug hotel. Friday 18 August, 10:30am - 11.30am. Free. No booking required.
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Maidenhead Library - Summer holiday crafts. Every Thursday until 31 August, 2.30pm. Including medal-making (3 August) and Frisbees (10 August). Free. No booking required.
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Windsor Library - Make a frisbee. Monday 14 August and Thursday 24 August, 10.30am to 11.30am. Free. No booking required.
Visit our website for more events and full details.
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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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Volunteers wanted at Thames Hospice
– Local charity Thames Hospice is appealing for volunteers to join its
eBay commerce team, including packers, listers and researchers. The
roles are easy with full training given, and are a great way to add
online sales to your CV. To learn more, please visit the hospice website.
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Free cricket this summer (from 25 July for six weeks) at Furze Platt Senior School, Platt Road, SL6 7NQ. Dynamos 8 – 11 years – 10.15am to 11.15am (Sign up here and use the code KTJ87U). All Stars 5-8 years – 9 to 10am (Sign Up here and use the code N4RERU).
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Maidenhead Regatta
(Saturday 5 August) at the Maidenhead Rowing Club, River Road,
Maidenhead. There are more than 200 entries, races start at 8.30am and
will finish around 6.30pm. There will be food and drinks available for
people to enjoy while cheering on local clubs competing. The Mayor and
Mayoress will be visiting as well.
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Fifield Fun Day (Sunday 6
August, 1pm to 5pm) - 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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Wonderfully Made – All Saints Summer Fun Festival (14 to 18 August, 10am to 4pm, with some evening events) - All Saints Church, Dedworth. For the whole community with full days of fun and faith-filled activities for all ages.
Each day there will be Lego, crazy golf, a bouncy castle, toddler toys
and cafe. Please note that this is a public event, so kids will need to
bring their adults. Feel free to bring a packed lunch. For more details,
visit the church's website.
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Come & Sing Country
(Tuesday 15 August, 7.30pm to 9.30pm) – Norden Farm Centre for the
Arts, Maidenhead. Country music captures hearts and minds through
relatable songs and stories. Experience how good it feels to sing in
harmony with others. A totally inclusive singing session, all welcome. Event booking page.
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Come & Sing ‘Mash-Ups’
(Tuesday 22 August, 7.30pm to 9.30pm) – Norden Farm. Explore what
happens when you take an already well-known song and layer it with
another to create something new. Event booking page.
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Volunteer driver at King George VI Day Centre, Clarence Road, Windsor.
The charity supports the local elderly, providing social activities and
lunch. It needs a volunteer driver one day a week. For more
information, visit the day 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
Rail - industrial action
Industrial action short of a strike by the ASLEF union could mean disruption tomorrow, Saturday 5 August and from Monday 7 to Saturday 12 August. For updates, visit the GWR website and SWR website.
Planned engineering work will mean the line between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside will closed from Monday 21 August to Saturday 26 August. Buses will replace trains. Check before you travel and for more information, visit the Network Rail website.
National Highways work
National
Highways will be carrying out essential repairs to the culvert which
takes the Bisham Brook under the A404. The main work will start on Monday 4 September and last for approximately 11 weeks.
During this
time, it will need to close the road and footpath from the end of The
Green beyond the play area off Marlow Road. This will also include
the closure of the footpath (#35) that runs alongside the A404 until it
meets the pedestrian crossroads. Access to properties and adjacent
farmland will be maintained. More information on its 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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