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All too real – but there is hope

DURING THE early part of June, there were two showings in Caversham of a film about the climate and nature crisis. Introduced by Chris Packham, The National Emergency Briefing presented the views of leading experts to inform viewers of the threats posed to all aspects of British life by our changing climate, from national security to food supply. Crucially, the presentations included information about solutions, including what we can do as individuals. This all seems too real, as I am writing this just over a week later in the middle of a heat wave which has seen local shops close and rail services disrupted…Read More

So much to do…so many cakes to eat!

FLEET STREET hacks of old used to bemoan the ‘silly season’ – those slow/no news days of summer…. Send them all to Caversham, we say, where there is plenty going on and so much to celebrate! While nationally Manchester has been much in the news, we now have a ‘Caversham connection’, in that a group of intrepid local parents led by Nick Clark organised a 200-mile bike ride from that northern city to Caversham, as a fund-raiser for The Heights school (p11). Meanwhile, The Hill Primary has been celebrating its 75th anniversary, with a report (p11) by Phil Chatfield who fondly remembers attending the school’s 50th festivities!…Read More

Tea and cake in the gardens

ONE OF THE many pleasures of Caversham is the choice of dining places, with multiple restaurants, cafés, and pubs on the menu. While not all of us regularly dine out, thanks to limited time, money, or access, we still probably have favourite spots when we do. Caversham’s mix of longstanding and newer options to try cover everything from independent restaurants and coffee shops to bakeries and takeaways, from British, Italian and Spanish to Thai, Greek, and more…Read More

Caversham artist creates huge impact for charity

SINCE 13 JULY THERE has been a spectacular sight transforming the streets, parks, open spaces, and even car parks of Windsor, Eton and Slough, as Thames Hospice has unveiled its very first art trail with a massive herd of painted elephants, large and small. Artists, school children and community groups from across the country applied to design and paint the elephants, and among those successful was Caversham’s very own Nina O’Connell…Read More

75 Years of music-making

DESPITE THE hot weather, the 75th Anniversary Celebration Concert by the South Chiltern Choral Society on Saturday 27 June was a great success. A large and appreciative audience gathered in Caversham Heights Methodist Church to enjoy a programme of music which culminated in a performance of Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. The choir also performed a selection of favourite pieces chosen by its members, creating a fitting celebration of 75 years of music-making. A special highlight of the afternoon was the outstanding performance by virtuoso recorder soloist Molly, who captivated the audience with two mesmerising pieces, demonstrating her exceptional musicianship and artistry…Read More

St John’s Church Celebrations

THE REVD Penny Cuthbert celebrated the tenth anniversary of her licensing as Transition Minister at St John’s in June. At the beginning of June 2016, she was licenced in the role by the Bishop of Reading, Andrew Proud. She later took on her current position of Associate Vicar. St John’s congregation marked this milestone with a presentation of gifts, with a photo reel backdrop of special moments from the last ten years. The Church Leadership Team led prayers of thanks for Penny’s ministry and, after the service, we enjoyed cake and bubbly…Read More

Ministers retreat in order to go forward

MINISTERS FROM Churches Together in Caversham held their annual retreat in June spending three days in rural Oxfordshire, praying and studying together. Falling during the second heatwave of the summer, we were thankful to be on retreat, away from our normal schedules. Not that being on retreat is necessarily about doing nothing, but certainly doing less rushing about. Our study and reflection were framed around Bishop Steven Croft’s book Comfortable Words. We were surprised to learn how the meaning of the word ‘comfort’ has changed down the centuries. In the Bayeux tapestry, an image of ‘Bishop Odo comforting his troops’ shows the bishop doing so with an upraised stick!…Read More

Age Related Macular Degeneration

HELLO, HOW is your macular today? If you do not know what I am talking about, it’s probably good, because it means your eyes are working well. If you have been diagnosed with AMD (Age related Macular Degeneration), you will know all too well the symptoms of lamp posts which bend, lines of print which wobble and waver or have gaps in them, blurry television, and faces which you don’t recognise. AMD is a common condition affecting the middle part of your vision. It usually first affects people in their 50s. It is an eye disease which damages the macula, the small central part of the retina responsible for sharp, detailed central vision…Read More

For Your Bookshelf

FIRST UP is Will Carver’s Bad Influence. Regular customers and readers will know we have been a huge fan of Will Carver since his first book, Good Samaritans. Will has a new book out, Bad Influence, and it still has his quirky trademark style and approach and, although the subject matter is still a little creepy, Will has applied a gentler style to his work. A funny book highlighting the worst people in society vs the best.

