Category: Wokingham and West Berkshire Issues

On Saturday afternoon I went to meet sufferers from Dystonia, and their helpers, at the Burghfield Community Sports Club. Dystonia is a painful and unpleasant condition which gives people uncontrollable muscle spasms.

I was asked to make awards to sufferers who have shown bravery and stoicism in tackling this condition, and to talk to their partners, friends and helpers. I was happy to do a little to help draw attention to this condition, and will of course take up any matter with the NHS or Social care that they bring to my attention.

Video courtesy of the Berkshire Dystonia Group

Image: The Rt Hon John Redwood MP and Councillor Adrian Edwards, Chairman of West Berkshire Council, together with representatives of TiM, Link Visiting, and supporting organisations.

Press release:

John Redwood MP was among the guests attending the launch of a new befriending service in Burghfield and Mortimer last Saturday, 20th April.

TiM stands for Together in Mission, where the “mission” is for local churches to work together on projects which benefit the community. TiM is made up of 10 churches and since 2009 has set up a community fun day, a community cafe (Café B which hosted the launch), and a School Pastors project at the Willink School. All of this has been in response to what local people have said themselves they would like to see set up in their communities.

TiM Friends aims to provide extra care and support for older folk who find themselves on their own, lonely, and who would welcome someone to chat to, take an interest, and become a friend. We will provide home visits, regular telephone calls and opportunities to get out and mix with others, perhaps at a lunch club or pie and pint day (more popular with men!). We believe this will make people feel valued and appreciated, and life a bit better overall.

The project has been set up using a model pioneered by Link Visiting, operating successfully in the Wokingham Borough since 1998. Recently, Link has been exploring ways in which further befriending schemes could be developed nationally, and has been developing partnerships with interested churches and faith groups. TiM Friends is the first such project to be set up using this approach.

John Redwood warmly commended TiM Friends, recalling that his mother had visited older folk after her retirement and just how enjoyable and worthwhile it was for her as well as for those visited.

The next step for TiM Friends is to recruit more volunteers. Bev French and Sian Laflin (the two project Co-ordinators) explained that a warm and caring personality was the best qualification for a volunteer and that training and support would be provided throughout. They hope to work closely with other local voluntary and statutory organisations to deliver the best service possible. We were delighted therefore that the launch was attended by Councillor Adrian Edwards, the Chair of West Berks Council, as well as by other local councillors, representatives of community and professional bodies, and local church leaders.

Find out more by contacting friends@togetherinmission.org.uk or look on our website www.togetherinmission.org.uk.

The launch concluded with a prayer of blessing given by the Rev Charles French of the Well Church, Burghfield Common.

On Friday I was asked for my views on how the Town Centre could be improved, as part of the regeneration project being run by the Borough Council. I made the following points during a wide ranging discussion over more than two hours.

1. Car parking. Wokingham as a centre for retail and lesiure activities depends crucially on people coming into the town by car, to add to the relatively few numbers of people who can easily walk to the attractions of the centre from their homes. To help retailers and others deal with the competition of larger centres nearby, and with the impact of the internet, there needs to be more parking and cheaper or free parking. In particular we need more free spaces for half an hour for the single stop visit, cheaper parking for two hours, and some parking for 3-4 hours near the centre to accommodate people wanting a leisurely lunch or dinner, or wanting to shop as well as eat.

2. The centre of Wokingham sees the junction of two important A roads – the A321 Henley to Blackwater Valley towns road, and the A 329 Bracknell to Reading road. A longer term solution to the problem of through traffic is to have an eastern by pass of the town centre with a new railway bridge, to take the A321 traffic out of the centre. Until this has been built it is important to allow free flow of through traffic. The current system is far from ideal. Putting a roundabout at the end of Broad Street for the junction with Rectory Road will help. The new Station link road from the Reading road will help, as long as existing capacity is still available for local use. The highway planners need to look at the pinch point on Wiltshire Road near and at the junction with London Road.

3. “The public realm” – I was asked for views on how the main streets of the centre should be paved, lit and furnished. I pointed out that Wokingham has a medieval street pattern, with many wonderful urban buildings of various vintages producing a great blend of Berkshire market town architecture. The architectural idiom is a mixture of oak frame with wattle and daub, with the more predominant and later brick and decorative tile facades and roofs. The decision to have orange red bricks for pavements was a good step in the right direction, though they have proved slippery and in some locations are not quite the right red for the adjacent brick. The “palette” as the consultants call it for a new look Wokingham should draw on brick reds, oranges and ochres. I am not in favour of bringing in different materials and colours. Lighting has to be sensitive to existing styles, and the light compatible with older buildings and conservation area beauty.

4. I was asked if I thought it a good idea to narrow roads and blur the disticntion between road and pavement. I think this needs to be approached with considerable care. In the case of Broad Street it might be possible to narrow the road carriageway and have more trees and wider pavements in some places. Elsewhere doing this, removing pedestrian crossings and encouraging more potential conflict between vehicles and pedestrians might be both hazardous and put pedestrians off. If you are shopping you want the certainty of the pavement and do not want to have to be constantly thinking about possible misunderstandings of your movements by motorists sharing the space.

