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Building our community

AS PART of an effort to build a sense of community in our area, we are endeavouring this month to promote local businesses. The Caversham Bridge has included advertisements for local businesses since its foundation in 1964. Indeed, these have been vital in funding the production of the paper – there are more than 600 local businesses in our area!
These days, with ready access to the internet, it is all too easy to look online for goods and services. However, by shopping locally, you help keep employment and money in the community. And you will often find helpful advice and a friendly smile! For example, Neil and Carl at Caversham Homecrafts, or Rob and his team at AW Cycles, will usually be able help you solve a problem…Read more

Spring Marches On

MARCH 1 is St David’s Day (Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant in Welsh), so we wish our Welsh readers all the best for their celebrations. This month’s Caversham Bridge has a focus on supporting local businesses (see above), with a four-page advertising supplement featuring some of our many independent businesses (pages 9 to 12), with a particular focus on Prospect Street. However, you will also find plenty more to read…Read more

Our Kind Community

Celebrating Kind Community Champions: Claire and Jodie

THIS MONTH, we shine a light on two remarkable local entrepreneurs who have been making a real difference in Caversham and the local area, Claire and Jodie. If you haven’t already heard of them, you’ve likely felt their impact.
Their journey began when they moved from Suffolk to Caversham and struggled with the hard water, inspiring them to create their own range of natural, vegan skincare products. Faced with the challenge of where to sell them, they took matters into their own hands and founded the now-thriving Caversham Artisan and Farmers Market. Held every Sunday in the car park behind St Martin’s Precinct, this market has become a beloved hub for local independent businesses…Read more

Lost In The Music

CONCERTS IN CAVERSHAM started the year with a recital by the renowned young Israeli pianist, Ariel Lanyi, at St Andrew’s Church on Saturday 8 February.
The recital opened with a magnificent performance of Schubert’s Sonata in G major, a long work full of contrast between dramatic fortissimo chords and lyrical melodies.
Next came the delightful 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs by Bartok – short pieces full of humour and dancing rhythms. This was followed by the final piece, Chopin’s Sonata in B minor. This was the highlight for me, especially the scintillating scherzo…Read more

Digging up the past

READING MUSEUM’S Silchester Roman Gallery displays many of the artefacts discovered in the excavation of the Roman settlement of Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester). Professor Mike Fulford, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading, is to give a series of three talks on the excavations he undertook there. The proceeds of these talks will go towards funding the restoration of the Gallery…Read more

Farewell to Father Michael

IT WAS WITH sadness that the parishioners of St Michael’s Catholic Church, Sonning Common, which includes Emmer Green and Caversham Park Village, said goodbye in November to their parish priest, Fr Michael Sharkey. Earlier in the year the parish celebrated his 50th anniversary of ordination and, later, his 80th birthday. Little did we know then what was to come. A bout of serious illness late in October necessitated a stay in hospital, and his decision made to retire from active ministry.
In 2016, Fr Michael was invited by the diocesan Archbishop to fill the vacant Parish Priest position at St Michael’s. He left his parish in Lichfield, northeast of Birmingham, and travelled to the southernmost tip of the Birmingham archdiocese, taking up residence in Sonning Common in November 2016, just in time for the first Sunday of Advent…Read more

Like A Rolling Stone

SINCE READING BUSES started running a regular service to Henley last year, there has been a half hourly bus between Caversham and Henley throughout most of the day. Passing through the centre of Caversham via Gosbrook Road, Donkin Hill and the Henley Road, the new, gas powered, number 28 aqua buses, with their blue livery, are a common sight here.
Having read good reviews of the film A Complete Unknown, about the early years of Bob Dylan’s musical life in New York, we decided we would like to see the film, and discovered it was being shown in The Regal Picturehouse cinema in Henley…Read more

For your bookshelf…

Welcome to ‘Fourbears Reviews’, where we briefly review a couple of titles chosen from our book shop, ‘Fourbears Books’ on Prospect Street, Caversham.

