The door to dreams

Karen Neville

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Stepping into a bookshop is like catching up with an old friend, the familiarity and love come flooding back and yet you just know there will be something new to discover. Karen Neville invites you to step inside these independent havens of literature…

As a child I loved pushing open the big wooden door on the bookshop in the town where I grew up to be greeted by an Aladdin’s cave of words wrapped in colourful covers.

There was a whole world waiting to be discovered that ate up much of my pocket and birthday money. The delight I felt when collecting the special copy of Ballet Shoes I’d ordered and handing the assistant the piece of paper with the details felt like I was joining a very special club – the bookshop club.

Sadly that shop is no longer but fortunately for all of us bibliophiles according to the Booksellers Association at the end of 2022 there were 1,072 independent bookshops sharing the love I treasured.

Life’s adventures start with a book according to Blue Bear Bookshop in Farnham which was recently voted 10th in The Times UK independent bookshops guide. Named after a cult novel by Walter Moers, The 131/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear, the family-run indie bookshop and café opened in 2019 with a glamorous 1920s inspired interior and serving speciality coffee and cake. The much-loved community hub also offers a diverse schedule of literary and cultural events.

The award-winning Haslemere Bookshop was named the best independent bookshop in the south east of England in the 2022 British Book Awards and deservedly so for the friendly knowledgeable service and wide range of books for all ages, extensive collection of maps, guidebooks and information on local authors. Wander upstairs and you’ll discover three-rooms full of potential hidden treasures nestled among the second-hand treats.

You’ll find more than 7,000 books, cards, games, stationery and more served up at The Old Bakery home of Petworth Bookshop and if it’s old books that are collectible and readable you’re after then head to Reader’s Books in Market Square, Petworth.

One Tree Books in Petersfield is turning 30 this year and in their own words are “passionate about all things literary” and don’t worry if you’re not tempted by what’s on the shelves, they can order in just about anything you want. As with many book shops now, they offer so much more and once you’ve browsed and shopped why not take a moment with your purchase to escape to Ginger’s Café which serves breakfast and lunch in a seated area at the back of the shop or takeaway from the front. Join their book club, go along to one of their special events or book launches or make an appointment with the book doctor for yourself or as a gift. A 30-minute consultation includes coffee and a welcome pack, a chat about your reading tastes and what you love most about books. Musicians can shop the wide range of sheet music on the first floor and order what they can’t find.

Who doesn’t want to run a bookshop-café-bar? ask owners of Goldfinch Books in Alton, Gary, Jude and Andrea for whom it had been a long-held dream and the perfect way to combine their love of literature, music, wine and craft beer – sounds perfect! The trio say: “Books are our passion. Each of us at Goldfinch has our own favourite genres, our go-to books, and our top 10 recommendations. Come in and grab a copy of a new release or an old fave. Browse the shelves without pressure, sit and read for a while, enjoy a coffee, relax and take a breath, or chat with friends. We are here if you want a recommendation, or you just want to talk about books (or anything else for that matter).

“Goldfinch Books is more than a bookshop. It is a place to meet like-minded people, and enjoy spending time. It is somewhere to help us remember to enjoy the journey, and relax our focus a little on the destination.”

They have a special interest in and passion for mental health and have plans to support mental health awareness and education with events and initiatives in the offing.

Laurence Oxley in Alresford has more than seven decades of experience to share with customers, stocking both new and second hand books, including rare and collectible editions as well as art materials, cards, Victorian watercolours and maps.

The Cobham Bookshop has been a thriving indie for more than 30 years and no doubt one of its key attractions is that it welcomes dogs so feel free to take Archie or Ruby along while you browse and shop for novels, children’s books, history, biography and all other genres of non fiction.

Godalming is home to A Novel Idea in more ways than one. It’s a bookshop making a difference in the community, founded by Catalyst and the Welcome Project to help people with their mental health and wellbeing. It is run entirely through donations and volunteer staff with high quality donated fiction, non fiction and children’s books. They also sell second hand vinyl, albums and singles covering rock, pop, soul, folk, musicals, films, classical and more.

As author Evie Woods writes in her novel The Lost Bookshop: “The thing about books… is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.”

Show your support for independent bookshops in Independent Bookshop Week, June 15th to 22nd, part of the Books Are My Bag campaign, an annual celebration of independent bookshops nationwide, and the role they play in their communities.

