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  • Three of the very best

    CAVERSHAM’S THRIVING independent and community-led spirit was front and centre at this year’s Pride of Reading Awards, held at the Hilton, Reading, on Friday 17 October. With more than 20 nominations from our area alone, the awards shone a spotlight on the remarkable individuals, businesses, and voluntary groups that make up the fabric of RG4. We’re thrilled to share that Alex Forbes of Fourbears Books won Independent Trader of the Year, while Kevin Farrell of Vegivores took home the Hospitality Award. Walk Works, run by Liz Bradbury and me, received the coveted Community of the Year award.

    For Walk Works, the win was made even more special because we were nominated by Natalie Higley of the Strong Women’s Club…Read More

    Plenty to look forward to

    AS THE YEAR draws to a close, there is still plenty to look forward to in December. But we start with a celebration of local businesses and their owners, featured in our November edition, who have been successful in recent local award ceremonies (see above and p3). Music of all kinds takes centre stage this month, with reviews of events at local venues, including Jagged Little Alanis (p7), Concerts in Caversham, and Reading Bach Choir (p13). On the same page we also highlight concerts coming up in December. The musical theme continues with our Creative Caversham artist, professional soprano singer Julie Kench (p12). Other forthcoming events include the late-night shopping event organised by the Caversham Traders Association (p5), the Green Christmas Tree Sale at Caversham Court Gardens (p2)…Read More

    Green Christmas Tree Sale at Caversham Court

    SCAFFOLDING STILL adorns the walls of Caversham Court, but ignore it and come into the gardens for the annual sale of Scots Pine Christmas trees, harvested as part of the necessary management of lowland heath. Regenerating pine trees shade out the heather and take moisture out of the heathland pools, and this destroys a rare habitat, home to specialty species. A Scots Pine tree has more open branches than a standard Norway Spruce, but this allows your decorations to be seen to advantage. More importantly, they don’t drop their needles, have a wonderful scent and, occasionally, are ready decorated with pinecones. That’s just the start. We’ll have a range of natural decorations for sale (although as I write this in October, the holly berries are already an orange-red, and it seems unlikely that they will last until early December), Fair Trade goods for Christmas gifts, local honey and beeswax candles, wood tree decorations, storage jars free of plastic, turned bowls and walking sticks, plus a whole range of homes and food for birds and hedgehogs from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds…Read More

    Scout Christmas Post now open

    The 89th Reading Scout Group are looking forward to delivering your cards and helping the local community to save money this Christmas. The locations of our bright red Scout post boxes have now been announced:

    • Budgens (Emmer Green)
    • Caversham library
    • Co-op (Henley Road)
    • Woodcote Way Stores (Caversham Heights)
    • Ela’s coffee bar (at Playhatch Garden centre)
    • Doctors’ Surgeries at Emmer Green and Balmore Park
    • Also at St Andrew’s church, St Barnabas church, St John’s church, St Peter’s church, Gosbrook Road Methodist church and Caversham Heights Methodist church, and at our 89th Scout HQ.

    Each card costs 45p to post (half the price of a second-class stamp). The boxes are open from Saturday 29 November until the end of Thursday 18 December. The post will be sorted and delivered by Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers over the weekend of 20 and 21 December…Read More

    Takeaway Triumph

    LAST MONTH we reported that the Caversham Tandoori had been shortlisted for the regional England’s Business Awards in Reading. Owner, Mohammed Siraj, attended the event on Sunday 12 October, and was thrilled to be called up to receive the award for Best Takeaway in Berkshire. As a Regional Award winner, the business now goes forward to the annual national Grand Final in Birmingham on 16 November.
    Following on from the Asian Curry Awards recognition of the quality of their food in the December 2024, it is clear local curry lovers need look no further for a great takeaway!…Read More

     

    Not to be missed

    A REGULAR event in Caversham’s Christmas celebrations is Nativity Live; a walkabout performance of the Nativity story with live donkeys, goats and sheep. This year’s event will start at 15:30 on Christmas Eve in the car park of The Fox and Hounds pub, following a short route through Caversham (see map
    below), and concluding at St John’s Church with carols and refreshments. Dressing up as a Nativity character (shepherd, wise person, sheep etc) is very much encouraged, and this year we are inviting anyone who would like to be an angel to take part in a brief choreographed moment!…Read More

    For Your Bookshelf

    WE ARE WELL and truly in the festive season.  Christmas can be a difficult time for some, and, on Christmas Day, we will be opening our doors from 10:30-13:00. The till will be shut, but there will be drinks and Christmas nibbles, and lots of Christmas cheer for anyone that wants a bit of company on Christmas Day. We did it in 2023 and it was such a lovely day.
    We’ve picked a couple of Christmas crackers to discuss this month. First up is our children’s selection The Christmas Carrolls by Mel Taylor-Bessent. This is a lovely festive book for readers aged 8+, and the first in a trilogy. We meet the Carrolls, who love Christmas.  They have a Christmas tree up all year round, a carol-singing toilet, and a donkey who believes he is a reindeer. But when Holly moves to a new school, she quickly discovers that not everyone wants to celebrate Christmas every day. Is Holly about to lose her Christmas spirit?