WE WERE delighted to interview Robert Thorogood in January, creator of BBC hit Death in Paradise and author of the series The Marlow Murder Club. I’ve read all of the series, and it’s such an interesting group of characters which Robert has crafted into a real team. The latest in the series is Murder on the Marlow Belle. Marlow’s local Amdram group is celebrating on the River Thames when one of the organisers disappears. He later turns up dead when, inconveniently, everyone else on board was alone in their cabin at the time of his death…Read more

80 Candles for 80 Years

ON MONDAY, 27 January 2025, St Anne’s Catholic Primary School marked Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD). Last year, the school applied and was successfully chosen to participate in 80 Candles for 80 Years, an initiative organised by the Holocaust Memorial Trust.
To commemorate this, the school held a World War II Day, during which pupils learned about the Kindertransport—the rescue effort that saved thousands of children. Specifically, they studied Henry Wuga, one of the children who arrived in England through the Kindertransport. As he grew up, Henry dedicated his life to supporting others…Read more

Happy Wanderer revisits THE CAVERSHAM BRIDGE HOTEL

LAST THURSDAY, whilst skimming through the pages of the Reading Chronicle, I saw that the Crowne Plaza Hotel had changed ownership. It now belongs to the Village Hotel Club, which owns 33 hotels and leisure clubs across the country.
My mind went back to the time when the Caversham Bridge Hotel was on the site. It was one of the places we went to from work when someone was retiring or leaving to have a baby.
The old hotel seemed gracious, and had retained many of its late Victorian/Edwardian features. I remember wide double swing-doors with curving handles, and a dining-room looking out over a lawn which stretched down to the river…Read more

KEEPING IT LOCAL

THERE’S PLENTY to be proud of ‘north of the river’ – whereas empty shops abound in central Reading, businesses old and new are attracting customers in Caversham and Emmer Green.
The popular weekly Sunday Market takes place in the car park adjacent to Waitrose and draws in visitors from our community and beyond. Delicious artisan bread and pastries, fruit and vegetables, as well as cheeses and deli items, are always on offer, as well as giftware and hot food to sample while you browse. If you’re not partial to ‘al fresco’ shopping, the True Food co-op in Emmer Green offers an ethical alternative to the large supermarkets, stocking a large choice of mostly organic groceries, as well as fruit and vegetables and a range of household refillables…Read more

What’s In Prospect?

AS PART of our support for local businesses this month, we are focussing on these pages on the wide range of shops and services in Prospect Street. From Walton’s Jewellers at number 1 to Fireplace Magic, it is well worth exploring what there is on offer. If you need refreshment, you can find coffee shops and cafés, such as Nathan’s Nibbles, with its renowned all day breakfasts and Serdio Iberico, which has a selection of Spanish specialities, including tasty ‘empanadillas’ and delicious hot chocolate and churros…Read more

The Local Scene – FIREPLACE MAGIC

JOHN AND Amanda Lyons opened their business, Fireplace Magic, in 2002 on the corner of Prospect Street and Short Street. John had been part of a similar business in Bristol, and Amanda grew up in Caversham. At the start John ran the business, but later, Amanda discovered working in the shop fitted well with family life and gave up her job, so they now work together.
The showroom has a stylish contemporary feel, and this painting by Janina is proudly on display! John and Amanda can give expert advice on any aspect of domestic fireplaces. They move with the changing fashions and now supply a range of wood-burning stoves as well as more traditional open fires and electric and gas fires…Read more

SPILL – a warm and friendly welcome

CAVERSHAM CENTRE has more of a buzz than ever, with a fantastic range of bars, pubs and restaurants to choose from. Recently, the owners of Nood Stores and Hilton Skin & Body Clinic joined forces to open Caversham’s latest edition, Spill Bar, on the corner of St Martin’s Precinct, opposite Costa Coffee. We always love checking out anywhere new in the local area and just had to pay them a visit as soon as we were able.
They have done a great job turning the former card shop into a bar, giving the place a stylish and funky decor, complimented by lots of lush plants from Nood Stores. When you enter, you will receive a warm and friendly welcome from the experienced and knowledgeable staff. We were impressed by their passion for the drinks on offer and for providing great service…Read more

CUTTING THE RIBBON

ST MARTIN’S SCHOOL in Caversham held an opening ceremony for their new outdoor classroom. The whole school gathered, together with parents and members of the community. Headteacher Katherine Tilling called for a countdown from the very enthusiastic children before cutting the ribbon.
The outdoor classroom was funded by the Parent and Staff Association, and Mrs Tilling offered the school’s grateful thanks to those involved in raising the funds, including everyone who supported the various raffles and cake sales, and particularly the parents who volunteered their time and energy to plan and run the fairs and discos…Read more

Get Set, Grow!

