Page 1026 - Reading Mercury

nd
Thur 2 Dec
The horses used to pull the fire engines, thanks to the efforts of the Marquis of
Downshire were the famous Tilling horses. Always grey these horses came from
stables which supplied the London Fire Brigade.

End of Wokingham Times microfilms. From now until April 1981 news will be
provided by the Berkshire Mercury, successor to the Reading Mercury.

1972

The Reading Mercury became the Berkshire Mercury which was published every
Thursday. The following articles are from the Berkshire Mercury:--

th
Thur 13 Jan
COFFEE MORNING FOR OLD FOLK AT WOKINGHAM
Wokingham Activity Group are running coffee mornings at the Wokingham Centre
on Tuesdays. The group, the adult body associated with the centre say that anybody is
welcome to drop in, but they are running the service primarily for the benefit of old
people.
“We are working on a rota system with all the members taking their turn,” Said Mrs.
G. Hales-Owen, secretary, “W.A.D.E. approached us to see if we could do this and we
are pleased to be able to help. So that the coffee mornings will be generally known I
have written to the old age pensioners’ clubs and there is a small advertisement
displayed at the WADE gift shop in the Market Place.”
So that the coffee mornings will be generally known the old age pensioners’ clubs
have been contacted and there is a small advertisement in the WADE gift shop in the
Market Place.
From time to time Wokingham Activity Group arranges afternoon tea for old folk.
The Group’s own activities include an address by a visiting speaker once a month, a
keep fit programme and beetle drives. Members can enjoy all the facilities of the
youth centre including table tennis and volley ball.
One member, a florist gives flower arrangement demonstrations. Another, a
hairdresser, does shampoos and “sets”. A percentage of the charges goes to club
funds.

th
Thur 27 Jan
WOKINGHAM WALK MAKES OVER £3,000
A little charity goes a long way….and just to prove it a large body of walkers raised
over £3,000 in the highly successful sponsored Wokingham Walk held on Sunday.
Young school children, old age pensioners and a contingent of Army apprentices from
Arborfield were among a troop of 600 walkers who set out from Wokingham Youth
Centre, all with the aim of completing the walk.
They were given a carnival-like send-off and this must have boosted spirits, for the
majority of the entrants finished the course. Three of the walkers raised over £100
each. The highest total was achieved by 13-year-old Stuart Huckings, a pupil at the
Forest School, who is due to collect £126.25—just 15p more than Mrs. Barbara
Eamer, a traffic warden, who had the highest individual total last year. Andrew
Gilbert, a 14-year-old schoolboy, also excelled himself by raising £100.40.
Many other individual efforts were equally notable but in different ways. A great
many 11-year-olds managed to stick it out and so did the old age pensioners,

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