The June meeting of the Parish Council began with some good news – the dumping of rubbish at Woodcray has ceased, following the issue of a Stop Notice by Wokingham DC. Hopefully, we can all enjoy a cleaner and less polluted journey into Wokingham.

By now every household in the Parish should have received a free street map – please telephone the office if you haven’t.! Many thanks to Cubs, Guides and all individuals who helped with the delivery. Without your help the distribution costs would have been prohibitive. I enjoyed walking the roads of our Parish and seeing it at its greenest, though it was a bit disconcerting to be confronted by cyclists on the pavement of Finchampstead Rd., whilst across the road was a deserted cycle path!

The main item for discussion at the meeting was the possible re-siting of Emmbrook School to Finchampstead. Councillors broadly welcomed the news, as nowadays a new school is built with community use in mind, and could provide many of the facilities we need in Finchampstead. On the other hand, councillors voiced concerns about possible in-coming traffic and increased housing development. Cllr. Simon Weeks, who sits on the District Council, advised against to much speculation, as a site has not yet been chosen and completion of any new school would be many years away.

Back to shorter-term projects; the Amenities Committee is looking into obtaining funds from the Onyx Trust. This is a scheme whereby, with minimal financial input from the Parish Council, a waste management company will fund a local project. Several years ago the Parish Council was involved in a similar scheme which funded improvements at California Country Park, and it could be that Onyx Trust money could be spent on a similar project.

21 October 2005 is the 200^th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, and Parish Councils throughout the country are being encouraged to mark the famous victory with a weekend of celebrations. Finchampstead Parish Council welcomes the opportunity to promote community spirit, as well as some jolly patriotism, and plans are already afoot to light the Beacon (last seen at the Millennium) and to encourage as many celebrations as possible – schools, churches, social groups, etc. A “Trafalgar Committee” may be formed to co-ordinate events. Watch notice boards and the Parish Magazine for more information.

Finally, our new Assistant Clerk has resigned for personal reasons, but we are delighted that Mrs. Anna Kent has agreed to join the team and fulfil the duties of Assistant Clerk.

Cllr Chris Driver

The date this page was last altered was March 11, 2007.

Copyright © 2003 Finchampstead Parish Council