THIS IS THE month to get started in the garden, the time to make up for all those days spent looking out of the window and thinking, “I should be out there but perhaps I will give it one more day.” Time waits for no man or woman, and you will find that nature is already at work, especially the weeds!
A job I really enjoy is planting onion and shallot sets. With my busy schedule and being rather short of energy, this task thankfully doesn’t take too much effort…Read more

A season of stopping to start again

IF YOU ARE reading this paper, then you are probably taking a break from something else. A stop, a rest from usual activities, a moment to reset and recharge.
In many ways this time of year is a more formal break, a stop in the year marking a shift. March sees a new season, Spring, and the vernal equinox – halfway between the shortest and longest days of the year. It is also the start of Lent, a word drawn from the Old English lencten, associated with the lengthening days of Spring. Lent itself is a kind of spiritual pause, a slowing down and reset in preparation for Easter…Read more

Sport supporting good causes

TWO LOCAL sports clubs have recently been making donations to their chosen charities.
On 23 January, the members of Rotherfield United Walking Football club donated over £5600, raised during 2024, to the British Heart Foundation and the Cardiac Rehab Unit at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. These two deserving charities have provided much needed support to several current and past members…Read more

Battering it out

LAUNCHPAD IS Reading’s leading homelessness prevention charity, providing vital information and support for individuals, couples and families who don’t have stable places to live or are at risk of losing their homes.
Launchpad’s amazing annual egg-stravaganza will be entertaining Reading residents for a 27th year on Shrove Tuesday – the 4th March. Their annual Pancake Race provides much needed funding for their work, whilst being fun for the entrants and a spectacle for those who just come to watch or support entrants.
Launchpad has seen an increase of 22% in demand for its services year on year with over 1,800 people helped last year…Read more

Sporting Profiles – Olympic Dreams

BORN AT THE Royal Berkshire Hospital in 1999, and raised in Caversham, I was always a sporty child. My school peers voted me ‘most likely to become an Olympian’, but little did I know that rowing would become the sport for me to chase my Olympian dream!
For 17 years I had been a synchronised swimmer, but I made the switch to rowing through a Talent ID programme aimed at identifying people with Olympic potential. And before long I was taking my first strokes at Reading Rowing Club, fitting in two sessions a day before and after school – St Joseph’s, where I was studying for A-levels in PE, Geography and Spanish.
My rowing career did not get off to the smoothest of starts; I had many failed races, snapped blades, and even completely missed a race due to bad timing. It continued at Hartpury University, Gloucestershire, where I studied PE and School Sport. Unfortunately, a year later, illness forced me to stop training, so I took 18 months off to pursue other passions…Read more

First Impressions – Overcoming the Overqualified Label

BEING OVERQUALIFIED can feel like a disadvantage, but you can turn it into a strength. While employers may worry that your extensive experience will lead to boredom or higher demands, you can address these concerns proactively and present yourself as the ideal candidate.
Cover Letter
Start by addressing the issue head-on in your cover letter. Explain why the role excites you – perhaps it aligns with your long-term goals, offers a better work-life balance, or your values align. Highlighting your interest reassures employers you’re applying for the right reasons…Read more

From Our Readers

WE ARE ALWAYS pleased to hear from our readers. Following a rather gloomy spell of weather in January, the first Sunday in February was a glorious sunny day.
Regular reader Olwen Badziak wrote: ‘Hello! The bright sun and blue sky of Sunday 2 February sent me down to Caversham Bridge at sunset to photograph the river birds there. Humans and birds alike were enjoying themselves and the light was beautiful.’…Read more

Winter skin care

IN WINTER, a mixture of the cold weather, hot temperatures from central heating, and constant fluctuation of hot to cold can mean your skin needs a little more TLC than usual. Particularly true when it comes to moisturising your skin and making sure it receives the hydration it needs.
In the winter weather, dry skin needs to be exfoliated at least once a week to maintain a bright complexion and to enable your moisturiser to work to maximum effect. Try using an enzymatic exfoliant instead of a particle based exfoliant. The enzymes will gently yet effectively ‘eat’ away the dead skin to reveal the fresh, new skin below…Read more

Wellbeing – Be your own hero

WE’VE ALL looked up to someone and felt inspired —whether it’s our parents, a friend, a teacher, or a celebrity. It’s fine to have good role models, but when we lean too heavily on someone else, we lose sight of who we are.
The key to ending our unhealthy reliance on perfectionistic standards is to redefine what a hero really is. Rather than looking outside ourselves and judging ourselves against others, we should focus our attention inwards…Read more