‘Continue to follow the rules’ urges headteacher
Thatcham Park head looking forward to smiles as pupils fully return to school
A WEST Berkshire headteacher has pleaded with parents across the district to keep following coronavirus restrictions when children fully return to school next week.
Headteacher at Thatcham Park Primary School Alison Webster told a local outbreak engagement board meeting on Monday that children’s wellbeing and socialisation was a priority.
Mrs Webster said that staff “just want them all back” and “were looking forward to those big smiles on Monday morning”.
Mrs Webster advised parents to talk to children about their feelings on going back to school and their worries, but also to reassure them and ask what they were excited about.
Having a routine to ease back into school life would also be important, she said.
She asked parents across the district to keep following the rules for the benefit of children and the community.
“While we are excited to welcome all the children back, our future journey very much relies upon everything remaining on track, which means we must all continue to follow the
rules and guidance set out by the Government,” she said. “We must not be complacent or demob happy.”
Mrs Webster added that although the district’s rate per 100,000 population had fallen below 100, this was not as low as the 50 recorded in November.
She said: “It needs vigilance all round and that’s my biggest plea to our parents, our families and community is to stick to rules around social distancing and mixing.
“It’s all too easy to think that if the children are in a bubble together in school, why can’t
they outside of school as well?
“However, these choices will not support our collective effort to overcome this virus.”
Mrs Webster said that access to the vaccine for staff would be crucial to ensure no further disruption to education.
However, she said she did not feel comfortable with teachers being prioritised for vaccinations.
She said: “My staff are all waiting for their call and their letter as soon as we can, but I don’t think I can support jumping the queue, given that if we jump the queue it means there’s a more vulnerable group that would go without, and I’m not sure if that sits comfortably for myself personally.
“My time will come.”
New guidance for primary schools includes adults wearing face coverings in communal areas or where social distancing could not be upheld.
Mrs Webster said it was reassuring that the only change implemented nationally was something that Thatcham Park had implemented in January.
“We put this in place because we had an outbreak in December necessitating us to close the school three days before the end of term,” she said.
She added that she had been pleased that the Government honoured its two-week notice period and that guidance documents had been published on the same day as the change in plans.
Mrs Webster said that children at Thatcham Park had missed 60 per cent of the past year, March to February, amounting to 30 per cent in the last two academic years.
She said that some children had been invited back parttime this week to support a smooth transition back to school.
“We know that some of them will find it quite challenging to return to school as it’s been a long time,” she said.
SPEENHAMLAND School pupils paid tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore with their own fundraising challenge.
Pupils who were in school ran or walked 100 laps around the newly-laid running track in their bubbles on Thursday, February 11.
Pupils at home also joined in the challenge by running round their living rooms, gardens and other outside areas.
In total, the children raised £595 for the NHS Charities.
Speenhamland’s sports coach Adam Page said: “It was a great event, which was really well supported by all pupils, staff and parents.
“There was a positive attitude around school on the day of the event and the children really enjoyed the challenge, while gaining a perspective of the challenge that Sir Captain Tom Moore undertook himself.
“Well done to all those who took part in the challenge.”
A WEST Berkshire distillery has netted a flurry of international awards – with one of its products named best London Dry Gin in England.
Hawkridge Distillery, based in Compton, was only founded two years ago by local businessmen Philip Howarth, James Gurney and Robin Horrex, yet it has already picked up four honours in the 2021 World Gin Awards.
Hawkridge’s Blowing Stone product was named England’s top London Dry Gin.
This gin is steeped in local history, being named after a stone that the future King Alfred blew into to summon his troops to the Battle of Ashdown in 871AD.
Compton is believed to be the site of this clash.
The gin is crafted with West Berkshire ingredients and comes in three flavours, with a fourth launching next month.
Judges said Blowing Stone was “a great traditional-style gin with a zing of juniper alongside meadow flowers, herbs, citrus peel, cumin and gingery spices. Good and complex”.
Magpie Hill and the West Berkshire Brewery edition of Dragon Hill – also produced by Hawkridge – won silver awards in the ‘Best English London Dry’ category.
Meanwhile, a special navy strength Magpie Hill, aptly called ‘Lockdown Strength’, netted the national silver award in the ‘Best Navy Gin’ category.
Hawkridge managing director Mr Howarth said they were particularly proud of the navystrength blend.
