Community Yearbook

13 Thursday, 21 January, 2021

GREENHAM COMMON

Newbury Weekly News

Stars in their eyes IT was a busy year for skywatchers with natural phenomenon – such as the conjunction of Venus and Mercury and a waxing crescent Moon – and the sight of the International Space Station orbiting over the UK The space station has been in orbit since 1998 and when it passes over the UK it is always a draw as it speeds across the night sky with a crew of space scientists on board collecting data and carrying out research. This picture shows the space station in the sky above the control tower. Time for a snack GREENHAM Common ControlTower café opened a service kiosk during the pandemic. Control Tower commercial director Peter Fazal said: “The car park is very full and there are a lot of people taking advantage of the good weather and using the common, so we wanted to be able to provide refreshments as soon as possible. “We are a community space and it has been hard work to get this up and running.” Appropriate social distancing measures and safety precautions were put in place.

War memorial

Take a walk on the wild side

PERHAPS more so than ever before, this year was a fine time to get out and explore some of the beautiful open spaces on your doorstep. In previous years Greenham Control Tower has offered guided walks around the common, drawing attention to the reminders of the common’s important role in the Second World War and the Cold War. This year, as a contribution to the Thatcham Festival, the Control Tower prepared a set of illustrated notes to help visitors take a self- guided walk around the common. Starting at the iconic Cold War Control Tower, the walk took in the memorial to the men who died on the common in December 1944; the remains of one of Europe’s longest runways; the USAF Control Centre with its chilling ‘de-contamination suite’; the ‘fire plane’, and the infa - mous bunkers which once housed 96 cruise missiles, each of which carried a nuclear warhead nine times more destructive than the

THE part Newbury and the surrounding area played in the Second World War was explored in a special exhibition at the Greenham Common Control Tower. Parts for aircraft such as Spitfires and Mosquitos were manufactured in the town, while Elliotts Moulding and Joinery Co was the principal manufacturer of the Horsa glider, many of which flew from Greenham Common to land airborne forces at Arnhem. The town was attacked three times, played an important role in D-Day and became home to a number of evacuees and PoWs. Control Tower director Andy Kempe, Emeritus Professor of Drama at the University of Reading, drew on this local history for his new play Half-light , which focussed on one Newbury family’s experience of VE Day. The exhibition and the performance of the play had to be postponed because of the pandemic, but Mr Kempe and his actors made a film which was posted on

the tower’s website on VE Day. Called Eight on the 8th , the film captures the personal stories of the eight characters of Half-lightand presents them in 14-line monologues. “Perhaps it will evoke more memories from local people,” he added.“And remind us all how everyone has an interesting story to tell.”

bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.

The walk was just over two miles so, taken at a leisurely pace and allow- ing time to gaze at each stop, people managed it inside 90 minutes.

C llr Elizabeth O’Keeffe, The Mayor of Newbury arranged telephone calls with the most isolated and vulnerable in the community and after each ‘lockdown’ period she visited as many businesses as she could to support them re-opening. The Mayor continued to acknowledge the outstanding contributions that residents have given to the town, and She also produced video messages for our local care homes and charitable organisations to show her support. A short socially distanced service to recognise VJ Day was led by the Mayor and with events cancelled, she encouraged residents to celebrate from their homes on VE Day. The Mayor has also worked closely with the Newbury Weekly News to reach out to the community in launching her Mayoral Christmas Card Design Competition. ONCE RESTRICTIONS ARE LIFTED IN 2021.... we invite you to enjoy our Wildflower Meadow and running loop at City

Recreation Ground and bring the children to enjoy the new play facilities. Tennis Courts in Victoria park will be open and we are looking forward to hosting a local tennis competition, welcoming back our Brass & Silver Bands to the Bandstand and we hope to host our Family Day once again. We also plan to start work on the long-awaited new Community Café in Victoria Park We hope to run our annual In Bloom campaigns again next year, working with the community to make our town even more beautiful. The Civic Awards 2021 will introduce a ‘Community Champions’ category to recognise the voluntary work of those who have supported Newbury during the Covid pandemic. Nominations and more information will be released in January 2021. We would like to wish everyone a Healthy & Happy 2021 and assure you of our commitment to our residents and making Newbury a Town we can all be proud of.

Cllr Elizabeth O’Keeffe, The Mayor of Newbury