Welcome to the fourth edition of the Rainbow Times
Welcome to our new readers and subscribers! We hope you find this publication useful and share it with friends and family!
This weeks edition features:
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If you need help:
Wokingham Borough Council is working with local charities to provide a community response for those who don't have support and need advice or practical help.
Contact Wokingham Citizen's Advice on 0300 330 1189
(Entering 0118 978 7258 if you are prompted)
This issue of the Rainbow Times features the colour Yellow and the letter A
Can you identify all the items in this picture?
For next week's edition, please send us pictures you take at home or whilst out on your daily exercise, of pink things or things that begin with the letter I
Email them to rainbow@wokinghamwithout-pc.gov.uk
Dealing with Anxiety
Cosmic Kids has created a great video, available here, to help children (and adults!) deal with feelings of worry and anxiety brought on by the current situation, using a simple meditation technique.
Useful Apps
Check in when you check out!
The Supermarket 'check-in' app shows shoppers quietest times to visit stores and stock availability during the UK lockdown.
Using this free app, customers can check how long the queues are at all their local supermarkets within a five, 10 or 25 mile radius, and see what's out of stock.
After visiting a supermarket, users report their experience, which lets other customers see how busy the shop is and what stock levels are like. This app users crowd sourced information from users, so the more people use it, the better the information will be.
Covid Symptom Tracker
The Covid Symptom Tracker app is designed to slow the spread of Covid-19 by collecting information from residents even if they feel well. Information gathered by the app will help scientists at King's College, London, to help the NHS by identifying how fast the virus is spreading in areas, which areas are most high-risk and who is most at risk, by tracking data from users who have underlying health conditions.
Happy 150th Birthday Crowthorne Methodist Church!
On the 15th April 1870, which was Good Friday, the first Methodist Church was erected on the site where the present Church now stands on Dukes Ride. Unfortunately, lockdown prevented an anniversary service at the Church but the live Zoom service last Sunday morning was still a wonderful celebration led by the Rev. Sharon Gardner.
Please see details in Issue 3 of all our Churches in Crowthorne where you can access links to online and recorded services.
The great outdoors - in your garden!
Birds
It’s that time of year where there’s a lot going on outside. It’s the nesting season, so avoid cutting hedges and also watch out for those Robins! One of our Councillors left their shed door open for a couple of days and returned to find Robins had built a nest inside in the meantime.
Thanks also to James living on the Old Wokingham Road for managing to get a great photograph of a Red Kite flying overhead.
Gardening
Plenty to do and if you have access to BBC iplayer then Gardeners World is very inspirational and provides lots of timely tips.
A suggestion from one of our Green fingered Councillors is to try and get some potted herbs from the supermarket and then plant these out in a large pot, window box or planter. The Basil shown above came from the supermarket, was given a ‘drink’ in fertiliser and will be pruned back to a lower leaf and actually go in a hanging basket to provide fresh Basil throughout the summer.
Easy herbs to source and grow include chives, coriander, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme. You can also get lemongrass to root from a shop bought stick and all these can cheer up your drinks and cooking!
Financial Scams - Don't be a victim!
At a time when many are feeling the pressure financially, it's more important than ever to be diligent when managing your finances.
The websites for Financial Conduct Authority's Scam Smart and Take Five to Stop Fraud both provide really helpful information that can assist you in identifying whether an investment opportunity is genuine, and can help prevent you from falling victim to some very smart fraudsters.
When just the tide went out
Welsh poet, Max Boyce, has captured the current moment and situation in both a touching and humorous way - listen here
This is a list of local services and activities available for residents in Crowthorne and Wokingham Without. Please note that the Parish Council isn't endorsing these businesses, only sharing information on services currently available for residents.
Gardening and DIY
Squires Garden Centre, Heathlands Road - currently taking telephone orders for local delivery - £50 or over. Call on 0118 977 3055 between 9am - 1pm
Longacres Garden Centre, Bagshot - currently taking online orders for local delivery - further details available online.
Oaktrees Garden Centre, Warfield - currently taking orders via telephone on 01344 890 667 for local delivery of 'isolation packages' of gardening items. £10 local delivery or free on orders over £100.
Rogers Hardwarestore on Greenwood Road is also still open and can supply green food waste bags (limited stocks) and garden waste bags for Wokingham residents.
Food and Takeaways
Indo (Delivery and Collection) - Greenwood Road, Crowthorne
Villa Roma (Collection and Delivery) - Crowthorne High Street
Kabir's (Collection and Delivery) - Dukes Ride, Crowthorne
Dopson's Butchers is accepting telephone orders on 01344 750 074 for collection and local delivery
Activities for Children
Free First Aid for Kids: If you are looking for ideas for new things for your children to try, local First Aid training company Green Box First Aid Training are running a free first aid course for kids on U-Tube at 10:30am on Fridays! Details availableherewhere you can also watch previous sessions.
The Seasons Art Class are running a 12 week online art class starting 28th April - contact Info@seasonsartclass.net or 01344 206365 for further details.
Learn the art of calligraphy with an online workshop - a great skill to learn for mindfulness!
Fitness Classes
Richard's Yoga is providing three free yoga classes a week for residents to keep moving.
Move Eat Yoga are offering online yoga classes via Zoom
Antony Cripps Personal Trainer and nutrition coach providing online personal training
Carolyn Pottercan provide online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help with anxiety and confidence issues as well as hypnotherapy for birth preparation.
The Annex Project is offering free therapy sessions to help front line staff deal with the stress caused by the current situation. Please contact Natasha@theannexproject.com for more details.
ReWard councelling from Rebecca Ward is offering telephone and skype sessions
Outdoor and Indoor Living is delivering salt blocks and tablets and calor gas - info@outinliving.co.uk
It is with great sadness that I heard that Les passed away on Saturday 25th April after suffering from the Covid 19 virus.
Les formed the Pinewood boxing club (previously the Starr boxing club) at Pinewood many years ago and built it into one of the most successful amateur clubs in the country.
Les himself was a professional boxer with a fearsome reputation in his heyday and achieved great success. Yet he was a very gentle and kind man and I liked him very much. His genuine concern for the wellbeing of the boys and girls who followed boxing, and his belief in the value of boxing to help channel the energies of teenagers into worthwhile activities, was very important to him. We became friends through working to find ways of raising funds to improve the clubs facilities and I found him to be a man with the kindest of hearts.
We will miss him at Pinewood and our thoughts go out to those who loved and respected him at the club, in the boxing world, in the community, and for his friends and family.
Ken Newland, chair of Wokingham Without Parish Council
The Independent recently published a very moving tribute to Les, which can be read here
And finally.....
We were really pleased to receive some positive feedback from a reader last week, saying "Thank you to everyone concerned with such a useful newspaper. Full of information, saving loads of time searching"
We'd love to hear more of what people think, and any ideas of what you'd like us to feature in future editions!