Community Yearbook

10 Thursday, 21 January, 2021

MAY

Newbury Weekly News

Prime time for busy bees A BRIGHTWALTON

Living Paintings books bring joy in lockdown LIVING Paintings’ Touch to See books, with their raised images and wonderful, immersive soundtracks, provide a unique understanding of the visual world for those who cannot see. During the Covid-19 lockdown demand for the Kingsclere- based service increased, but the charity’s CEO Camilla Oldland assured library members that the free service would continue. “We are committed to being there for our library members in these unprecedented and worrying times. “Older and vulnerable library members who are having to self-isolate need our books more than ever to connect to the world and help keep their spirits up. “Parents of blind and partially-sighted children need our books to help continue their children’s education at home during school closures and periods of self-isolation – as many blind and partially-sighted children have additional serious medical conditions they will often need to completely self-isolate over the coming months.” Through lockdown, books were posted out to library members, the service was offered to new members who could benefit and extra support given to older and more vulnerable library members to help ease their isolation. Living Paintings also called regularly to check in on them. Virtually a festival NEWBURY Spring Festival should have launched with a big orchestra concert opening a fortnight of world-class music throughout the district. Instead, due to lockdown, concert halls and churches up and down the country remained silent. Renowned pianist John Lill, who was to have given a Beethoven recital, sent an online message to Newbury and not wanting music- lovers to go without any ‘festivities’ at all, the NSF team put together some online entertainment. Festival manager Ashley Morris said: “We have put together a selection of music from the artists who were due to perform as part of the 2020 festival, some have recorded special messages for us. In other cases there are links to the works that were programmed.” So Newbury enjoyed world-class music virtually from their sofas.

He adds:“Hopefully also, they will produce an excess of honey that can be eaten by we humans this year.” Dr Richards, a keen environmentalist who was awarded the OBE for his work on environmental issues, says he got into beekeeping five years ago. He said:“I was working on the World Bee Project and was assigned to advise people on

keeping bees. “I didn’t know much about it myself, so I thought I ought to learn about beekeeping before I advised others. “I am immensely grateful to the members of the Newbury Beekeepers Association who taught me all about it.” Dr Richards now has five hives of his own – four conventional hives and a Warré hive.

beekeeper said that it is a “happy time if you are a honeybee” . Keith Richards said May and June were prime times for swarming. He was hopeful that 2020 would be a good year for honeybees as a third of their number died two years ago in the South of England and they need to recover.

24-hour traffic ban Cruel thieves raid Florence’s stall NEWBURY town centre became a traffic-free 24 hours a day to make it easier

for pedestrians to safely follow social distancing guidelines. The temporary trafic order banned vehicles from driving through the town, to enable people to spread out and stay two metres apart. The streets had been closed to traffic from 10am to 5pm anyway, but West Berkshire Council will extended the ban to cover the whole day. The areas of the town covered by the closure were Northbrook Street, Market Place, Bartholomew Street North, Wharf Street and Mansion House Street. Newbury Town Council encouraged the district council to make it a permanent feature. Deputy leader Olivia Lewis said: “This would allow for the main body of Market Square to be used both to assist social distancing at the weekly and monthly markets, but also to offer local pubs, cafés and restaurants space for outdoor seating as they begin to reopen on a take-away basis requiring social distancing.”

‘It’s good to meet up again’ AFTER weeks of isolation, old friends and family members were able to meet up again, albeit cautiously. Government advice was that people could arrange to meet one person from a different household in parks, as long as they stayed two metres apart. Among those catching up was Simon Ball, who hadn’t seen friend Mary-Claire Davies for two-and-a-half months. They enjoyed a picnic in Victoria Park. Mr Ball, who lives in Compton, said: “We used to see each other every weekend, so it’s been hard. I’m quite a social person, so it’s great to catch up with Mary-Claire.” Ms Davies said: “It’s been hard sat at home not seeing anyone. You can see them via social media, but it’s not the same.”

MORE than 50 people rough sleeping or threat- ened with homelessness were placed into hotel accommodation during the coronavirus pandemic. A taskforce then the challenge of mitigating “a HEARTLESS thieves made off with items left to raise money for the NHS by a young Newbury schoolgirl. Florence Hatton, aged 10, set up the makeshift stall at the end of her road, selling her own things to raise funds after her grandmother, Hazel Hatton, died of Covid-19. But when she went to see if she had managed to sell anything further, the St Martin’s School pupil noticed three crates of DVDs – amounting to more than 100 items– had been taken, but no contribution added to

her honesty pot. Her father, Christian Hatton, said Florence was left devas- tated by the thoughtless act.

“It is such a crying shame,” he said. “So far people have been so nice and then all of a sudden this happens.”

50 rough sleepers housed during crisis

mass exodus” back on to the streets. The Government advised councils to move rough sleepers off the streets to protect them from Covid-19, but also to help prevent the virus spreading.

A taskforce had been set up within the Homeless Strategy Group to help rough sleepers with self-isolation. The number of rough sleepers in the district had been reduced from around 28 to 10 before the pandemic.

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