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The door to dreams

Karen Neville

Posted on

Stepping into a bookshop is like catching up with an old friend, the familiarity and love come flooding back and yet you just know there will be something new to discover. Karen Neville invites you to step inside these independent havens of literature…

As a child I loved pushing open the big wooden door on the bookshop in the town where I grew up to be greeted by an Aladdin’s cave of words wrapped in colourful covers.

There was a whole world waiting to be discovered that ate up much of my pocket and birthday money. The delight I felt when collecting the special copy of Ballet Shoes I’d ordered and handing the assistant the piece of paper with the details felt like I was joining a very special club – the bookshop club.

Sadly that shop is no longer but fortunately for all of us bibliophiles according to the Booksellers Association at the end of 2022 there were 1,072 independent bookshops sharing the love I treasured.

The dream of running a bookshop is a popularly held one and for Alex Forbes it came true in 2020 with the name Fourbears coming from a nickname. They host a wide range of events, book clubs and writing clubs and are happy to chat all day long about books. So be warned, there’s no such thing as just popping into Fourbears in Caversham. Their book subscription service is the perfect gift for the book lover in your life or just a regular treat for yourself. Look out for Fourbears Fest, May 17th to 19th, the first Reading and Caversham Book Festival featuring a range of events for adults and children in multiple venues.

RISC World Shop in the fairtrade shop in London Street, Reading, focuses on sustainable living, human rights, climate change and green living and their selection is carefully curated and ever-evolving and features many of the local interest titles published by Reading star Two Rivers Press. They typically sell books on politics, economics, sustainability, gender, human rights, world fiction, children’s books, gardening, cooking, places, black issues, women, feminism, lbtgq+, local interest development, school books as well as publishing their own titles for schools.

Even the most hard to please reader will find something among the more than 20,000 books adorning the shelves of The Bell Bookshop, Henley. Find hidden gems among the paperbacks, hardbacks and classics, biographies, travel guides, cookery, history, children’s and many many more. This destination bookshop has been feeding the appetite of book lovers around Henley and beyond since 1966 with the shop itself dating back to the 18th century – I’ll bet it has some stories to tell.

You’ll probably recognise Roald Dahl’s Matilda outside The Book House, Thame which has a fascinating story behind it, as does Fat Puffin, a gift from Puffin Books to mark the opening in 1972 as one of the first specialist children’s books in the country – he could write a book about his ‘adventures’ since he’s been standing sentry. Through the shop discover the bookshop’s very own ‘secret garden’, take a seat and dip into your new book. Books range from first books for babies to young adult reads while adults aren’t forgotten with more than enough to sate their appetites too.

Here’s a bookshop with a difference, Newbury Bookshelf is a mobile shop which pops up at Newbury Market on Thursdays and Saturdays and Thatcham market on Fridays. Creator Emily had always wanted to have her own bookshop having worked in one while at uni and has turned her dream into a reality thanks to her innovative approach. Pick her brain for recommendations and you won’t be disappointed, just look out for the blue canopy.

Hungerford Bookshop has attracted such literary luminaries as Robert Harris, Alexander McCall Smith, Sebastian Faulks and Gill Hornby to their events and this month will be enjoying crime and wine with Adele Parks (3rd) and fizz and fiction with Georgina Moore and Becky Hunter on the 24th. All their books are hand-picked with care, and they love to recommend their favourite titles. Come and have a browse including in the basement where you’ll find an impressive array of secondhand and antiquarian books. Join the book subscription service and benefit from their expertise choosing books based on the recipient’s reading tastes or preferred genres.

Founded more than 75 years ago, White Horse Bookshop still operates from its original site in Marlborough where it opened its doors in 1949. Alongside the thousands of titles that line the shelves they also have an extensive art department stocking all manner of materials, run one day art workshops, hold exhibitions and talks in the White Horse Gallery at the rear of the premises.

As author Evie Woods writes in her novel The Lost Bookshop: “The thing about books… is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.”

Show your support for independent bookshops in Independent Bookshop Week, June 15th to 22nd, part of the Books Are My Bag campaign, an annual celebration of independent bookshops nationwide, and the role they play in their communities.

