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Thursday, November 18, 2021

Newbury Weekly News

NEWBURY NEWS

Dentists battle to reduce backlog Impact of pandemic means limited access to dental care

What’s on

Thursday 18 n The Bowler’s Arms Annual Sports Quiz, Newbury, 7.45pm. In aid of the Newbury Weekly News Over 80s Christmas Parcel Fund. Fully booked. n Coffee Morning, St Nicolas Church Hall, Newbury, 10am. Drinks, cakes, raffle and bric-a-brac. Raising money for Hope for Africa Lesotho. Saturday 20 n Candlelit Winter Market, Hampstead Norreys Community Shop, 3.30pm-7.30pm. More than 40 different stalls, with local crafts and gifts as well as food. Free entry, everyone welcome. n Newbury Christmas Lights Switch on . A day- long festival, including more than 20 free workshops and extra entertainment. Visitors can enjoy a full programme of free festive activities at select venues across the town centre. a singing workshop for all the family to learn a festive favourite to be included in a very special performance as part of Newbury Christmas Lights switch-on. No previous experience or singing ability necessary, just come and have some fun. n Quiz & Pasty evening, Portal Hall, Burghclere , team. Prizes, bar, raffle and pasty supper. £6 per person. All proceeds to Burghclere church maintenance. Tickets burghclere.church/quiz n Ashmore Green WI Craft Fair, The Acland Hall, Cold Ash, 10am-3pm. Craft tables, teas, cakes and raffle. Raising money for Newbury Soup Kitchen. £1 entry. n Armallegan Border Morris, dance out at The Bell, Aldworth , 12.30pm- 2pm. n Jumble Sale, Padworth Village Hall in aid of The Wessex Cancer Trust, 2pm. To be held in car park if weather permits, otherwise inside the hall. Sunday 21 n Coles Christmas Market, Arlington Arts Centre , 2pm-4pm. Organised by Coles Diner: The Youth Club. n Vegan Market, Market Place, Newbury , 10am3pm. Mulled wine stalls, vegan cheese boards and ‘meat’ platters – plenty of festive food to get stuck into, alongside handmade and local artisan crafts and produce. Pick up a Newbury Vegan Trail Map to explore all things green and clean. n Christmas Market, Douai Pavilion, Upper Woolhampton , 10am- 4.30pm. Stalls, Santa’s grotto, refreshments. Entry £2. Raising funds for Naomi House and Douai Park Charities. n Newtown Common Working Party, 10am-noon. n Family Christmas Singing Workshop, Newbury Town Hall, 2pm- 3pm. Vox Thrive are running 6.30pm. Fun evening of quizzing. Up to six in a

While access to dental care is limited, he said practices are concentrating on the provision of urgent care and treatment for patients with the great- est clinical need, and pleaded with council members to urge patients who had got appoint- ments to keep them. In the Thames Valley area about 1.1 million people (52 per cent of the population) attend an NHS dentist on a regular basis. Funding has been offered to all practices across the South East to provide additional ses- sions outside of their normal contracted hours for patients who do not have a regular dentist and have an urgent need.

services due to the close prox- imity of dental teams to the pa- tients they treat with an open mouth in a confined space. He told West Berkshire’s Health Scrutiny Committee that the ongoing reduction in activity and backlog means that many patients, including those with a regular dentist, are unable to access routine care at the current time. “We are taking local actions to support access,” he said. “Additional access sessions have been offered to patients who don’t attend regularly. “We are trying to keep the system as open as we can and stabilise the situation, but the backlog issue will continue for some time.”

By NIKI HINMAN Local Democracy Reporter niki.hinman@newburynews.co.uk @newburytoday

DENTISTS in West Berk- shire are running at 65 per cent of full capacity as they deal with backlogs created by the pandemic. They are prioritising pa- tients with urgent needs, meaning routine check-ups are at the bottom of the list. The district is also short of dentists to meet the need. Hugh O’Keefe, the senior dental commissioning man- ager, NHS England and NHS Improvement (South East), said Covid has had a greater impact on dentistry than some

Clearance of small scrub on the south side of Newtown Grange driveway. Meeting place: opposite post box on B4640 at 10am. Bring your own loppers or secateurs and gardening gloves (no power tools). Free refreshments. Please observe social distancing. n Thorngrove School Christmas Fayre, Highclere , noon-5pm. Refreshments and gifts. Entry £3 for adults. Children free. n Pottery Painting Afternoon, The Downs School, Compton , 2.30pm- Newbury Christmas lights 2020 4.30pm. Organised by the Friends of Downs, an afternoon of pottery painting with Blue Beetle Ceramics. £15 per person. To book a place email bluebeetleceamicscafe@ gmail.com Children welcome. n Spring bulb planting, Old Hospital Green & City Recreation Ground, Andover Road , 10am-2pm. In support of the Puple4Polio initiative created by the Rotary Club of Great Britain. n Inkpen Market , 10am- 12.30pm. n Tea dance, Royal British Legion, Pelican Lane, Newbury , 1.30pm-4pm . Ballroom, sequence and Latin. Entry £3. All welcome. Details call (01635) 47415. Thursday 25 n Coffee Morning, St Nicolas Church Hall, Newbury , 10am. Drinks, cakes, raffle and bric-a-brac. Raising money for Miriam Dean Fund. Friday 26 n Beenham Primary School, PTFA Christmas Fair, 5pm-7pm. Stall holders £15. Saturday 27 n Christmas Market, Pineapple Café, Rowan Drive, Newbury, 10am- 4pm. (And Sunday, 28) Local artisan businesses and crafters selling gifts. Plus refreshments. n Christmas Fair, Sherborne St John Village

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Hall, 2pm-4pm. Fundraiser for the Grange nursing home. n An evening with Darren Higgins, psychic medium, Portal Hall, Church Lane, Burghclere , 7pm-11pm. Organised by Burghclere Preschool and Toddler Group. Tickets from Eventbrite. n Woolton Hill Christmas Market, St Thomas’s Church, Woolton Hill, 10.30am. Festive market with local foods, home made crafts and Christmas gifts. n Basing House Christmas Fayre, Basing House, 11am- 4pm. More than 25 stalls offering local made crafts, produce and gifting ideas. n Alder Bridge School Advent Fayre, Mill Lane, Padworth , noon-3pm. Seasonal crafts, artisan stalls, raffle, puppet show, refreshments and live music. n Christmas Market, Spurcroft Primary School, Thatcham , noon-2pm. Organised by Friends of Spurcroft. n Quiz night, Midgham Village Hall , 7pm. Teams of up to six. Tickets £12 includes a fish and chip supper. Tickets from jer. harding1@gmail.com n Ramsbury does Christmas 2021, Memorial Hall Car Park, Ramsbury, 10am-noon. Mulled wine and Making Workshop for the Extravaganza, Hungerford Library , 2pm-5pm. Come and make simple Victorian costumes including capes and mop caps for the Extravaganza on Friday, December 10. n If you are organi s ing a charity or community event and would like to be included in these free listings, please email details – type of event, time, venue, date and Ramsbury Silver Band. n Victorian Costume-

Part of London Road to be closed overnight for highways work

PART of the A4 in Newbury will be closed overnight to- day (Thursday). London Road will be shut between the B&Q/Newbury Business Park roundabout to

Skyllings. The closure of the highway will be in place from 8pm un- til 4am and a diversion will be signed. It is to enable Volker High-

ways to install a new culvert on behalf of West Berkshire Council. More details of the closure can be found at https://one. network/?tm=GB124234642

contact – to report@ newburynews.co.uk