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Woking / Chobham
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Wokingham / Winnersh
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Celebrating 25 years
Round & About
Whoooosh… and 25 years have passed in the life of Round & About Magazine!
And you, dear readers, helped us achieve this!
25 years ago, in April 1994, I launched R&A on an unsuspecting audience in Oxfordshire… every home in OX10/OX11 received it, whether they wanted it or not(!) via the postman. It was to be full of local events and happenings; from shows to nearly new baby clothes sales. Every month since, we’ve continued to receive your news to use.
In a way it was a small revolution as most free-distribution magazines went into shops and garages but we were about the first to go via Royal Mail to every home in a postcode. The reason it was important? We needed to reassure advertisers people would actually GET their magazine.
Since then we’ve grown and grown, from 20,000 copies in our first postcode edition to a staggering 26 editions, spread across nine counties with over 562,000 copies delivered every month.
I play a much reduced part now. The challenges, stresses and strains of the modern world are now borne by my son Christopher. He and his team have taken the magazine to new heights and we hope that you’ll continue to find what we produce useful, informative, educational and FUN to read.
Over the years, many people have played a part in R&A. Some “old stagers” are still with us such as Steve Warner, Luke Maitland and Sarah Readings. It would not be right to leave this brief account without mention to the incomparable James Risk who did so much for us but died a young man three years back.
I owe a debt of gratitude to all those who made, or continue to make, our magazine live, and to my family for putting up with me during the tough bits. My thanks to you all….
Peter Savage
Read more about the Round & About team
Peter Savage, Founder
We Love Golf
Round & About
The We Love Golf campaign is encouraging more women to take part in the game and enjoy the social side too
If you thought golf wasn’t for you, then think again, there has been a real swing over the past year towards making the game more accessible and appealing to women.
We Love Golf is all about encouraging more women to get involved and as much as it’s about picking up the clubs it’s also about ensuring women feel part of a ‘club’ – a social club that is, where they can make friends and be part of a community coming together to enjoy themselves through the game.
The PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) is helping this drive with the use of social media encouraging women to share their experiences and success stories.
We Love Golf is about friendship, health and fitness and providing support for women to develop, stimulate interest in the game, connect to others and offering basic information so don’t worry if you don’t know the difference between an iron and a wood or don’t know your eagle from your albatross – none of that matters.
The campaign will help find a PGA Professional who can help you learn to play and teach you the finer points of the game. Starting with an often free taster session you don’t need any equipment or the ‘right clothes’, all that’s needed is a sense of fun and enthusiasm to learn.
After the initial session, many women go on to join a group coaching session and will then progress further to take advantage of offers for reduced priced rounds and relaxed memberships.
Two pilot schemes were launched last year, one at Reigate Heath attracted 10 women who then all signed up to group coaching and have since signed up to the next programme. Head pro Cliff Gough was so pleased with the success of that he now’s running a new programme in tandem with the first one.
This year the campaign plans to expand the scheme and host events all over the country, creating a real sense of community, including a campaign around the Women’s British Open at the beginning of August.
Nicole Wheatley, is helping to tee off the We Love Golf campaign and hopes the social aspect of it will help its appeal. She says: “We want women to view it as a leisure activity they do with friends, come along and enjoy the game and have a good chat and laugh at the same time.
“We’ve found the women who have come along so far have celebrated the small successes such as getting out of a bunker and have been very encouraging towards each other, often through social media and this is what we are trying to promote.”
Details of the pros involved and We Love Golf events are on www.facebook.com/WeLoveGolfPGA and follow them on Twitter and Instagram
Street parties
Round & About
Don’t miss out on your chance to party in Reading
If you want to get your friends and neighbours together this summer for a street party you only have a week left to get your application in to Reading Borough Council.
Communities are being invited to hold a get together without paying the usual road closure fees but must complete and return a form by Monday, 22nd April.
There are three weekends in June and July when residents are being invited to hold street parties for the Big Lunch on the weekend of Saturday 1st/Sunday 2nd June, The Great Get Together on Saturday 22nd/Sunday 23rd June and Reading Summer Street Party Weekend on Saturday 6th/Sunday 7th July.
The Great Get Together is a chance for communities up and down the country to get together to celebrate kindness, respect and all we have in common, and was inspired by MP Jo Cox who was killed in June 2016.
The Reading Summer Street Party Weekend is an extra opportunity for local communities and neighbours to spend some time together.
Councillor Tony Page, Reading’s lead councillor for strategic environment, planning and transport, said: “It is important to recognise the many things we all have in common and to come together to celebrate our communities.
“We often only catch a glimpse of our neighbours as we go about our every-day business so this is an opportunity to stop and get to know the people living in our street.
“As in previous years, the council is keen to help enable these street parties by waiving the usual road closure fees and I would encourage residents to get their applications in as soon as possible.”
Anyone who wishes to apply to hold a street party on any of the specified weekends should complete the form available at www.reading.gov.uk/streetparties and send it to: Street Parties, Communications Department, Reading Borough Council, Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading, RG1 2LU.
Permission will normally be given, without the usual road-closure fees, subject to it not affecting a main through-route or public transport route.
The deadline for applications is 22nd April 2019.
Helpful tips, advice and support for organising a successful event can be found on the Street Party website and The Big Lunch website
Wildlife survey
Round & About
People’s Trust for Endangered Species needs your help to record Britain’s ‘big five’
Help wildlife this spring by recording sightings of Britain’s ‘big five’ and others for the annual Living with Mammals survey.
Wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is asking volunteers to record sightings of all mammals they see to help future conservation efforts.
Last year the top five recorded were: grey squirrels, foxes, mice, hedgehogs and bats.