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The door to dreams

Karen Neville

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Stepping into a bookshop is like catching up with an old friend, the familiarity and love come flooding back and yet you just know there will be something new to discover. Karen Neville invites you to step inside these independent havens of literature…

As a child I loved pushing open the big wooden door on the bookshop in the town where I grew up to be greeted by an Aladdin’s cave of words wrapped in colourful covers.

There was a whole world waiting to be discovered that ate up much of my pocket and birthday money. The delight I felt when collecting the special copy of Ballet Shoes I’d ordered and handing the assistant the piece of paper with the details felt like I was joining an exclusive club – the bookshop club.

Sadly that shop is no longer but fortunately for all of us bibliophiles according to the Booksellers Association at the end of 2022 there were 1,072 independent bookshops sharing the love I treasured.

Caper in Magdalen Road is an independent family bookshop with a difference – as well as wonderful books for children and a great selection for grown ups, it’s also an activity and event space full of quirky things to play with. Among the activities on offer are toddler art classes, cooking classes for kids and events for grown ups such as poetry and writing workshops.

Specialising in rare and secondhand books in the humanities, St Philip’s Books in St Aldates stocks works of theology, history, literature, philosophy, art, classics and antiquarian. Particular interests include Roman Catholic books, John Henry Newman and the Oxford Movement, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, Eastern Christianity, patristics, medieval studies, Biblical studies and Christian spirituality. They have over 10,000 books in stock and are always interested in buying.

The Book Stop in Magdalen Street and Last Bookshop, Walton Street, are both part of Bill & Ben Books. They specialise in remainders, returns and samples, office copies and overstocks of books to which they give a second life, so expect to find gems and oddities on their shelves.

Summertown is home to Daunt Books, an independent bookseller with a special emphasis on travel and world literature, with a wide range of stock and an extensive children’s section as well as gift wrap, handy if shopping for presents.

Good books and good customer service were the ambition of Jaffe & Neale in Chipping Norton when they opened in 2006 and in 2024, they are going strong with that same ethos. Having fulfilled that dream, owners Patrick Neale and Polly Jaffe realised the second part of their vision with the opening of a café as a hub for the community surrounded by books. They invite you to grab a table and a good book and tuck into a cappuccino or mint tea and locally baked cake. They also stock a range of gifts, cards and stationery.

Book-Bar evenings, signings and a book club are all features of The Madhatter Bookshop in Burford which aims to be a community hub for “all things literary, arty and anything else you want it to be”. You are welcomed  to wonderland “to help make your adventures happen, to make you smile, to make you cry, to educate you, to amuse you, to comfort you and to enlighten you, to shock you, to soothe you… just add a little imagination and the wonders of the written word”. Enough said!

If you’re looking for children’s books then Woodstock Bookshop has shelves packed with them, about a quarter of their stock caters for younger readers with the rest a selection of the best recent reads. The bookshop opened in 2008 and has been shortlisted for Independent Bookshop of the Year three times. They also hold talks and run several book groups. Poetry lovers should put a date in their diary for their Woodstock Poetry Festival in November.

The indie Wantage Bookshop sells books to suit all tastes from the latest releases and bestsellers, to bookseller favourites and classic titles, there’s also a welcoming children’s area for young readers, as well as a fine selection of beautiful cards, wrap and book related gifts. Looking for a special gift for the book lover in your life? Why not try a bespoke book subscription which includes a coffee from the next door shop and a chat with a bookseller to find your next favourite read or how about a book hamper complete with packaging, chocolates and bookmarks – sounds perfect!

Mostly Books in Abingdon has won a host of awards in its 12 years including Independent Bookshop of the Year for the south east last year. Join their online book club, Cosy Club and choose from six books each month to read and review, with in person get togethers once every three months. A podcast series Mostly Books meets…has them speaking to authors, poets, journalists and publishing professionals about the books that shaped their lives. They also offer a range of gift ideas with books throughout the year, have a blind date with a book or how about a mystery book bundle?

The Bookstore in Abingdon’s town centre has been a much-loved local spot since 1998 with everything from thrillers to the classics, biographies, children’s books and histories and what’s more you can also shop for greeting cards, wrapping paper and even handbags and scarves – sounds like the perfect place for me!