    Alexandra Benedict is fast becoming an author whose Christmas mystery is eagerly anticipated every year. This year her festive title is The Christmas Cracker Killer…Read More

    Getting into the Christmas Spirit

    CAVERSHAM WILL transform into a Winter Wonderland on Friday 5 December as the Caversham Traders Association (CTA) hosts its annual Late Night Shopping event, bringing Christmas magic to the high street. This year’s event promises to be the most exciting yet, with real reindeer making a special appearance alongside festive market stalls, live music, and extended shopping hours across the precinct.
    Local favourite BKRY will host a Mrs Claus Biscuit Decorating event, while the popular Caversham Sunday Market returns to the high street with artisan stalls offering unique gift ideas from local makers and producers. Fourbears Bookshop will host Santa himself, with a twist – reverse Santa! Bring a gift for Santa to give to children who need it the most…Read More

    Going to the Panto

    WILL YOU BE going to a pantomime this year? The tradition of mid-winter entertainment goes back a long way. The word ‘pantomime’ is Greek in origin, and referred to an entertainment in Ancient Greece in which anything and everything could be imitated – a popular entertainment. By the time the word reached this country, it was an entertainment involving comedy, music and dance, evolving in the eighteenth century from the Commedia dell’arte which originated in Italy, and from the traditional mummers’ plays from this country which told the story of St George and the dragon. The pantomime came to be loosely based on any well-known story or fairy tale…Read More

    A Beacon of Community Spirit

    CLAIRE DALEY has spent her career supporting young people, particularly those with additional needs. In her current role at New Meaning Training in Reading, she works as a SEMH (Social, Emotional, Mental Health) practitioner, helping students navigate challenges and build confidence.
    Launched in 2015 in High Wycombe, New Meaning Training helps 16–25 year olds gain skills and qualifications through further education and training. It now operates across Berkshire,
    Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands. They run small classes of around 12 students, running courses in construction, sports, art and design, life skills, and employability, giving young people the chance to feel inspired and work-ready…Read More

    Jagged Little Alanis

    JAGGED LITTLE ALANIS, the UK’s most popular Alanis Morrisette tribute act, has been on my list of acts I’ve wanted to see for a while and when we were unable to go to see the real Alanis in July when she was in the UK, we had to get tickets for the next best thing!
    We love the Facebar on Ambrose Place in Chatham Street; there is always a warm and friendly welcome and a plethora of different music on their line up from tribute acts, up and coming acts and a few well-known names. Local band, ‘Purple Roots’, supported with a set packed with covers of 90s and 00s tunes which went down well with a crowd who were definitely up for a nostalgia trip. Jagged Little Alanis followed with a set based around Alanis Morrisette’s iconic 1995 album, Jagged Little Pill getting the crowd singing along to every word of huge hits such as Ironic, You Learn and You Outta Know. They mixed in a few well-known numbers from other Alanis albums and the odd deep cut, which kept things interesting…Read More

    The Waterhouse

    THE SUBJECT OF Janina Maher’s picture this month is The Waterhouse, the church-like Victorian building with the lovely rose window at the beginning of Gosbrook Road. Today the building has been converted into flats but in fact, the building did start life as a church. In 1865–6 it was built in the Gothic style and designed by one of the most distinguished and prolific architects of the nineteenth century, Alfred Waterhouse (1830–1905). The clue of course is in the present name of the property but originally it was commissioned by Ebenezer West as Caversham’s Free Church. West was a school master from Amersham and, around the same time, he also commissioned Waterhouse to design a school building, which was called Amersham Hall, as a non-conformist boys’ school to accommodate pupils from their previous premises in Amersham. The hall is now part of Queen Anne’s School.
    The congregation of the Free Church grew considerably over the next decade and soon the building became too small. Waterhouse then designed the much larger Baptist Free Church over the road at the junction of Prospect Street, Church Street, South Street and Gosbrook Road which is still such a lively church today…Read More

    A new kid on the block

    TO BE TRUTHFUL it is not easy to tell gardeners what they should be doing in December when usually I do so very little myself. In bygone days I would have boasted how, before Christmas, I would be double digging my vegetable plot prior to the January frosts. Now modern growers leave the earthworms to do the work for them and I doubt if even the Met Office can predict when frosts might arrive.
    These days no-dig gardening is deemed to be better than deep digging because it conserves and enhances the soil structure, giving us a chance to grow superior and stronger plants…Read More

    A season of abundance

    AS THE YEAR draws to a close, it’s easy to let it pass without pause for thought, because of busyness or because it’s hard not to dwell on troubles near or far – wars and conflict around the globe, angry protests closer to home, or our own personal challenges. Yet, despite negative media headlines, it’s not all bad news of despair and darkness everywhere.
    Even just a casual glance through previous issues of this newspaper finds plenty of little bits of light shining through. Local communities coming together to support a store after theft – raising funds for repairing a crumbling church roof – volunteering time and effort to help others. Local artists, musicians, and writers creating and sharing; independent shops serving the community with excellence; neighbours quietly helping each other; residents greening this patch of the planet in gardens, allotments, pot plants…Read More

    Reducing microplastics in our lives

    MY LAST ARTICLE discussed the microplastics issue. So here are a few ideas on how to reduce your intake of microplastics.

