Merry Christmas from Woodley Town Council and a message from Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel.

Wokingham Borough Council has lots of tips for a sustainable Christmas…

Sustainable present ideas  

• When it comes to presents, think quality not quantity. Purchase gifts that will last a long time and not end up in household waste, which ultimately gets incinerated
• Consider gifting an experience such as an electronic gift voucher, event ticket, overnight stay or a restaurant reservation. The receiver will be able to experience the gift twice, once when they receive the gift and again when they redeem it
• Look at the materials potential gifts are made from and avoid single use plastic items. Keep sustainability in mind by opting for recycled items or organic-certified food and clothing.

Wrapping and packaging

• Reduce waste by buying gifts with little or no packaging
• If you must use packaging, use recycled, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, recyclable materials, such as brown paper and paper bags, or reusable fabric wrapping paper and bags 
• Avoid plastic wrapping paper and packaging, plastic ribbon, tape and foil-backed wrapping paper. None of these can be recycled and must be placed into the bin for incineration.

Christmas cards

• If you like sending Christmas cards, look for cards made from recycled or FSC-certified paper
• Save paper by sending a Christmas e-card or a festive email instead.

Christmas trees

• Reuse artificial Christmas trees or if you are planning on purchasing a real tree, make sure it’s FSC-certified
• Consider hiring a Christmas tree from a local company which collects the tree after use and replants the tree ready for hiring again next year
• Think about how to use or dispose of your tree once the season is over. If it is potted, consider replanting it outside and reusing it again next year. If you use our garden waste collection service, you can cut up your real tree and place it in your brown bin or sack on your collection day. Alternatively, you can take it to your local Re3 recycling centre.

Christmas decorations

• Light up your Christmas tree with LED lights. Not only do they use less energy and last longer, they are cooler to run and also do not contain harmful gases unlike traditional halogen or filament lighting. For your safety and to save energy, remember to switch your lights off at night or when not in use 
• Make your own Christmas decorations by repurposing items in your home. You can make tree decorations from wood, card and recycled materials. Bunting and paperchains can be made from paper or materials found around your home
• Avoid single-use tablecloths and napkins and use material alternatives. Not only will they last longer, but they can also be used year after year, simply put them in the washing machine and wash on a low temperature 
• Finish your table setting off with FSC-certified Christmas crackers or better yet, make your own reusable crackers and fill them with environmentally friendly alternatives such as chocolates. These options are much better and friendlier for the planet than traditional crackers which can contain plastic items and made from non-recyclable materials.

Food and drink

• Cut down on your meat consumption and opt for vegetarian or vegan free alternatives. There is a great selection of meat-free alternatives for the dinner table including nut roast, mushroom wellington, vegetarian pies and more. There’s a wide range of local shops in the Borough to explore meat-free alternatives 
• If you don’t fancy cooking, why not support a local business instead? We are lucky to have a wide selection of local restaurants, pubs, cafes, pubs and shops in the Borough – there is something for everyone
• Try not to overspend on food and drink to avoid waste. Around the festive break, there’s often a lot of food waste. To avoid this, budget and plan your meals carefully. 

Recycling tips from Re3

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Brown Bag Cafe will be closed on Wednesday 14th December while the Oakwood Centre has new doors fitted.

Thank you for your understanding.

At the recent Full Council meeting, held on 6^th December, community grants were awarded to seven organisations, presented by Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr Janet Sartorel. 

Community Grants awarded

Berkshire Vision

£250 – To support the organisation to continue to offer a wide range of events and activities for visually impaired and blind people in Berkshire.

Three C’s Cafe at Emmanuel Church

£150 – To pay for refreshments and food items provided for by the free café to users, providing a place for those who may be lonely or need advice.

Woodley Adopt a Street Project (WASP)

£250 – To purchase additional equipment for volunteers, such as litter picker bag holders and Hi-Viz jackets.

Woodley United FC

£250 – To contribute towards the costs of additional volunteers required to support an increase to the number of female participants, including to pay towards DBS checks, safeguarding and coaching training and qualifications.

The following organisations were also awarded community grants but were unable to attend to collect.

Berkshire MS Therapy Centre

£250 – To help fund sessions to provide specialist therapies to MS sufferers.

Friends of Woodford Park

£250 – To restock shrubs and plants for Woodford Park.

Woodley Schools Cluster

£200 – To fund the purchase of materials needed to run two cluster projects for school students from within Woodley. Jackie Andrews sent a written thank you to be read out at the meeting.

Community Grants in Woodley

Community grants are available to community organisations based in Woodley, which act for the local good of the town or those that can demonstrate how they serve Woodley residents and whose membership is open to Woodley residents. 

Grants of up to £250 are available for one-off costs such as equipment, materials or building alterations or a youth (under 21) team/group attendance at county, regional, national or international level primarily within a sporting or cultural activity. 

More information can be found HERE.

Please contact Wokingham Borough Council for more information: 0118 9746000.

We have installed two Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) outside the Oakwood Centre and Woodford Park Leisure Centre (WPLC). 

The defibrillator at the Leisure Centre is located on the rear of the building, opposite the 3G pitch, while the defibrillator on the Oakwood Centre building, is located on memorial ground side, across the field from Coronation Hall. 

24 hour access

The defibrillators have been registered with The Circuit, which is part of the British Heart Foundation and connected with the South Ambulance service. This enables them to be used by any member of the public to help someone experiencing a cardiac arrest.

Both defibrillators have 24/7 access via locked cabinets. When calling 999 in an emergency, the operator will give these locations and the code to unlock the box to access the defibrillator. The operator will then give instructions over the phone on how to use it, unless paramedics or other emergency services are on the scene and they will access the defibrillator. 

Premier League’s Defibrillator Fund

The defibrillator at WPLC was funded by the Premier League’s Defibrillator Fund. The Fund, set up by the Premier League, will enable more than 2,000 sites across the country to install an AED and is supported by The FA and Sport England and delivered by the Football Foundation. 

Defibrillator locations

Locations of defibrillators in the UK, including Woodley, can be found here: https://www.defibfinder.uk/.