Volunteers can take part from 1st April to 30th June, recording mammals they see or signs of them in any local green space – gardens, allotments, parks etc in an urban, suburban or rural location – within 200 metres of a building.
Surveys officer at PTES, David Wembridge urges people to join in stressing the importance of green spaces and our wildlife. He says: “They provide food, clean air and water, and make us healthier and happier. Counting our wild neighbours, and knowing how their populations are changing, is a health-check on our towns and cities.
“As our weather warms up, we hope people will get out and see lots of wildlife – and the signs they leave behind, such as footprints or droppings.”
Volunteers can spend anything from 10 minutes a week at their chosen site to several hours and can do so either individually or as part of a team.
David adds: “The results allow us to understand how populations of each species are changing – for better or worse. This lets us identify where conservation work is needed most.”
For more information on how to spot mammals and to register to take part go to www.ptes.org/LWM and upload any images you can snap to social media using the hashtag #livingwithmammals
Abingdon events
Round & About
Cycling, MG cars, rowing and WWII commemoration all part of an unmissable day in Abingdon
Abingdon is the place to be this Sunday – there’s so much going on you’ll be spoilt for choice!
Start the day on your bike with the Abingdon Cycle Festival which runs from 9am to 4pm with free rides and cycling activities for all ages and abilities.
The event, which offers more than 20 rides for road and mountain bikes and anything else with two wheels, aims to encourage as many as possible to get on their bikes, with rides starting from the Market Square from 9am.
Live music, food and bike displays add to the atmosphere and make for a great family day.
For more on this visit the Freewheeling site
If four wheels are more your thing then Abingdon MG car club is holding a rally leaving from Miele at 10am. The classic cars are always a great attraction for watching crowds.
For more details on this see the MG Car Club Abingdon site.
From the roads to the river with the Abingdon Spring Head of the River Rowing Festival – more than 360 boats from across the country will race on the Thames watched by spectators at Rye Farm Meadow and along the course past the Marina and along to Culham weir.
There’s a BBQ, local beer, tea and cakes, Morris dancing and much more to enjoy too.
The racing starts around 10am, for more on this visit Abingdon Rowing Centre
And if you’re still hungry for more then step back in time with The Thames at War, 1940s Day at Abingdon lock commemorating the water-borne Home Guard during the Second World War, the Upper Thames Patrol.
The day (10am to 4pm) will be full of fun with Home Guard displays, exhibitions, talks, re-enactors, military vehicles and vintage boats, including Dunkirk little ships.
Find out more at the Thames at War website
Male cancer awareness week
Round & About
The eleventh Orchid Male Cancer Awareness Week, from 8th 14th April, encourages all men to check their “bits”
This important annual campaign raises awareness of male specific cancers – prostate, testicular and penile cancer – providing practical advice, support and information on the detection, diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.
West Sussex Urology Consultant surgeons, Barnaby Chappell & Simon Woodhams are urging men to get to know their prostate and routinely check their testicles. They explain that most men are pretty unaware of the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer or know what to look for when they check their testicles.
Many men who develop prostate cancer don’t develop any symptoms at all. But getting up at night as well as going very frequently and perhaps rushing to the loo, those are all the common symptoms of any prostate problem. Prostate Cancer is a very serious disease and in fact it’s the second most common cause of men dying from cancer in the UK. If men do have symptoms it’s very worthwhile having this sort of problem excluded. It comes as figures show more than half of men don’t actually know where their prostate is. It’s the second biggest cancer killer in men.
Most men’s testicles are about the same size, though it’s common for one to be slightly bigger than the other. It’s also common for one testicle to hang lower than the other. The testicles should feel smooth, without any lumps or bumps, and firm but not hard. You may feel a soft tube at the back of each testicle, which is called the epididymis. If you notice any changes or anything unusual about your testicles, you should get checked out.
If you’re a guy who puts off going to see the doctor, you’re not alone but sometimes it’s good to talk. It’s a common problem among men…a reluctance to talk about health and more specifically, the prostate, penis or bladder. It’s understandable really, problems ‘down there’ don’t exactly make us feel our most masculine and talking about any type of health issue isn’t easy.
Barnaby Chappell & Simon Woodhams are Consultant Urologists at Western Sussex Hospitals and practice privately at Goring Hall Hospital near Worthing.
For more information visit www.westsussexurology.co.uk
Seesaw record
Round & About
Seesaw record bid promises more ups and downs than Brexit
If you’re in the Twyford area – and even if you’re not – you won’t want to miss this!
Beginning on Saturday, 13th April, a record attempt is taking place for the amount of time spent going up and down on a seesaw. The event is set to last until Tuesday, 16th April.
‘Bouncers’ will be attempting to recreate the efforts, 50 years ago, of Twyford Youth Club members David Turner and David Sutch, who remained on the same seesaw for an impressive 80 hours, bouncing 57,810 times.
Now David T is masterminding an attempt to equal if not better that. But it’s not for the faint-hearted, he says: “It really does mean at least 80 hours continuously. Participants will sleep, eat and deal with calls of nature without getting off the seesaw.”
He has built a giant-sized seesaw, complete with seats from his car and designed it for the users’ comfort.
It’s all in aid of a newly-established charity Twyford Community Hub, a plan which aims to turn the former Polehampton Boys School, where the challenge will be attempted, into a library and central venue for local organisations.
David has yet to name the two people who will attempt the bouncing and helpers are always welcome, but as David says the key to success for him is to raise the money to refurbish the former school building.
He says: “For that I need people to sponsor the attempt, make donations, or meet some of the inevitable expenses.
“This is one event where we can guarantee that will be ups and downs along the way but just imagine the kudos for a business sponsor who can say ‘We are world record breakers’. “
Check out the facebook event