    • If you are replacing your vacuum cleaner, choose one with a good HEPA filter preferably sealed, and use it often to reduce all microparticles in the house, including microplastics.
    • Store items used regularly, such as tea, sugar, flour, or your favourite spices, in tins, glass jars with cork or wooden lids, Kilner jars, etc
    • Keep plastic storage containers you do use in a cupboard or fridge, together with any purchased products in plastic (vinegars, oils, ketchup). This will reduce ultra-violet light degradation
      of the plastic.
    • If you use plastic containers for storage or freezing, avoid heating liquids or prepared meals in them – transfer to ceramics or Pyrex
    • Make freshly prepared meals
    • Washing dry goods before cooking removes a good proportion of the microplastics from packaging and transport.
    • Replace plastic chopping boards with wooden ones…Read More

    New Recycling Service

    UNWANTED HOUSEHOLD items can now be collected from our doorsteps, free of charge. A new collaboration between the re3 (see below) and WRAP (Waste Resource Action Programme) is trialling a free service operated by Anglo Doorstep Collections, which runs independently of the Council.
    This free service offers an easy way to give pre-loved items a second life while supporting selected charities. Items such as clothing, shoes, small electricals, towels, bed linen, children’s toys and more in good condition will be reused wherever possible for their original intended purpose. For every collection, Anglo makes a charitable donation to one of its partner charities and plants a tree for each booking made.
    If you already take items to a local charity, please continue to do so. This service offers added convenience and aims to divert items which would otherwise end up in our waste bins. Local councillors commented, ‘Reuse plays a vital role in reducing waste. It is estimated that up to 15% of the contents of general waste bins are reusable clothing and textiles, meaning valuable items are lost rather than being given a second life. This simple service makes it easier than ever for households to declutter responsibly while giving back to the community’…Read More

    Bringing a new sound-world

    THE AUTUMN series of Concerts in Caversham provided a treasuretrove of sounds and artistic vision. Local artist Sally Taylor’s paintings decorated the church, while music was provided by a range of professional musicians from singer Alex Jones, members of The CinC Ensemble playing string trios and quartets – as well as a performance by the Ferrio Saxophone Quartet, and a recital by the Pelleas Ensemble, made up of flute, harp and viola…Read More

    Concert to Remember

    CAVERSHAM-BASED Reading Bach Choir (RBC) gave their November concert in Reading’s All Saint’s Church, in Downshire Square, the handsome backdrop and clear acoustic of the church proving a perfect setting. Joined by organist Tom Winpenny and solo baritone Richard Bannon, both added solemnity and commitment to the evening’s programme, devised by RBC musical director Daniel Mahoney. Fitting to the weekend (and punctuated by the explosions of fireworks) the theme was remembrance, explored by three composers from different eras.
    Berkshire-based composer Gerald Finzi’s music dominated the evening, with a performance of his anthem Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice, composed in 1946. This was preceded by The Flaming Heart by Richard Barnard, which won the Finzi Trust’s International Composing Competition in 2023…Read More

    Your Career isn’t a calendar

    IT’S TEMPTING to treat our careers like the academic year – full of September energy and January resolutions. But most of those Autumn targets you set yourself have probably gone nowhere.
    September arrives with its back-to-school momentum. You promised yourself you’d update your CV, reach out to that contact, and finally sort your LinkedIn profile. Then October happened. November brought dark evenings and fatigue. Now it’s December, and you’re telling yourself you’ll start afresh in January. This cycle is exhausting, and it’s not serving you.
    Your career development doesn’t operate on a school calendar. Opportunities don’t wait for neat quarterly milestones. The hiring manager who needs someone with your expertise doesn’t care that you’ve decided January is your ‘fresh start’ month…Read More

    A,B, C – Eating the Alphabet!

    LATEST RESEARCH has indicated that we all might need to establish an A to Z list of foods, no longer relying simply on the 5-a-day guidance that was issued a couple of decades ago. I was very intrigued by the findings as we have a larger pantry of spices and ingredients in the Indian Subcontinent and, for many years, the 5-a-day instructions felt restrictive to me. Let’s find out how we view the food alphabet and challenge ourselves.
    Eating a diverse diet rich in fibre is one of the single best things we can do to live a more stress-free life. A diverse diet means a diverse and resilient microbiome. If we increase the variety of vegetables, low-glycaemic fruits (such as blueberries and cherries), and fibre-rich foods such as beans and legumes in our diet, we are increasing the amount of fibre we are eating. This will encourage the growth of different and happy gut bugs, sending signals to our brain that everything is good…Read More