“This bookshop is a real gem” proclaims one review of The Wallingford Bookshop. Serving and helping readers find the perfect book since 1983, it’s a familiar face in the community. If you can’t find what you want among the more than 6,000 books they stock, they’ll happily order it in for you and just love a challenge so don’t worry if you can’t remember the title or author, they’ll solve the clues and track it down for you!

Even the most hard to please reader will find something among the more than 20,000 books adorning the shelves of The Bell Bookshop, Henley. Find hidden gems among the paperbacks, hardbacks and classics, biographies, travel guides, cookery, history, children’s and many many more. This destination bookshop has been feeding the appetite of book lovers around Henley and beyond since 1966 with the shop itself dating back to the 18th century – I’ll bet it has some stories to tell.

You’ll probably recognise Roald Dahl’s Matilda outside The Book House, Thame which has a fascinating story behind it, as does Fat Puffin, a gift from Puffin Books to mark the opening in 1972 as one of the first specialist children’s bookshops in the country – he could write a book about his ‘adventures’ since he’s been standing sentry. Through the shop discover the bookshop’s very own ‘secret garden’, take a seat and dip into your new book. Books range from first books for babies to young adult reads while adults aren’t forgotten with more than enough to fuel their imaginations too.

As author Evie Woods writes in her novel The Lost Bookshop: “The thing about books… is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.”

Show your support for independent bookshops in Independent Bookshop Week, June 15th to 22nd, part of the Books Are My Bag campaign, an annual celebration of independent bookshops nationwide, and the role they play in their communities.

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Flipping fantastic Launchpad fundraiser

Karen Neville

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Broader smiles than ever on Broad Street at the annual Pancake Day race

Launchpad’s annual Pancake Race which saw 34 teams brave the weather and batter it out on Broad Street celebrating Shrove Tuesday has so far raised £8,500.

The team from RSM UK, dressed in their animal-themed costumes, lifted the coveted frying pan trophy – becoming the 27th champion team. The money raised by all the amazing teams will help fund Launchpad’s vital services across Reading supporting people who are homeless, or at risk of losing their home.

Teams of four representing businesses and other groups from across Reading flipped pancakes as they competed in knock-out stages and a fantastic final. All the races were compered by Tarek Ahmed, from B Radio, much to the delight of hundreds of cheering onlookers, including the Mayor of Reading, Tony Page who presented the prizes. 

Winners RSM UK received a Cocktail Masterclass at The Roseate, and runners up, Nexus Planning were given vouchers for Wine and nibbles for four at Veeno. Third-place team Air IT won Afternoon tea for four from Afternoon Tea Box (Crumbs Food Co).

The team from Take Note Choir were best fundraisers, raising over £865 and won bottomless brunch for two and afternoon tea for two at Revolucion de Cuba. Collard Environmental – who raced as characters from the Wizard of Oz – won best fancy dress and received a £50 voucher for Honest Burger. Field Seymour Parkes were highly commended for their fancy dress and won £40 of vouchers for Shed. Our team spirit award went to Phantom Brewery who won Cocktails for four at Novotel. Winners of the Great Pancake Flip off were The Oracle, winning four tickets to The Biscuit Factory after flipping a pancake 57 times in a minute!

The entire Launchpad team is incredibly grateful for the support from these amazing local businesses and community groups.

Kirsti Wilson, Head of Fundraising and Marketing, said: “It’s brilliant that our Pancake Race has been as wonderful as ever. Every year the race is full of amazing costumes and laughter – and this year was no exception, even with the unfortunate weather. Few will forget the ‘2024 Where’s Wally Wiggle?’!

“We’re also grateful to the hundreds of people who cheered on the runners and made donations at the event – AND to our amazing team of volunteers – the race just wouldn’t be the same without them. Our fun-filled event has a very serious purpose – to raise funds and awareness that we are here for anyone in Reading who has become homeless, or is at risk of losing their home, regardless of circumstances.”

For more information about Launchpad and to donate, visit: launchpadreading.org.uk

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Dig reveals 2,700-year-old secrets

Karen Neville

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Wittenham Clumps finds on display at Festival of Discovery on February 17th & 18th at Earth Trust

Archaeologists have unearthed an exceptionally rare Iron Age blacksmith’s workshop in South Oxfordshire, dating back nearly 2,700 years to the earliest days of ironworking in Britain.
The discoveries were made by archaeologists from DigVentures during excavations at the Earth Trust, near Abingdon. Just downslope from the iconic Wittenham Clumps, the dig revealed a smithy containing artefacts like pieces of hearth lining, hammerscale, iron bar, and the exceptionally rare discovery of an intact tuyere – evidence of a serious ironworking operation.