The children’s book is by the wonderful Janice Hallett.  Death at the Museum is the sequel to Box Full of Murders (although can be read as a standalone) and brings us back to Ava and Luke who have a new box filled with clues and evidence from a School Trip in the 1980s which point towards a crime that occurred, but can Ava and Luke solve it?…Read More

Fourbears Books

PENGUIN BOOKS asked seven of their authors to recommend their favourite, must-visit independent book shop to mark Independent Bookshop week in June this year. And our own Fourbears Books made the list! It was chosen by Janice Hallett, author of A Box Full of Murders. She wrote, ‘With a welcoming design that encourages exploration and discovery, alongside a strong programme of lively events, Fourbears Books is the very definition of a community bookshop. Alex and his close-knit team LOVE books and that passion shines from every shelf. Their inventive approach generates instant buzz, with events ideally pitched for their target audiences, from young book lovers to literary readers and launch parties. Those I’ve taken part in at Fourbears – for adult readers and children – have been among the best I’ve ever attended. Fourbears Books is a home-from-home for readers’…Read More

Number 22 Bus

HIGHDOWN SCHOOL hosted a packed public meeting on 6 June to discuss the proposed ending of the number 22 – Pink – bus serving Caversham Heights. This was the only available hall which could take the 140 people attending. The meeting was arranged by Matt Rodda MP and paid for by Parliament. It was a public meeting, not party political. It was also live streamed for those who could not attend in person after discussion with residents…Read More

Happy Wanderer gets hooked on Burdock

DID YOU ever, as a child, play with the burs or seed-heads of the burdock plant? They’re covered in tiny hooks. Where I grew up, we called them sticky bobs, and played at throwing them at one another, as a kind of competition, but sometimes we threw them when our friends weren’t looking. Perhaps these games wouldn’t work so well these days when people wear garments made from man-made fibres but, in the past, we wore outer garments of wool. Of course, the purpose of the tiny hooks was to make them latch on to the coats of passing animals and for the seeds to be transported to new sites which would prove a suitable new habitat for the plant…Read More

A Special Business

GARDINER’S HOMECARE has been at the heart of the local community since it was established by Dorothy Gardiner MBE in 1968. Since then, hundreds of local people have either worked for them or received care from their staff. I met with new owner, Simon Mahoney, to find out more about his plans for the company.
Owning a homecare business might not appear to be an obvious choice for an Oxford classics graduate who set up a successful data management company. But Simon sold this in 2021 and started looking for something he felt would be worthwhile. His mother was a nurse and midwife, and his aunt ran a special needs school in Ireland. He said, “I was exposed to a lot of care as a child”. He bought Pangbourne based Q1 Care, which was a small first step, but it took a challenging first year to stabilise the company. It had a good customer base and great carers (he was pleased to say most were still with the company) but was too small to be viable…Read More

On the run

SEVEN CAVERSHAM dads took part in Endure24 at Wasing Estate near Reading early in June. Often described by participants as the ‘Glastonbury of running’, Endure24 is one of the UK’s largest 24-hour relay events, attracting thousands of runners from across the country. Teams camp on site and, from midday on Saturday until midday on Sunday, attempt to complete as many laps as possible of an 8km trail course through woodland, fields and parkland. Our team, The Caversham Chargers, consisted of local dads Sean Cooper, Colin King, Guy Bickerton, Fernando Gonzalez, Ben Beattie, Mark Sumner and myself. Ben captained the team and was responsible for bringing us all together…Read More

The Mill at Sonning Revisited

THE MILL AT Sonning is a theatre restaurant which was set up in 1984. For many years it has put on a variety of productions of different genres. I went to see the current production, Shear Madness set in a hairdressing salon and in a genre of its own. It is a fast-moving comedy murder mystery, advertised as, ‘with audience participation’.
However, this is not a pantomime production. It is a clever, sophisticated play where the audience witnesses the events leading up to the murder and has the opportunity to question the cast. In the interval the ‘policeman’ comes around the tables interviewing the ‘witnesses’ and making a note of their questions and theories…Read More

