Solar Panels and Battery Storage: Berkshire

Round & About

Posted on

sponsored content

John from Wokingham, who installed 8 solar panels and battery storage through Solar Together, shares his positive experience. (Image: Solar Together)

Brought to you by Solar Together

Considering solar panels for your home or business but don’t know where to start? Thanks to the council-backed scheme called “Solar Together”, installing solar panels on your rooftop has become easier than ever. The new edition of the scheme is now open for registration in Berkshire, allowing more residents to benefit from solar panels and battery storage. Find out more about how the scheme works, who is eligible, and how to register.

Solar Together is a community-led scheme that aims to facilitate the transition to solar energy for households in Berkshire. The scheme works by bringing local residents together to secure a better price for solar panels and battery storage, making it more affordable for everyone involved. 

The following regions are eligible to participate in the scheme: 

• West Berkshire
• Reading
• Wokingham
• Bracknell Forest
• Windsor and Maidenhead

By joining the scheme, property owners can get a competitive price on high-quality products and installations from a vetted provider. The registration and installation process is hassle-free, making it an excellent choice for anyone who wants to switch to solar energy and save money.

The Process is Simple:

1. Register: Express your interest for free at solartogether.co.uk.

2. Auction: Solar Together holds a reverse auction where pre-vetted installers compete to offer the best price.

3. Personal Recommendation: Receive a tailored offer based on your home and energy needs.

4. Decision: Decide at your convenience, with support available for any queries.

5. Savings: Enjoy reduced energy costs with your new solar setup.

Installers are vetted and MCS accredited. All installations are backed by a 10-year insurance guarantee.

Added Benefits:

• Optional battery storage for enhanced energy independence.

• Optional EV charge points compatible with solar panels for electric vehicles.

Impressive Impact:

Solar Together Berkshire helped install 10,734 solar panels in the region, reducing CO2 emissions and promoting sustainable homes. The initiative is expected to avoid 20,721 tonnes of carbon emissions over 25 years.

Endorsements and Participant Satisfaction:

The initiative is a partnership with West Berkshire Council, Reading Borough Council, Wokingham Borough Council, Bracknell Forest Borough Council and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It is also supported by community leaders and local authorities across Berkshire. Participants like John Robins from Wokingham (who installed 8 panels and battery storage) praise the service and the tangible benefits of their solar installations. “The auction system is highly effective and secured what I believe to be an excellent value-for-money fully installed cost with no hidden elements. The installation was painless and professional,” said John. 

The Robins family’s solar-powered home in Wokingham features 8 panels and a battery storage system installed through Solar Together. (Image: Solar Together)

Learn more and join:

Registration is now open for free and without obligation until 9 August 2024. Visit the Solar Together website to learn more and register interest.

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Solar Panels and Battery Storage: Surrey

Round & About

Posted on

sponsored content

Chris from Egham, who installed 14 Solar Panels and battery storage through Solar Together, shared his positive experience. (Image: Solar Together)

Brought to you by Solar Together

Have you considered solar panels for your house or business but don’t know where to start? The Solar Together scheme makes it easy to install solar panels. The scheme is now available for registration in Surrey, allowing more residents to benefit from solar panels and battery storage. Learn more about how it works, who is eligible, and how to apply.

Solar Together is a community-led scheme that aims to facilitate the transition to solar energy for households in Surrey. The scheme works by bringing local residents together to secure a better price for solar panels and battery storage, making it more affordable for everyone involved. 

The following regions are eligible to participate in the scheme: 

• Surrey County
• Elmbridge
• Epsom and Ewell Borough
• Guildford Borough
• Mole Valley District
• Reigate & Banstead Borough
• Runneymede Borough
• Spelthorne Borough
• Surrey Heath Borough
• Tandridge District
• Waverley Borough
• Woking Borough

By joining the scheme, property owners can get a competitive price on high-quality products and installations from a vetted provider. The registration and installation process is hassle-free, making it an excellent choice for anyone who wants to switch to solar energy and save money.

The Process is Simple:

1. Register: Express your interest for free at solartogether.co.uk.

2. Auction: Solar Together holds a reverse auction where pre-vetted installers compete to offer the best price.

3. Personal Recommendation: Receive a tailored offer based on your home and energy needs.

4. Decision: Decide at your convenience, with support available for any queries.

5. Savings: Enjoy reduced energy costs with your new solar setup.

Installers are vetted and MCS accredited. All installations are backed by a 10-year insurance guarantee.

Added Benefits:

• Optional battery storage for enhanced energy independence.

• Optional EV charge points compatible with solar panels for electric vehicles.

Impressive Impact:

Solar Together Surrey helped install 26,363 solar panels in the region, reducing CO2 emissions and promoting sustainable homes. The initiative is expected to avoid 50,452 tonnes of carbon emissions over 25 years.

Endorsements and Participant Satisfaction:

The initiative is endorsed by community leaders and local authorities across Surrey. Participants like Chris from Egham (who installed 14 panels and battery storage) praise the service and the tangible benefits of their solar installations. “A great way to install solar panels. I am already encouraging friends and family across the country to get their local council to get such a scheme going.” said Chris. As a result of the installation, his household is expected to save £590 on energy bills, earning an additional £298 through export tariffs.

