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Thursday, November 18, 2021

Newbury Weekly News

NEWBURY NEWS

Funeral partnership raises £500k for forces charities A Thatcham funeral director has aided the Royal British Legion and Poppyscot- land in raising £500,000. It was one of 691 independent funeral directors who came together to raise funds. AB Walker & Son Ltd partnered funeral plan provider Golden Charter to donate £25 to the charities for every funeral plan they sell. Julian Walker at ABWalker & Son said: “As my brother and I have both previously served, we are extremely proud that our business sup- ports the Royal British Legion and Poppyscot- land in our fundraising efforts. “We see the charity as a vital support to those within the armed forces and as our busi- ness supports employment of ex-forces person- nel, we are thrilled to help in any way we can. “We believe our link with the charity shows the commitment and values of independent fu- neral directors. Our fundraising is an example of the support and service to our communities that the sector brings across the UK.” The funds are to support serving and ex-members of the British Armed Forces and their families. RBL head of corporate part- nerships Ben France said: “We are extremely proud of everything we have achieved in our fundraising partnership with Golden Charter and its independent funeral director partners since 2016. “We are truly thankful that the partner- ship has reached an incredible milestone of £500,000 raised.”

These beautiful autumnal colours were captured by Newbury Weekly News photographer Phil Cannings at Greenham Common

Beenham escape wolf Torak dies THE UK Wolf Conservation Trust (UKWCT) has announced the death of its oldest wolf, Torak. caused no damage, roaming for eight miles before being safely captured. despite running through a field of sheep and near people he was no threat to animals or humans re- sulting in good PR for wolves.

ness book series. He gained a large local following and, alongside other wolves at the sanctuary, had a classroom named after him at Beenham Primary School. However, Torak came into the national spotlight after breaking out of the trust’s grounds in Janu- ary 2018. During the ensuing pursuit, lo- cal schools were put under lock- down, with police and animal spe- cialists called in to help track him down. Despite the drama, Torak

Donations for Torak soared fol- lowing the international publicity, which also attracted new visitors to Beenham. An obituary posted on the UK- WCT’s website recalls Torak’s escape: “As you may remember he was happily caught by myself and brought safely back. He had his moment of freedom and was re- lieved to be back with Mosi. “His escapade with a happy end- ing demonstrated to the media that

Torak made national headlines when he escaped from the Been- ham sanctuary in 2018. The 15-year-old wolf died last week of natural causes, outliving companion Mosi by 18 months. He was born into the care of the Anglian Wolf Society in 2006, com- ing to Beenham as a cub. Torak was christened after the main character in Michelle Pav- er’s Chronicles of Ancient Dark-

“He was a wonderful ambassa- dor and truly special wolf: he will be much missed – but we have lovely memories.” The trust was founded in 1995 by businessman and hunting enthusi- ast Roger Palmer and his wife Tsa, who wanted to dispel the myths and misconceptions surrounding the animals. It closed its doors to the public in August 2018.

Time to dig deep for Children in Need THE Pudsey ears are out and the fancy dress costumes are ready to go. It can mean only one thing – Children in Need is back. The annual BBC fundraising day takes place tomorrow (Friday) with schools, busi- nesses, shops and individuals across the dis- trict taking part in a variety of events to help raise money. And one village pub has come up with its own way of boosting the funds – free beer for the whole weekend. The White Hart Inn, Hamstead Marshall, brews a range of real ales on site and from to- morrow evening until 5pm on Sunday, their Saviour Ales, as well as Symonds Cider, will be completely free of charge. Instead of paying for the beer, customers will be asked to make a donation of their choosing to Children in Need, using collection buckets on the bar. “Children in Need is a national institution and our customers and staff want to get in- volved,” said owner Stella Coulthurst. “We wanted to do something really special – there can’t be many pubs giving away beer for the whole weekend.” Let us know what you got up to this Chil- dren in Need. Send your stories and photographs to news- desk@newburynews.co.uk

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