“At Earth Trust, we’re thrilled whenever discoveries at Wittenham Clumps shine a light on the deep history of human activity in this area,” said Anna Wilson, Head of Experience and Engagement.
“Nearly 10,000 artefacts were recovered during the dig, and as we continue to analyse them, the story gets more and more captivating. These new discoveries are literally forging new history before our very eyes and revealing more of the ancient mysteries behind this very special place – we can’t wait to share more through our upcoming Festival of Discovery.”

Photo Credit: Digventures

Festival of Discovery


The key finds will be on display February 17th-18th, during a special Festival of Discovery at the Earth Trust Visitor Centre. The festival includes talks from the archaeologists, hands-on workshops with the archaeologists, and a free pop-up exhibition showcasing artefacts like the tuyere and rare small finds.
Visitors will have an exclusive chance to see the discoveries up-close and learn more about the skills of these early Oxfordshire craftsmen. Tickets and more information are available at earthtrust.org.uk/whats-on.


Ancient Blacksmiths of the Clumps


Radiocarbon dating reveals the smithy dates from 771-515 BC, soon after ironworking first arrived in Britain around 800 BC. The size of the hearth suggests this was no ordinary village blacksmith, but rather the workshop of an ‘elite’ or ‘master’ ironworker producing swords, tools, wagon wheels, and other high-value objects.


“It’s exceptionally rare to find a complete tuyere, especially one that’s as old as this. Although there are examples from later periods, including Saxon, Viking-age, and medieval pieces, this is one of the only known Iron Age ones in the country, if not Europe. The fact that it dates not just to the Iron Age, but to the first few centuries of ironworking in Britain, is remarkable” said Gerry McDonnell, the archaeometallurgical specialist who examined the finds.


“What’s more, the size of it suggests we’re looking at a hearth that was much larger and more specialised than that of your average village smithy” he continued.


The vast majority of artefacts produced in the Iron Age weren’t very big and could be produced with quite a small hearth, while larger hearths would have taken much more skill and resources to control, said the researchers.
“The only reason a blacksmith would need a bigger hearth would be if they were forging something long like swords or trade bars, or big, like cart wheels. And these wouldn’t be done by your average village smithy who would normally take care of everyday objects and repairs.
“The fact that this early Iron Age smithy had a specialist tuyere shows us this was much more likely to have been a serious operation by a highly skilled, elite, or master blacksmith” McDonnell concluded.


Even though the Iron Age takes its name from the mastery of this metal, sites that provide us with direct evidence of how they did this – especially ones from such an early period – are extremely scarce.


“It’s always exciting to uncover the remains of ancient buildings that were occupied thousands of years ago, but it’s even more special when we find such direct evidence of who lived there and what they were doing inside,” said Nat Jackson, DigVentures Site Director, who led the excavation.


“In this case, the range of evidence is remarkable. We’ve got almost every component of the blacksmith’s workshop; the building, internal structures, hearth lining, tuyere, even the tiny bits of metal that fly off when the blacksmith is hammering the metal. The only thing we haven’t found is the tools.
“It’s an incredible thrill to uncover something like this. It basically allows us to peer back in time and see what could have been one of Britain’s earliest master blacksmiths at work,” he added.


Excavations also revealed an Iron Age settlement including a cluster of roundhouses, an Iron Age pantry, and evidence of ceremonial or ritual activity including animal burials, as well as a later Roman villa where archaeologists found the remains of a tiny Roman pet dog.


Local residents now have an exclusive opportunity to view these finds first-hand and learn more about Oxfordshire’s ancient ironworking heritage at February’s Festival of Discovery.

Main image credit: Digventures

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Wild life

Karen Neville

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Brian Clews tells us about Wild Cookham which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year and how we can help ahead of Big Cookham Wildlife Weekend

This year, the WildCookham team are celebrating our tenth anniversary, during which time we have organised dozens of talks, guided walks and several significant wildlife projects in the Cookhams. These include toad patrols, wildflower meadow creation, the Wild About Gardens awards scheme and the reintroduction of water voles after 30 years of absence.

