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Community Celebrations

THERE WILL be plenty of opportunities this month to join with others to enjoy the build up to Christmas and the New Year.
On Friday 6 December, Cavmas, the late-night opening event organised by Caversham Traders, will see many shops staying open until 20:00. At the top of Prospect Street, there will be alpacas at The Last Crumb, then a reverse Santa at Fourbears Books, and an indoor craft market in Caversham Baptist Church. Enjoy live music and DJ sets at Pop Classics, and choirs and other entertainment through the centre of Caversham, with hot street food available.
You can join in with wreath making and visit some of the regular Sunday market traders in the precinct. …Read more

A good read for the dark evenings

THIS MONTH much of our content has a seasonal theme, as we approach Christmas and the New Year. Some of our forthcoming community events are highlighted in our lead article (above), but there is a lot more going on in our area over the next few weeks. Caversham’s Candlelight Concert is just one of the musical events planned this month (p8), and many of our churches will be hosting carol concerts and special services through Advent (p4)…Read more

O Christmas Trees, from Caversham to other Continents

NOT ALL OF us can afford to travel around the world, but for one weekend in September Caversham Court Gardens hosted its own version of globetrotters who visited during the Heritage Open Days. Home to plants from almost every continent, the Gardens showcased specimens from Australasia, Europe, and the Americas. They also contained some trees that are synonymous with this time of year – conifers…Read more

Pride of Pop Classics

DAMIAN AND MARTINA Jones scooped up the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year trophy at the 20th anniversary Pride of Reading Awards, held on Friday 25 October at the Voco (Reading Stadium) Hotel. The couple, who own and run the Pop Classics record shop in Caversham, were also nominated for Independent Retailer of the Year, but won the Entrepreneur category, sponsored by Caversham’s Rabbits Vehicle Hire.
“It means so much to us,” said Damian, “As it’s a recognition of all the hard work we’ve put into the shop since opening in September 2023.” It came as a surprise to find they’d been nominated when news reached them in July, but the shop was described as an ‘exemplary candidate’ due to its ‘spirit of community and cultural enrichment’…Read more

Scout Christmas Post

AS REPORTED last month, the 89th Reading (Milestone Wood) Scouts are again providing a Christmas Post service for Caversham and Emmer Green. They have been running this service for over 40 years, raising funds for the Scout Group and providing a great service to the local community. Last year they raised just over £800, which was spent replacing some of their ageing tents. This year they are hoping to raise money for a new workshop for Branching Up, a service providing work experience placements for adults with learning disabilities…Read more

Repaired, refreshed and returned

AFTER EXTENSIVE repair and refurbishment work, the congregation of the Roman Catholic Parish of Our Lady and St Anne was able to return to the church for services on 9 November. Saturday evening and Sunday morning masses were said in the school hall of the adjacent St Anne’s School in Washington Road while the repairs, which involved scaffolding both around the tower and inside the church, were carried out…Read more

Piano Perfection

CAVERSHAM BAPTIST Church was filled with an audience anticipating a programme of great piano music from David Jenkins on Friday 25 October, and they were not disappointed. David’s original date with the Steinway piano at the church, which we previewed in our September Creative Caversham article, was postponed because he contracted Covid-19.
David performed a set of sixteen pieces for the piano, ranging from Grieg and Beethoven to John Williams and Lennon and McCartney. The programme also featured several of his own compositions…Read more

For your bookshelf

Welcome to Fourbears Books reviews, where we pick a couple of books to write about each month. As I write this we are preparing for Christmas, getting the books out, and of course for our Reverse Santa on Late Night Shopping where children give Santa a gift instead. Santa collects books and toys (new or as new) to redistribute to less fortunate families around Reading for Christmas via Reading Family Aid. We will be collecting up until 7 December.

WE HAVE two Christmassy books this month, perfect for snuggling up in the cold and getting in the Christmas spirit. We have a Christmas mystery for the adults, The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict…Read more

Guiding us to help each other

LOCAL AUTHOR, Tessa Venuti Sanderson, was delighted to launch her latest book at Fourbears Books in Caversham – in fact, her second book launch there this year!
Dr Sanderson has made it her mission to help adults and children feel better about themselves, helping them make the most of their bodies and their lives. Initially Tessa did research in a rheumatology department and became interested in improving the well-being of those with rheumatoid arthritis; and this led to her teaching yoga. After having children she concentrated on her yoga teaching, offering classes to pregnant women as well as writing books for both girls and boys covering the issues of growing up – “These are important issues, but I try not to make it overwhelming,” she said…Read more

Happy Wanderer meets the CHRISTMAS MUMMERS

IN THE PAST, mummers’ plays were performed around the British Isles. Although the scripts varied from area to area, the basic plot was the same. The best-known Berkshire version was that published in 1888 by Major B Lowsley of Hampstead Norreys, in a book entitled A Glossary of Berkshire Words and Phrases. It includes chapters on customs, superstitions and folklore.
The main characters are Molly, with her broom, who makes space for the performers. Then there is King George, the hero, and the French Officer who, in other versions, is the Turkish Knight. He is a foreigner, not to be trusted, and very boastful and belligerent…Read more

A feast of music this month

Music for Advent – time to celebrate and commemorate

THIS DECEMBER’S Christmas Concert by Candlelight in Caversham will mark both music associated with the Advent season and also reflect and celebrate the life and work of oboist Timothy Watts. Timothy, along with his wife Adrienne Black, co-founded the concert series, which has succeeded in bringing an astonishing array of professional musicians to Caversham.
Musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), where he played oboe for 22 years, will be joining the CinC Ensemble to play the music Tim Watts loved…Read more

Green Christmas Tree Sale, Caversham Court 7 December 09:30-13:00

GNORE THE uninviting scaffolding covering the walls of Caversham Court Gardens and come in for the annual sale of Scots Pine Christmas trees harvested as part of the management of local lowland heath. Regenerating pine trees shade out heather and take moisture out of the heathland pools destroying a rare habitat, home to specialty species. A Scots Pine tree has more open branches than a Norway Spruce, allowing your decorations to be seen to advantage. More important, they don’t drop their needles, have a wonderful scent and occasionally come ready decorated with pine cones…Read more

Quattro is 40!

