Cheerful by the streams
The headline on page 8 of last week’s Wokingham Today, really gave me a ‘reason to be cheerful’.
As residents of Wokingham since 1960 we have often had reason to be sad about some of the aspects of our ‘town’ but the Emmbrook and Riverside walk has become a favourite place to ‘exercise’- especially during lockdown.
We have often wondered and wished we could do something about the very aspect which makes it enjoyable and interesting, namely the apparent lack of care for the various shrubs and fruiting bushes that line, and sometimes invade, the walking paths
Of course, we also remember the times that the ‘brook’ flooded and the difficulty that the flooding imposed on travel
(on one occasion we had to drive to Winnersh Crossoads, and back along
Bearwood Road and down Barkham Road to get back from taking our young grandchild to the Swimming Pool because Meadow Road and Barkham Road bridges were flooded) and we remember the owners of the houses which suffered great difficulty because of the flood.
I do believe that the Brook has since been dredged though in places it still looks very overgrown.
Two years ago we were able to walk a circular ‘tour’ which took us past a hidden pool. Sadly at the time it did not smell very nice.
The tarmacked paths are helpful for walking, being carefully laid and therefore not difficult for dodgy hips and legs to travel, unlike many pavements which have been dug up and ‘repaired’ with apparent little care as walking on them can be fraught with ankle twisting, variable levels.
It provides a welcome break from ‘staying at home’ and cheerful greetings from similarly employed people, who smile and wave is also uplifting.
Everyone takes care to keep us all officially ‘distanced’.
So the news that a project ‘to breathe life back into the waterway’ is music to our ears.
We just hope that the part of the Emmbrook which runs alongside Riverside Walk is included in the South East Rivers Trust Plans and that we will still be around to enjoy it.
Nina Preston, Wokingham