On two wheels for the Heights

PARENTS FROM The Heights Primary School in Caversham cycled 200 miles from Manchester to Caversham to raise funds for the school over the weekend of the 6-7 June. Nick Clark, former international rower, started planning the epic ride in 2025, together with six other experienced riders who joined him to raise funds for the school. They put in months of training to prepare themselves for the ride. Nick was joined by team members Jon Baverstock, Rob Teasdale, Matthew Hopkins, Jack Casserley, Dino Besirevic and Julie Richards. The riders were supported by driver Tim Moody…Read More

75 Years on the Hill

PARENTS, STAFF and pupils at the Hill Primary School on Peppard Road joined together after school on Friday 19 June to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the school. The school organised a token scheme for the children to use for the activities set up around the school field, with a range of bouncy castles proving very popular, and a mobile climbing tower providing a challenge for the more adventurous.
Members of the Parents at The Hill School (PATHS) parents’ association were on hand to help make the event a success. Year six pupils had set up a variety of table-top enterprises offering transfer ‘tattoos’, facepainting and traditional fete games such as ‘Splat the rat’. The soft toy stall was overseen by two longserving staff members, Sarah Howell and Harriet Tyreman, who have both been at the school for more than 25 years…Read More

Positive Positivity

MY WIFE IS often given The People’s Friend magazine, and I am quite a fan. I admit I never read any of the stories, but I do read a number of interesting articles, especially the ones about gardening by Julienne Robertson. As with most writers I am always looking for fresh ideas!
Recently I was feeling depressed with my garden because there was so much to do and my energy level was zero. By chance I happened to find and read Julienne’s June 2025 article. It really struck home. The point she made was not to feel guilty when your garden doesn’t look that great, when the grass needs cutting, when the weeds are growing apace, and watering is an absolute chore…Read More

Hands Up – Help Discover Adventure

STROLLING DOWN Gosbrook Road, you might not realise a century of local adventure is tucked just behind St John the Baptist Church. For over 100 years, 22nd Reading Scout Group has been helping young people build confidence, resilience and lifelong skills, making us one of the oldest Scout groups in the country. We go camping, hiking and canoeing, learn first-aid, cooking, and about cultural celebrations. Everyone aged 4-14 is welcome— all genders, races, backgrounds and abilities. Today, laughter and teamwork still fill our hut each week. Demand is higher than ever, and many young people on our waiting list may never get the chance to experience Scouting…Read More

South View Avenue’s Co-op

IT’S SLIGHTLY strange that this branch of the Co-op is called ‘South View Avenue’s Co-op’ as it is positioned on the corner of Briant’s Avenue and Star Road. However, the postal address for the building is 100 South View Avenue and it is at the end of the road. As some of us will remember the building was formerly a pub called The Star Inn, which closed in 2010 and converted into a Co-op food store in 2011. Today it is a well-used and convenient store for this area of Caversham, with a wide range of food and drink – fresh fruit, vegetables and bakery products. It has a cash machine, Amazon Lockers and is a package collection and drop off point…Read More

Walking to Success

ROTHERFIELD WALKING Football Club entered two teams in the Burghfield FC Tournament in early June and took both the winner’s and runner’s up places. It started as a wet Saturday morning, but the sun broke through on occasion as the day progressed. The games were each eight minutes long and played on grass pitches. The teams were all well matched, with a lot of 0-0 draws. All the wins were by just a single goal. The sportsmanship and refereeing were all top class…Read More

A Call to Action

OUR LEAD article reported on the June screenings of the film of the National Emergency Briefing in our area. The feedback from those attending them was quite mixed. Some felt the presentation was too superficial, others were seeking more advice on practical steps they could take as individuals or local groups. The Seven Acts to save the world are listed below, each with a link providing further information and resources…Read More

Rowing to Success

THE READING Amateur Regatta saw plenty of action on the River Thames over the weekend of 13-14 June. The weather was perfect and regular reader Olwen Badziak was on hand to take photos. She commented; “Caversham Court Gardens was the ideal place to watch from – there was a lovely atmosphere!”…Read More