FOR FORTY YEARS, the food served at Quattro on Prospect Street, Caversham has excited the palates of discerning diners with its authentic Italian food. If you’ve lived in Caversham all those years, you may remember there were two Italian restaurants. Nino’s, in Church Street (now Alto Lounge) and Quattro in Prospect Street.
Nino Bartolomi, the owner, had four restaurants in Reading and called Prospect Street’s little gem Quattro, as it was his fourth. The name hasn’t changed, but the current owners, brothers Ossi and Isan, who joined the team there in 1989, have kept up the tradition of serving delicious and well-presented Italian food. Many of their customers are regulars, who have become more like friends over the years. Hence the ‘40-years’ signs at the entrance on Prospect Street. Now you know.

Give It A Try

I SUSPECT I write much the same thing every December, but surely this is the time of year when we ‘gardeners ‘ should take it a bit easier. Let us not worry because the rain is still pouring down, the weeds have decided not to have a rest for winter, and our neighbours’ gardens look much tidier than ours. Forget the television, abandon the Richard Osman novel, and study the seed catalogues instead. They are fun and, who knows, we might even order something different and surprise ourselves when we have raised a wonder in our garden.
I am thinking mostly of flower catalogues, although vegetable lists are always interesting. I recommend the Chiltern Seeds catalogue because it has a huge range to choose from and its little vegetable catalogue has the most amusing drawings too…Read more

Long ago but not far away

Earlier this year we were contacted by a former Caversham resident asking if we would like to have his memories of growing up in Caversham during the Second World War. We published Part 1 in August, here is the second part of his story.

MANY A NIGHT we scrambled out of our beds in our Chiltern Road house into the half-submerged Anderson shelter after the siren had sounded. Caversham itself suffered little. A bomb was dropped in the playing field behind us, making a large crater, perhaps aimed at the former Oratory School, which then housed the secret BBC Monitoring Station. There was also a secret small aircraft factory opposite the Star public house. Landing craft were made by Elliots in Gosbrook Road, with engines made next door at Thorneycroft’s. Once, when delivering papers, I discovered an unexploded incendiary bomb between two houses…Read more

Are you going home for Christmas?

THE MAN next to me at the bar smiled and said, “Well, it’s nearly here again”. “What is?” “Christmas, not long now.” I knew instinctively what was coming next – and it did.
“And you?” persisted my bar friend, “Will you be going home for Christmas?”
I first arrived in Caversham from South Wales in 1978 with my wife and family to start a new career. Despite living here for 46 years, I have never lost my distinctive Welsh accent and still face the inevitable question, “You are from Wales, aren’t you?”
Over the years, I have developed a short answer to enquiries about my Christmas plans, saying that I would be spending it at our family home in Caversham…Read more

Unique items make perfect presents

ORIGINAL CREATIONS made by local artists can provide unusual, quite special gifts, for lucky recipients over the festive season. And rather than facing a trip to a crowded shopping centre, St Andrew’s Church in Caversham is once again hosting the annual Christmas Gala, taking place on Saturday December 1 from 14:00-18:00. As well as a shopping opportunity, there will also be refreshments provided by the Ways & Means Trust, in support of that charity – delicious cakes and a reviving cuppa guaranteed…Read more

The Local Scene – The Lebanese Village

I FIND IT extraordinary how eating out has expanded so much over the last few decades, and how we can enjoy the cuisine of countries and cultures from around the world in our own home area. Within the centre of Caversham we can experience the tastes of India, China, Italy, Greece, Poland, Thailand, Iran, and at No 6 Bridge Street – authentic Lebanese cuisine.
Janina Maher has chosen the Lebanese Village restaurant for her drawing this month. It was established in 2018 by Chef Shady, Mr Razin, and Mr Sedik. It was a challenging time to open a new business for, not long after opening, we had the global pandemic. But the staff were resilient and remained steadfast in their commitment to provide culinary excellence and make a success of the enterprise…Read more

First Impressions Matter – December checklist: 10 steps to boost your job hunt

WHETHER YOU’RE celebrating the holidays or simply enjoying the end-of-year downtime, December is the perfect time to prepare for a fresh career start.
Use my 10 top tips to help you make the most of December and set yourself up for success in 2025.
Give your CV a year-end makeover
Reflect on what you have done in the last year and update your CV with your latest skills and achievements. Put in your 2025 diary to do this at the end of every month…Read more

Wellbeing – Angiogenesis

NGIOGENESIS IS the mechanism by which the body grows blood vessels. It is a common denominator in many of today’s most prevalent diseases including cancer, heart disease, stroke, blindness, and more.
I learned about this when looking into the work of Dr William Li, known for his best-selling book Eat to Beat Disease.
When foods are analysed, many of them are shown to have beneficial effects which can boost health and wellbeing…Read more