5. I stressed the need for a more intelligent approach to utility provision. The centre of Wokingham has been badly affected by endless digging up of the streets for water, gas and electricity workings. Each time the cables or pipes have been put back down the centre of the road and incarcerated in tarmac, meaning future misery for all concerned when repairs and replacement are needed. The new Wokingham should place utility provision in accessible corridors so people can get access without digging up the roads. Traders have suffered considerable loss of business from utility works.

6. I also stressed the need for care in choice of any new materials for roads and pavements, to ensure the use of hard wearing materials with the minimum of expensive and disruptive maintenance. Use of stone blocks for road construction can lead to damage from heavy axle weights, produces an irregular surface which is difficult for the elderly and for women with high heels, and is expensive to repair.

I went to the launch of TIMs in Burghfield at the Methodist Church. Together in Mission (TIMs) is a network of people who are going to visit and talk to the elderly who are lonely or in need of some contact and assistance.

I welcome this initiative. Some elderly people become very lonely, not wishing to trouble others. If someone can volunteer to give them a ring or visit them regularly it can make all the difference. It can improve their quality of life and give them a link with the rest of the world. It can lead on to outings, help to do things and give more purpose to their life.

There is no age limit on volunteering. Sometimes the volunteers are as old as the poeple they are helping. If you are interested please contact www.togetherinmission.org.uk. I thank all involved for setting it up, and trust others will want to join in.

I have been asked to write a few words about the funeral of Margaret Thatcher.

The service was Christian, emotional and beautifully executed. The hymns were well known and sung with enthusiasm. The readings were well done by her granddaughter and the Prime Minister. The Bishop of London gave a great address, as he sought to square the dead lady’s wishes for no eulogies with the need of all watching to hear something of Margaret’s life and personality.

For me the greatest pleasure came from the support of so many who turned out to line the streets, and who clapped and spoke of her life and work.
I found it a profoundly moving experience. There in the cathedral were friends and opponents, contemporaries and people who never worked with her or knew her, united in a common wish to recognise her achievement as the first woman Prime Minister, the three times election winner, the valiant warrior for freedom who helped create the conditions for the liberation of Eastern Europe.

I went to the Mayor’s charity concert on Saturday night at Wokingham Theatre. The St Sebastian’s brass band played with verve and enthusiasm to an appreciative audience.

There was particularly warm applause for the solo performance of Vesti la Giubba from Pagliacci by Wayne Filer. Damon Emes handled Born on the 4th July well, Humphrey Haynes and James Kelloway gave us a moving rendition of Bizet’s Deep inside the sacred temple and Paul MacNeil performed a lively and engaging Stardust.

The whole band roused the listeners with Rocky Fanfare, Putting on the Ritz and Colonel Bogey amongst others, leading to the grand finale from Wagner. I would like to say a big thank you to the Band for playing at a charity concert to raise money for Wade in Wokingham.

On Saturday I joined three Emmbrook Councillors and went door knocking to talk to people in Emmbrook. The main preoccupations were with local matters. Several wanted more action to tackle vehicle congestion and improve road access to Wokingham. One person expressed concern about the impact of Town Centre redevelopment and the Station link road. There was general displeasure at the way utility companies dig up the centres of the roads and causes problems for many weeks at a time. No-one raised the EU or the UK economy as issues. Most were pleased with local services, and several thought the blue bag waste system has now settled in and is delivering lower waste charges for Council taxpayers.

  I have held brief follow up meetings with Ministers about a possible new bridge over the railway in Wokingham. I have stressed to  Ministers that Network Rail needs to be sensible in negotiating a possible bridge over their railway, and should not regard it as a ransom opportunity against the local community. It is in the railway’s interest as well as the local interest to reduce traffic flows using level crossings to get over the track.

             At the request of the NFU, I met local farmers to discuss their issues with me last Friday.

              They raised a series of planning concerns. I set out for them the twin approaches of Coalition national policy – to give Councils more say over individual  planning matters, and to give more general guidance towards facilitating change of use and development where possible.  I suggested they met with local Councillors to discuss their wishes over the possible development or change of use of old farm buildings, which has to bee looked at in the context of the local plan.

           They raised issues concerning CAP payments. I shared with them the views of the Environment Secretary, negotiating on their behalf in Brussels. The government does wish to obtain a good deal for UK farmers, but does of course have to reach agreement with 26 other countries. Many of these other countries have smaller and less efficient farms, with different financing needs.

          We also discussed issues arising over the sale of home grown food, in the wake of the horsemeat problems. The farmers pointed out that they get a small fraction of the retail shelf price for meat, when selling to supermarkets. We discussed farm shop and local sales opportunities for their product.

The Rt Hon John Redwood MP pictured next to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee stained glass window in Westminster Hall. (Click to enlarge photograph)

Parliament gave the Queen this window for her 6oth anniversary. The stained glass will be placed in the large north end window of Westminster Hall. It was paid for out of voluntary subscription by members of Parliament.