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News Archive - Week Beginning 20th June 2010 (Two Week Edition)
Arts
The activities of the Mikron Theatre group are described in a feature which describes a new Mikron show, ‘Striking the Balance’, that is to be staged at Caversham Court from Sunday, July 4th to Thursday, July 8 th at 7.30pm. The show is said to be ‘set against the turbulent backdrop of the 1960s, 70s and 80s… …three working women take on the might of a discriminatory establishment’. (Get Reading 02/07/10 p28)
Bridges
An initiative by Reading in Bloom has ensured that both Caversham Bridge and Reading Bridge have floral hanging baskets. Jessica Cecil, patron of Reading in Bloom said: “the bridges are the gateway in and out of Reading and I think the hanging baskets make them look even more attractive”. (Reading Post 23/06/10 p5)
Buses
Cheap £1 bus routes are to be extended in Caversham following a successful trial. From Monday, July 26th, premier bus routes 22 and 24 will offer a £1 flat fare from Caversham Library to and from town for both adults and children Premier route 23 will be £1 from Briants Avenue at the Star Inn to and from town. (Reading Chronicle 01/07/10 p5)
Caversham People
The Caversham-based company Ideostone (which offers businesses advice on how to make better use of resources) is described in an article which mentions the involvement of its owner Richard Boothman with the Reading business networking group ‘First Friday Club’ (FFC). The FFC meets once a month – its meeting at the start of June was at the Bina Tandoori in Prospect Street. (Reading Chronicle Business Review, 24/06/10 p51)
Charity
The GB Rowing Team Adaptive Squad joined forces with the Burghfield-based charity Guide Dogs for the Blind on Monday, June 21st at the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake in Caversham to urge partially-sighted athletes to take up the sport. The charity financially supports training for visually-impaired rowers in the team. (Reading Chronicle 24/06/10 p9)
Crime
The local police team in Caversham are said to be targeting youths ‘screaming and shouting late at night’ in the recently-installed park facilities in the recreation ground in Grove Road and Kidmore End Road (Reading Chronicle 24/06/10 p29)
Police are appealing for witnesses following an incident in the Peppard Road on Sunday, June 20th when a 20-year-old Woodley driver was assaulted after being followed in his car along Henley Road. The incident is believed to be a ‘domestic’, and an 18-year old woman from Sonning Common has been arrested in connection with the incident. (Get Reading 25/06/10 p10)
Environment – King’s Meadow
A walk by King’s Meadow Campaign supporters on Saturday, June 26th is described in the context of the redevelopment work on the King’s Meadow swimming baths. Mike Mortimer, treasurer for the KMC, said: “we are looking to renovate and refurbish the fabric of the building and for this we need a £1m fund. But the council are under financial pressure and seem quite negative about helping to restore the site”. (Reading Chronicle 01/07/10 p24)
Festivals
Hundreds of people are said to have attended the Reading Arts Week Big Art Picnic in Caversham Court Gardens on Wednesday, June 23rd. The event was run by adult learning centre New Directions and was sponsored by the ‘Chronicle’, and included pottery, stained glass and textile demonstrations. Organiser Chris Brant said: “it’s been a fantastic day, there’s a really great turnout”. (Reading Chronicle 24.06/10 p4)
The number of police and security at this year’s Reading Festival will be doubled following last year’s disturbances on the Sunday night of the festival. There will also be a ban on alcohol being taken into the site after 6pm on the Sunday and a ban on campfires on Sunday night after 8pm. Council officers made the announcements in a report to a meeting of the RBC environment scrutiny panel last week. (Reading Chronicle 01/07/10 p22)
Police
Local police are holding a series of ‘have your say’ meetings for anyone with crime concerns over the next six weeks, all starting at 7.30pm. The venues include:
- Gurney Close on Wednesday, July 7th
- Uppingham Gardens on Thursday, July 8th
- Badgers Rise on Monday, July 10th
- Gayhurst Close on Tuesday, July 20th
- Fernbrook Road on Tuesday, July 27th
- Gorselands on Wednesday, July 28th
- Wrenfield Drive on Thursday, July 29th
- Orchard Grove on Saturday, August 7th
- Kelmscott Close on Sunday, August 8th
- Tenby Avenue and Corfe Mews on Monday, August 9th
(Reading Chronicle, 24/06/10 p27)
Thames Valley police chiefs were to have met on Friday, 25th June to decide how to cut £3.4m from the police force’s budget without cutting staff. The measures to be considered include reviewing the costs of local PCSOs. (Reading Chronicle 24/06/10 p9, Get Reading 25/06/10 p2)
Public Order
Thames Valley Police have called for a review of the licence of the Island Bar and Restaurant on Piper’s Island off Caversham Bridge following two large-scale public order disturbances at the bar in which staff, police and customers were injured. Neighbours are said to have written in support of the police action, which is due to be considered by the RBC licensing applications committee on Tuesday, July 6th. In a report to the RBC, TVP chief inspector Jim Weems said: “I would say that each of these incidents (on January 30th and May 2nd 2010) in isolation are the most serious incidents of disorder linked to licensed venues in recent years”. The Island Bar is also under investigation for an incident of under-aged drinking. (Reading Chronicle 01/07/10 p3, Get Reading 02/07/10 p9)
Schools
Eight schools in Reading including Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre in Emmer Green have registered an interest in breaking free from local authority control and becoming an academy. Schools that received an ‘outstanding’ rating in their most recent Ofsted inspection are to be fast-tracked for academy status by this September – Highdown falls into this category. (Reading Post 30/06/10)
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