The Grays family’s solar-powered home in Egham features 14 panels and a battery storage system installed through Solar Together. Image: Solar Together

Learn more and join:

Registration is now open for free and without obligation until 9 August 2024. Visit the Solar Together website to learn more and register interest.

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

How’s your hearing?

Round & About

Posted on

sponsored content

Don’t suffer in silence, EarLab can help get you enjoying life again

It can be difficult to tell someone you think they need to get their hearing checked. Even for older people, the stigma of hearing loss and hearing aids leads many to ignore the problem for years.

Hearing loss can be frustrating but also socially isolating, meaning people withdraw from busy environments or background noise.

Even from the age of 40, without ear disease, we start to lose our ability to hear high pitched sounds. Some, with a family history of hearing loss or with ear disease, will lose hearing more appreciably at a faster rate. Hearing loss in this respect is due to inner ear loss (sensorineural) and not usually reversible.

Some hearing loss, however, is conductive. This means sound cannot get to the inner ear due to obstruction in the canal (wax, infection, abnormalities) or problems with the ear drum and bones of hearing.

I would encourage patients with hearing loss to get checked out by a professional. A good start is to have the ears checked and cleared of wax at which point a proper assessment of the ear health can be made. After this hearing tests and occasionally referral to an ENT clinic may be advised.

l Mr David Walker
MBChB FRCS (ORL-HNS) MSc
Consultant ENT Surgeon, EarLab, Haslemere

Ear wax removal and specialist advice
£85 for both ears

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Study and train with Oxford United

Round & About

Posted on

sponsored content

Abingdon & Witney College launch new course offering the chance to gain a sport qualification as you develop your football skills

Abingdon & Witney College have launched the Oxford United Advanced Football Programme; a new course that allows students to study full-time for a sports qualification with Abingdon & Witney College whilst training with Oxford United.

The full-time programme is open to male students aged 16-18 on 31st August 2023, with a female cohort set to launch next academic year. The course provides students with the opportunity to develop their football skills whilst studying a BTEC Sports qualification.

Students will study at our Abingdon Campus, and train directly with Oxford United UEFA B qualified coaches; who alongside our academic tutors, will develop and equip them physically and mentally. Together, we will teach students the determination and resilience they need to succeed, all whilst building the strength and confidence they need to be at the top of their game.

Successful students who join the programme will have the opportunity to play regularly at the Oxford United Bangkok Glass Training Centre, part of the £4.9m sports complex near Horspath. They’ll also get the chance to train and compete in a competitive league and cup tournaments against other teams across the region. Every student will also get their own Oxford United x Abingdon & Witney College training kit and excitingly, a free Oxford United season ticket.

Through our new partnership, talented and aspiring players won’t have to pick between football and academic development; they can do both. When students are not training at the club, our specialist team will be there helping them to prepare for their future. The new study programme includes a sports-based vocational qualification, GCSE English and/or maths as required, a supportive tutorial programme, and the work experience and enrichment activities we offer all our students.

Once they’ve joined the programme, students will also have access to our full college experience. They’ll have the chance to immerse themselves in our student life, take part in our college wide trips and make the most of our pastoral care and guidance.

To find out more about the programme, how to apply and how to secure your place at our Football Trial Event on Wednesday 26th April from 4pm, please visit www.abingdon-witney.ac.uk

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

A touch of luxury every day

Round & About

Posted on

sponsored content

Touch of Soap Luxury wants to give you just that – hand and body soaps with a touch of luxury and they’re not just good for you but they’re good for the planet too.

The range of vegan, vegetarian and cruelty-free produced soaps are all made in Great Britain and allow you to spoil yourself while being kind to the earth.

The range of products currently includes Wild Hare solid shampoo in Tutti Frutti to leave your hair silky and glowing; Happy Scrub soap in bubblegum is a loofah and a soap in one, the unique fibres mean it will leave your skin beautifully smooth.

Hand crafted from sustainable palm oil, age-old botanicals and pure aromatic oils, the hand-made soaps will make cleansing a sensual joy; Wild Rose guest soaps are a colourful addition to your bathroom while rejuvenating aromatherapy hand and body lotion can help with a variety of skin conditions.

And if you’re looking to pamper yourself, the aloe vera body butter will repair your skin and actively regenerate it for several hours after application.

These sumptuous products are all available from touchofsoapluxury.com

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Reimagining a classic

Round & About

Posted on

sponsored content

The Watermill Theatre brings Whistle Down The Wind to the stage for the first time in over a decade.

Running from Friday 22 July to Saturday 10 September, this thrilling musical will transport you to 1959, Louisiana. Change is in the air, and in a small rural town, three motherless children are hoping for a miracle.

Exploring themes of belief, grief and family

When Swallow discovers a man hiding in her family barn, she becomes convinced he is Jesus, at the same time as the community is on the hunt for a missing convict. Convinced he is their saviour, the children of the town unite to protect him. Exploring themes of belief, grief and family, Whistle Down The Wind follows Swallow’s journey from innocence to adulthood and asks the question what does it mean to grow up?