As is well-known, much of our wildlife is struggling in our open countryside which has needed to be worked hard to produce our food and other country pursuits. But, while there is not much we can do individually about that, the good news is that we can all do something within our own gardens to help our beleaguered wildlife. So WildCookham is challenging us all to help our gardens become havens for as many species as possible.

Ponds.

We are asking our neighbours to do a bit of preparation for the Big Weekend. Firstly, if you don’t yet have a pond or water feature, we recommend you create one early this year. It need not be huge, but it needs to be fish-free and suitably planted up. Advice is available on our web site at wildcookham.org.uk

Wildflowers.

Also we are asking as many of you as possible to create a small patch of wildflowers, perhaps a square metre to start with as a minimum. In memory of much-missed Adrian Doble, who worked with Boston Seeds to create a mix of seeds suited to our area, we will soon have available small packets of seed to create such a patch (2gms per sq m). Our website will advise where in the village these can be obtained from, and how to prepare the area. 

Hopefully, by the time of the main weekend in June these efforts will be contributing to even greater diversity of garden creatures.

And so to the main event itself in June. We would love as many as possible to spend some time that weekend observing and recording as many critters and creatures as possible. Great fun for the whole family as the search in shrubs and bushes, and under leaves, stones etc goes on. You can list all the ones you know, but you can also simply count how many different sorts of birds, butterflies, bugs, beetles, ladybirds, bees and other beasties you find. Our website will list sources of online identification aids of animals to help families, and there are numerous apps one can download too.

So put the dates in the diary, check our website, and get ready for the “holiday safari” of a lifetime! For more info please email [email protected]

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Love your liver

Karen Neville

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Tiffany Redman of Point9 Acupuncture, Henley, has some tips for how we can all get 2024 off to a healthier start

What can we do this January to kick-start our health for 2024? Giving our liver some love after all the festivities is a great start!

In acupuncture, the liver plays a crucial role in regulating emotions, storing blood and ensuring the free flow of energy throughout the body. The liver is known as the Commanding General of the body, having more than 500 functions.

If there’s an imbalance in the liver it can lead to various health issues, emotional changes, digestive problems, menstrual irregularities, insomnia to name a few. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is the organ that governs a woman’s health more than any other organ.

What can you to if the above resonates with you? Book an acupuncture appointment. Alternatively nourish your liver with a good clean diet, think about eating the rainbow and eat your last meal by 7.30pm so the liver can detoxify itself. Studies have shown a link between liver damage and external pollutants such as heavy metals and pesticides.

Even chemicals in your house cleaning products can cause your liver to work extra hard. One way to reduce this exposure is to switch to more natural cleaning products or even make your own.  Good Housekeeping offers a great guide: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a24885/make-at-home-cleaners/

Your Skin is your largest organ and at its most vulnerable when wet. From soaps to moisturisers/ oils/ serums/ talc/ bubble bath/ shampoos and conditioners. All of them may contain chemicals which the liver then has to contend with. Switch to natural alternatives such as Tallow, https://www.fiercenature.co.uk/

Learn more or book an appointment for more help at www.point9.org

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Woking Young Musician of the Year

Karen Neville

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Young talent on show on February 3rd as performers compete for awards

The Woking Young Musician of the Year competition takes place on February 3rd, with outstanding performers aged 14-20 from this year’s Woking Music festival invited to participate.

The adjudicator for the Young Musician of the Year competition will be Paul Barritt who has been leader of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the English Chamber Orchestra and until recently, the Hallé, having performed with this orchestra for the past 20 years.

Cash prizes are awarded to the winners and a bursary is also awarded to study at a summer school. Several of these performers have gone on to be in the finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition and, in recent years, two have won this coveted title.

Other awards that will be presented at the event are Woking Junior Musician of the Year, Most Promising Young singer, Most Promising Young Actor, and a chamber music award.

The Woking YM evening is an annual event at which a selection of the best competitors aged 14 to 20 who attended the Woking Music Festival in November 2023 are invited to compete in concert conditions.

The talented young musicians will be performing at St John Church, St John, Woking where the audience would be treated to a delightful musical evening from some of our most talented young musicians.

Woking Music Festival is a celebration of the musical and literary vitality of Woking and the surrounding area. The festival welcomes people of all ages and abilities, who can derive and give pleasure in participating, whatever their tastes or performing standard.