Drama group reaches milestone

READING HAS celebrated the founding of several extraordinary professional theatre groups in recent years. However, those who love drama have long had a variety of amateur groups to support. Progress Theatre, which has long attracted support from many local residents, is preparing an exciting new season in celebration of its 80th anniversary. Progress was founded in 1946, and its first production, Whose Pigeon by Bridget Boland, was put on in 1947. Over the years, Progress has produced hundreds of plays and musicals – classic works, modern drama and new writing. One of the country’s leading amateur theatres, Progress has remained firmly rooted in the community…Read More

Smartphones

DEPENDING ON your information source, digital technology before the advent of AI accounted for perhaps 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is now maybe 7% and is heading towards 10%: equivalent to emissions from aviation. Despite the news headlines, the emissions associated with data centres at present is only about half of that associated with personal electronic devices.
Roughly half the emissions associated with these occur during production, together with major use of water, extraction of minerals and the associated poor disposal of unwanted tech. A smartphone uses some 12-14,000 litres of water during production…Read More

Dog Days

CAVERSHAM COURT Gardens provided the backdrop for the Caversham Summer Fair on 4 July. Rather than the traditional fete, the event invited local businesses to set up stalls and was centred around a Fun Dog Show, organised by Sarah Hawkins of Barkshire Dog Training. The Mayor of Reading, Councillor Paul Gittings, attended to present prizes and to cut a cake made in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Caversham Bridge. The fair was organised to support the St Peter’s Church Raise the Roof appeal, and the organisers were pleased to report they had raised nearly £3000…Read More

The Heartbeat of Our High Street

IF YOU’VE noticed Caversham feeling a little more vibrant lately, a little more connected, there’s a good reason for that. Behind the scenes, a dedicated group of local business owners is quietly putting in the work to make this community somewhere we’re all proud to be. The Caversham Traders’ Committee meets monthly for just 45 minutes, hosted at various local venues, and the impact of these meetings stretches far beyond the room. Made up entirely of volunteers, the committee is headed up by Claire from Spill, with Katia from Yoga Reading as secretary. Maria from My Local Marketeer and The Reading Podcast, Mandy from Caversham Tiles, Tamsin from Wine Curious, Sarah from Barkshire Dog Training, and yours truly as the newest recruit, all bring our time, energy and
local knowledge to the table…Read More

Simple tips for skincare in a heat wave

AS SOON AS the sun makes an appearance, everyone suddenly wants to know the secret to glowing skin. Sadly, it is not just sitting in the garden with a glass of rosé (although that does wonders for the soul!). Extreme heat can play havoc with our skin. One of the biggest myths I hear is, “It’s so hot, I don’t need moisturiser”. The opposite is often true. Sweating means we are losing water leaving the skin dehydrated, and dehydrated skin can respond by producing even more oil. The result? Congestion, breakouts, and skin that just does not feel quite right. A lightweight moisturiser can make all the difference…Read More

This circle’s not square!

CAVERSHAM-BASED Afro-drumming expert, Al Paton, has recently started a new drum circle class based at Caversham Hall, in St John’s Road. Al was subject of Creative Caversham back in October 2024, talking about his love of African drumming and his skill in repairing djembe – the beautifully decorative and sonorous drums which create this distinctive African sound. Having spent many years performing on djembe drums (which don’t require sticks, only the players’ hands) Al is now passing on his skill locally, and the drum circle takes place from 18:00 – 18:45 every Thursday…Read More

Safe fun in the sun

EVERYBODY NEEDS some sun exposure to produce Vitamin D (which helps calcium absorption for stronger and healthier bones), but unprotected exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause damage to skin, eyes, and the immune system. It can also cause cancer. There are other contributing factors such as heredity and environment, but sunburn and excessive UV light exposure do damage the skin. This damage can lead to skin cancer or premature skin aging (photoaging). Energy from the sun reaches the earth as visible, infrared, and ultraviolet rays.
● Ultraviolet A (UVA) is made up of wavelengths 320 to 400 nm (nanometers) in length.
● Ultraviolet B (UVB) wavelengths are 280 to 320 nm.
● Ultraviolet C (UVC) wavelengths are 100 to 280 nm…Read More