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman’s epic soundtrack is performed by a talented cast of actor musicians and local young people. Directed and Choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves The Watermill’s revival will be gritty, evocative and powerful. You can find out more about the show at a Creative Insight Talk with Tom Jackson Greaves on Thursday 28 July, bar opens at 12.30noon, and the ticket price includes lunch in The Watermill Theatre’s Riverside Restaurant.

An Audio Described performance will take place on Saturday 3 September at 2.30pm with a Touch Tour at 1pm.

Book tickets

Via The Watermill’s website or by calling the box office on 01635 46044.

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

Local Sue Ryder Hospice launches appeal

Round & About

Posted on

sponsored content

National healthcare charity Sue Ryder, which runs Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading, has this month launched an appeal asking people to help them fill families’ final days together with love.

The charity is asking people of Berkshire to support their ‘Room Full of Love’ campaign, so Sue Ryder Nurses and expert care teams can continue to go above and beyond, helping to give families a better goodbye.

Families like David’s.

They made it possible for our family to be together

David’s family were supported by the Sue Ryder Hospice at Home team, who ensured he was able to spend his final days in the comfort of his own home, surrounded by photos and memories, with his wife and daughter by his side.

David’s daughter, Joanna, said: “When we found out we had been allocated care from the Sue Ryder Hospice at Home team, I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Where I live, the words “Sue Ryder” are synonymous with care, love, support and sanctuary. Knowing we would be supported by the team meant that Mum and I felt able to take the decision to care for Dad at home in the last weeks of his life.

Some of the care team brought humour – much needed at such a difficult time. Others connected with us on shared interests and experiences. In their first couple of visits, our carers took time to find out about Dad – where he used to work, what his interests were, and to look at old family photos. He wasn’t just a patient to them: he was a person.

It takes a very special person to carry out the work that the Hospice at Home team does, every day, for families like ours across the country. They made it possible for us to be together as a family in one of the most difficult times of our lives, and I will always, always be grateful and thankful for their love and care for us.”

Going above and beyond

“We often talk about the photos that people have around them and I really think patients like there to be a bit of normality”, shares Sue Ryder Nurse Melissa, who was one of the Sue Ryder care team who helped care for David and his family.

“I remember when we suggested it was time for David to have a hospital bed, the family all got together and rearranged the front room and it became a beautiful bedroom for him.

On the day David died we called their vicar for them and he came and I hope that gave them some comfort. David kept his Bible beside his bed, so we knew his faith was important to him.

When the family stepped out so we could perform the last offices we picked a rose from a bush in the garden and laid it on his pillow and placed his Bible under his hand. It’s a way for us to say that we have been privileged to look after your family.”

A room full of love

The past year has been difficult for everyone, with many families experiencing loss. Sue Ryder wants to take away some of the tough things that come with losing a loved one, helping to fill rooms with music, much-loved pets, or the people who mean the most, to help families have a better goodbye.

By supporting the appeal you can help Sue Ryder take the pain, stress, and uncertainty away through their medical expertise, emotional intelligence and practical support, leaving families like David’s free to focus on what’s really important – love.

To help Sue Ryder Nurses fill a room with love,  click here

Tell us your local news here

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter:

AZUMI-Wellness: Nature Therapy Berkshire

Round & About

Posted on

sponsored content

We at AZUMI-Wellness are very excited to offer nature therapy experiences in Berkshire, a county blessed with extraordinarily beautiful parks, woodlands and forests. We passionately believe that going outside in nature can help us to feel calmer, more relaxed and less stressed.

At AZUMI-Wellness we pride ourselves on helping people to feel better and we believe in tailoring experiences to our clients and not our clients to the experiences.

We know that modern life is fast paced, full of uncertainties and always changing. Our minds are busy, jumping from one task to the next with little time to stop and enjoy the stillness of our surroundings.

Nature therapy encourages us to slow down, breathe and reconnect with our environment and ourselves. The practice of nature therapy focuses on reconnecting with the natural environment through a series of invitations, encouraging participants to become aware of all the amazing smells, sounds, sights, tastes and textures that surround them; leading to an enhanced experience and a deeper embodied sense of relaxation.

Nature therapy is the practice of immersing yourself in nature, particularly forests, for better mental and physical health. This evidence-based practice began in Japan in the early 1980’s and is known in Japanese as, Shinrin Yoku.

Studies have proven that people who regularly participate in nature therapy also known as forest therapy benefit from: reductions in feelings of anxiety, stress, anger, tension, fatigue and depression. Additional benefits include: lowered blood pressure and heart rate, improved quality of sleep and concentration.

At AZUMI-Wellness we are experts in guiding our clients through an authentic Nature therapy experience – our 2 hour sessions are run by certified and accredited therapists who will guide you through a sensory experience you are unlikely to forget!

Our sessions are suitable for everyone and we are very happy to adapt to your specific needs.

Each session is about 2 hours in duration, we do not walk more than ¾ of a mile, we walk slowly and carefully, mindfully moving through sensory invitations and taking every opportunity to relax and reconnect.

AZUMI-Wellness:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn

Tell us your local news here

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Choose which newsletter: