Help to raise the necessary funds to continue their work and maybe win some great prizes
“Making music for everyone” is at the heart of what Berkshire Music Trust do as a registered music charity with the aim of providing musical opportunities for all. They run various activities across Berkshire including lessons, ensembles, early years classes and adult opportunities including singing cafes for people with Dementia and Parkinson’s across Berkshire community. They also have music centres in Reading, Newbury, Windsor, Bracknell, Wokingham and Caversham, and they also teach in Berkshire schools.
The Music Trust are running an online fundraising raffle and the money raised from this raffle will help to raise the necessary funds to continue their work.
There are over 45 prizes currently all from organisations across Berkshire, and tickets are only £2! (Winners drawn on 19th March) Follow this link to join the raffle, you’ll also find displays of the prizes.
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.”
BBOWT wildlife charity launches new commemorative display
To mark Valentine’s Day, a local wildlife charity has opened two new butterfly memory walls to celebrate special occasions, declare your love for nature – or your sweetheart!
The ‘Your Wild Memories’ displays have been installed by Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) at two of its visitor centres. They feature specially-designed butterfly plaques which can be personalised with messages to remember precious moments, people or wild times.
The butterflies are made of brushed stainless steel and fly above an eye-catching wildlife border. They have been put up at the Nature Discovery Centre near Thatcham and College Lake visitor centre near Tring.
Laura Pepper, BBOWT’s Head of Philanthropy, said: “If your Valentine sets your heart a-flutter or you’ve just got engaged or married, why not celebrate your love with a specially engraved butterfly? Or you might like to commemorate a special birthday, a retirement, a favourite family walk or perhaps remember a loved one.
“Butterflies hold all sorts of different meanings for people, as well as being beautiful to behold. Our new ‘Your Wild Memories’ wall is a lovely way to celebrate your special memories and help the vital work of BBOWT at the same time.”
The Your Wild Memories walls have got off to a flying start, with butterfly messages added by local MPs, writers and nature champions.
Estelle Bailey, BBOWT’s Chief Executive, wrote: This special place, with nature at its heart. Here for every community.
Laura Farris, MP for Newbury, left this message on her butterfly at the Nature Discovery Centre: Delighted to support the NDC, bringing the wild into the heart of Thatcham.
Buckingham MP Greg Smith’s butterfly at College Lake reads: Thank you BBOWT, our nature champions. Proud to support you and work with you.
Writer and butterfly lover Patrick Barkham left this beautiful message: Breathe in green, Breathe in blue, Soar soul! Thanks, nature.
Priced at £250 (inclusive of VAT), each butterfly can be engraved to order with the wording of your choice. Funds raised from the sale of the commemorative butterfly plaques will go towards BBOWT’s work creating more nature everywhere for everyone, to benefit wildlife, climate and people.
To order your personalised butterfly visit: www.bbowt.org.uk/support-us/your-wild-memories Order forms are also available from College Lake or the Nature Discovery Centre. For more information call 01865 775476 (Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm) and ask to speak to the Membership Team.
Archaeologists have unearthed an exceptionally rare Iron Age blacksmith’s workshop, dating back nearly 2,700 years to the earliest days of ironworking in Britain, right here in South Oxfordshire.
The discoveries were made by archaeologists from DigVentures during excavations at the headquarters of local environmental charity, 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” she said.
“We can’t wait to share more through our upcoming Festival of Discovery,” adds Wilson.
Festival of Discovery
The key finds will be on display February 17-18, 2024 during a special Festival of Discovery at the Earth Trust Visitor Centre in Abingdon.
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 here.
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” explains McDonnell.
“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” he 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” he said.
“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 concluded.
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.
Festival season isn’t far away, and Henley Festival has just announced its line up for 2024
2024 has only just got its feet under the table and we’re already looking forward to basking in the sun, having a few cheeky ones, and having a proper knees-up in a field. That’s right, festival season is looming on the horizon like a glitter-filled, good-time cloud; which is preferable to the rain-filled, dark and pendulous kind that we’re used to. Obviously.
Henley Festival have wasted no time in announcing their headliners for this year’s event, and we have to say, it’s looking impressive already. Opening the festival is Pussycat Doll, Masked Singer panellist and Sunset Boulevard star, Nicole Scherzinger.
Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart is set to captivate the Floating Stage audience with ‘Dave Stewart’s Eurythmics Songbook’. It’s been a full 41 years since the release of Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), so expect that particular tune to get an airing.
From one icon to another…the Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight will be heading to Henley on the Friday night, and sadly, it will be the final show of her UK Farewell Tour. At least we’ll have the chance to say goodbye to a genuine legend who, along with The Pips recorded some of the greatest music of the 20th Century.
As the sun goes down on Henley Festival’s Friday evening Rylan will be DJing and entertaining the crowd with a trademark larger-than-life performance! It doesn’t feel like 10 years since he lit up the ninth series of The X Factor, but apparently it is. He’s now one of the UK’s most loved broadcasters, and we’re always a bit partial to his appearances on Celebrity Goggle Box.
The House Gospel Choir is exactly what it sounds like: an exhilarating mix of Gospel and House. Worshipping at the altar of dance they find the place where spirituality and the euphoria of the dancefloor come together – amped up further by a full house band and percussion from the one and only Dezy Bongo, creating an effortless live fusion of the biggest house and gospel tunes that never fails to raise the roof.