“It’s been in development for over a year and was an incredibly smooth gin with a long taste,” he said.
“It was great to have this
confirmed by some of the industry’s best gin aficionados.”
Hawkridge has a strong presence in the West Berkshire area.
It has produced gins for The Woodspeen, West Berkshire Brewery and The Vineyard, among other hotels, restaurants and breweries.
The firm also makes gin for the British Army.
In the first UK lockdown, management turned their attentions to making hand sanitisers.
In the face of a national shortage, the firm produced and shipped more than 10,000 litres of sanitiser to national bodies, such as the NHS, MOD and the military, as well as many local good causes.
This initiative has boosted Hawkridge’s profile in the district.
Mr Howarth said: “There’s been a really good reception to the gin, I think partly because of the work we did with local volunteer groups in the villages over those lockdown months.
“A lot of those villagers are coming and buying our gin now.”
The awards are presented
annually by TheDrinksReport.com an industry website for alcohol manufacturers.
The scheme aims to highlight the work of producers globally, and to champion the finest gins.
They are among the most coveted awards in the industry.
Anita Ujszaszi, awards director at the World Gin Awards, said: “Despite the challenges of the past 12 months for our gin producers, the World Gin Awards have had a fantastic response.
“We received a record-breaking number of entries, with more than 800 gins submitted, and the quality has been outstanding across the board.
“Thank you to all the producers who entered and delighted us with their gins.”
To learn more about Hawkridge and its full range of products, visit its website at hawkridgedistillers.com
To help celebrate Hawkridge’s fantastic win, Newbury Weekly News readers can enjoy a 15-percent discount. Just visit www.hawkridgedistillers.com and enter NWNBESTGIN at checkout.
TWENTY five years ago the eyes of the nation were turned on the usually quiet town of Newbury – and a man named ‘Swampy’ was grabbing the headlines.
The A34 bypass western route had been approved, and construction was under way.
But protesters gathered in force to object to the new road and the consequent destruction of woodland at Snelsmore Common and Pen Wood and it featured almost daily in the national press and TV news.
A large, but peaceful, demonstration was held at Snelsmore Common on February 15, 1996, with an estimated 5,000 people – including a few famous faces – marching two miles of the route to Bagnor.
It was claimed at the time that this was the largest-ever single demonstration against a road project in the country.
A national poll published in the Newbury Weekly News on
March 10, 1996, found that 53 per cent of respondents thought that “work should stop immediately to allow time for alternatives to be tried”.
Some of the younger protesters set up camps in the woods, and even dug an elaborate system of tunnels to hamper the use of heavy machinery.
Protester Daniel Hooper earned the nickname Swampy for his ability to live underground, badger-like.
When the main tunnel was discovered by the police in March, expert tunneller Pete Faulding – the man tasked with ensuring no-one was still in the underground maze – was highly impressed by its technical standard.
At the time he declared: “It’s a great tunnel they have built and it has been a challenge exploring it. It’s like something out of the Second World War.”
From underground to way above ground, some of the protesters also set up camp in the treetops, making it a challenge for the tree-cutters to cut down the trees. Druids asserted their ancient rights.
A pantomime cow appeared at Newbury Police Station, charged with aggravated trespass, while liquids were thrown and insults traded.
Police were deployed in large numbers, private security guards were recruited, and a game of cat and mouse was played out in the nation’s press and on TV screens.
Eventually, the new road was built and it opened in the summer of 1998 – but not without a fight.
And opinions vary as to how much it improved West Berkshire’s overall traffic situation in general, and for Newbury in particular.
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ALL eyes – and cameras – were turned skywards at the weekend as the second full Moon of the year rose in all its glory.
The Snow Moon was at its height on Saturday evening, offering a celestial sight to behold for anyone looking up at the night sky.
This year February’s full Moon wasn’t quite as spectacular as last year’s, which was also a Super Moon.
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The names of the monthly full moons are derived from the names given to them over the centuries by Native American tribes, who would use features associated with that time of year.
February is seen as the month most likely to have the highest amount of snowfall.
Our photographer
Phil
Cannings captured these stunning images of the Snow Moon silhouetted against different backdrops from across the district.
And you also sent us some of the beautiful pictures of the full Moon as you saw it too.
If you are keen to keep looking up, turn to page 36 for a guide to what you’ll be able to see in the sky for the month ahead from Newbury Astronomical Society.