Founded by Nancy Leigh in 1926 and affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals (BIFF), the festival is now one of the largest of its kind in the south-east with around 1,000 people taking part each year. Highly respected teachers and performers act as adjudicators, giving valuable advice and guidance to all participants.

More than 90 trophies are competed for in over 200 classes. Subjects covered include musicals, jazz, classical music including opera and oratorio, school choirs, bands, speech and drama.

The adjudicators come from music and drama institutions across the UK who judge winners in each category and give valuable advice and guidance.

Visit wokingmusicfestival.org.uk for information on all events, dates and venues. Tickets £12 per adult, children under 18 free.

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Sporting success at Crosfields

Karen Neville

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Students are exceling in a range of sports, find out more about the facilities on offer for your child

There’s never a day without sporting success at Crosfields and the autumn term is no exception!

In hockey, ISA U9A Girls hockey team were undefeated and won their group with a very good record. The U13A and U11A girls hockey teams both won their respective ISA Plate Competition, a fantastic achievement for them all after all their hard work this season to improve their skills and tactics.

The U15A Girls hockey won the ISA Shield Competition which was another great achievement for this young team who have been developing their skills and tactics over recent months. They played some fantastic hockey in this tournament with some very close matches against some older teams!

There has also been much success in football as Crosfields teams continue to excel in their competitions. The U13A girls football won the ISA Cup at LVS whilst the U15A girls football won ISA Plate. The boys have also had a wealth of success with the U13A boys football reaching the last 16 of the ISFA cup and last 16 of the ISFA Shield competitions.  The U11A boys are off to the IAPS National Finals after winning the IAPS regional qualifier at Ashford Prep School. Congratulations to Oscar, Roman, Luke, Thomas, Zach, Heath, Jack and Keye! Their record at the regional qualifier read: 8 games played, 7 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses and, incredibly, 0 goals conceded. A magnificent achievement!

All our athletes performed brilliantly across several disciplines over the autumn term and with opportunities still to come in cross country, netball, basketball and swimming, we look forward to many more fantastic performances. To view our sporting facilities, and find out more about what sports at Crosfields can do for your child, book a personal tour here.

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Share your dinner with the birds

Karen Neville

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BBOWT Is asking people to do one ‘wild’ act for each of the 12 days of Christmas to connect with nature at the coldest time of year

Sharing some of your Christmas leftovers with the birds this year could make a real difference for local wildlife.

That is the message from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), which is asking people to join its 12 Days Wild challenge.

Recycling Christmas cards, creating nature-themed crafts and going for a walk in the park are among suggested ways people can take part.

Liz Shearer, Community Engagement Director for BBOWT, said: “Cold roast potatoes are a fantastic thing to give to birds at this time of year because they’ve got natural carbohydrates with a bit of extra fat which is great in the cold. You can also leave out Christmas pudding, fruit cake and mince pies which all have useful sugars and fats, and a little bit of mild low-salt cheese is good too!

“Doing things like leaving out leftovers is a really simple way to help local birds and mammals, and also helps us feel like we have a real connection to wildlife, especially at this time of year. Feeling more connected to wildlife is also the first step in taking action to help it.”

The 12 Days Wild challenge runs from 25th December to 5th January. Anyone who signs up online will receive daily inspirational emails with fun activity ideas.

Doing ‘wild’ things to connect with nature can also help us feel happier and healthier, as the Wildlife Trust’s summer challenge, 30 Days Wild, has shown. Whether you take a walk in the park, watch starling murmurations or create some natural art, this shorter winter challenge could offer real wellbeing benefits.

Signing up is also a chance to give something back to nature by making some small changes. You could:

· Do some detective work and spot animal tracks in the mud or snow

· Get crafty using natural materials and create some wild art

· Go wild in town or country and visit a nature reserve

· Beat the January blues by listening to our Wild about Wellbeing podcast

· Make a New Year’s resolution for nature to go plastic-free, cycle to work or volunteer

Or simply get out there and enjoy a walk on the wild side.

Sign up online here for free guides, activities, and inspiration. Share photos and videos of your nature inspired moments on social media using #12DaysWild and please tag @BBOWT in your pictures.

*Picture Credit: Margaret Holland

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