Keeping the rave going will be no problem on Saturday evening as Ministry of Sound Ibiza Anthems with Ellie Sax take to the Floating Stage presenting the anthems that have sound-tracked everyone’s most iconic Ibiza moments.
Also confirmed for this year are classical music’s most famous Aston Villa fan Nigel Kennedy and the king of lockdown cover versions Sam Ryder. With some top names gracing the comedy stage (Mark Watson, Sara Pascoe, and Dara Ó Briain) Henley Festival is shaping up to be one of the highlights of the summer.
If the start of a new year has prompted you to get out and do something about your fitness, then how about doing it while raising funds for a fabulous cause in 2024.
Come and join WalkWithMe, a charity fundraising 26-mile walk being held on Sunday, 5th May. We start and finish in the beautiful grounds of Moulsford School, Moulsford-on-Thames. The route winds through some stunning South Oxfordshire and West Berkshire countryside, including a section of the historic Ridgeway and the River Thames. Registration is £65 per person plus sponsorship fundraising (enter before 15th January for a reduced registration of £55).
WalkWithMe was established in 2011 by a group of friends with the simple concept of ‘walking together to make a difference’. Over the last 12 years we have raised more than £520,000 for a variety of local and national charities. This year we are fundraising for Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre in Oxford which provides invaluable support for cancer patients and their families.
We hold organised training walks between February and May in the local area to get you ready for your challenge slowly building up the distance walked each session.
For all the information you need about the event and Maggie’s and to register visit the website here.
If you need to get in touch, email [email protected]. Come along and help raise loads of money for our fantastic charity and let’s get together, get fit, make a difference!
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.
The River & Rowing Museum in Henley has just celebrated its 25th anniversary and will be curating a host of events over the next 12 months. For now, it’s time to focus on more festive pursuits and there’s plenty of fun to be had over the next few weeks.
For those of you who fancy learning a new skill on 14th December there’s a Beaded Decorative Wreath Workshop – there will also be mulled wine, mince pies available.
*All days include a visit to Father Christmas and a gift!
All children must be accompanied by an adult (18+), free of charge. Activity charge is in addition to museum admission, but you do not need to visit the museum to access the activities.
Email: [email protected]to book your place. Spaces limited so don’t miss out!
Catch Santa around Twyford and the surrounding area from December 1st to 17th
Once again, Santa and his enchanting sleigh, brought to you by the Twyford and District Round Table, will be spreading joy throughout the Twyford, Hurst, Wargrave and Ruscombe communities this holiday season.
Our cherished annual tradition of Santa’s sleigh gracing your streets, accompanied by festive tunes, opportunities to wave at Santa himself, and special treats for well-behaved kids, is set to continue between December 1st and 17th. We’ll be kicking-off Santa’s tour at the annual Twyford Together Christmas Fayre on the 1st.
If you can spare some change to drop into our collection buckets when we visit, your generosity will be deeply appreciated. The Twyford and District Round Table relies on contributions from beloved community events like this one, which are then channelled to support local charities such as Daisy’s Dream, Age Concern, Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice, Understanding Dementia, Thames Valley Air Ambulance, and many others.
Stay tuned for updates closer to the event by visiting our Facebook page where we’ll be sharing routes and updates during the period.
We are always looking for volunteers to join us, if you are interested in getting involved just drop us a message on FB.
Celebrate kindness with QueenMee, shop local and support local women in need this Christmas
QueenMee Accessories, the boutique hair accessories and brooch company, is partnering with Aylesbury Women’s Aid for November and December with donations to women and children in the shelter.
For every £100 spent on QueenMee.com, a sparkling hair accessory or piece of jewellery from the collection will be donated to a woman or child resident of the shelter, to give them a Christmas boost.
April Benson, CEO of Aylesbury Women’s Aid said of the initiative: “We know the women and children here are going to love receiving the accessories. We do receive some donations already at Christmas for the children, but we don’t receive much for their mothers. That is why QueenMee’s support is so welcome, as it will give our residents a lovely pick-me-up.”
QueenMee founder, Amanda Waterstone Carthy, is the daughter of well-known Entrepreneur Sir Tim Waterstone, founder of Waterstone’s booksellers. She says: “QueenMee is about celebrating kindness – being kind to yourself, celebrating your own personal style, and giving back as you shop for yourself or others.
“We know that the Christmas period often brings with it an increase in the incidence of domestic abuse, with money worries, increased time spent at home, and alcohol all escalating domestic abuse incidents.
“As a mother myself, I know how important it feels to protect your child – and give them a magical Christmas. I often think of the pain women in abusive relationships experience, and of the impact on their children.
“I am so pleased to be able to do something small to lift survivors of domestic abuse and their children this Christmas.
“I hope the colour and sparkle of the jewellery will bring hope and cheer to the residents of Aylesbury Women’s Aid shelter; and that the mothers and children will enjoy celebrating Christmas in a safe environment together.”
QueenMee Accessories’ collection includes brooches, hair clips, headbands, silk scrunchies, and earrings, all of which make gorgeous gifts – with the bonus of giving back as you shop.
Beautiful, eco-friendly gift wrap is free of charge with every order.
The QueenMee Christmas collection is available to order online at QueenMee.com. Also at John Lewis, High Wycombe – 4th December to 10th December. Waddesdon Manor Christmas Fair – 22nd November to 17th December.
