Page 1037 - Reading Mercury

All the schools in the area were represented and one Headmaster, Mr. C. Carter of
Emmbrook School completed the walk with two other masters and several pupils. Old
age pensioners and young people took part and all thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Dogs too seemed to be happy despite the appalling state they got into from wading
through a newly ploughed fields and along muddy footpaths.
Both the Mayor and Mayoress of Wokingham, Cllr. and Mrs. Ian Crail completed
the distance. Their opinion of the walk as was most of the walkers, was mixed. ”If the
ground had been drier it would have been wonderful,” said the Mayor. “Many people
have seen countryside they never knew existed, but some of the footpaths and one
newly ploughed field were diabolical. Walkers were losing their shoes in the mud.”
Ald. John West who took part in the first walk when he was Mayor, and again in the
second walk last year, finished the third one too. He found the mud heavy going and
was very tired at the end. Other walkers fund the walk as “90% marvellous and the
other 10%, though no fault of the organisers, dreadful.”
The final figure if sponsors all pay what they have promised should be over £4,000.
The two previous walks both raised over £3,000.
Little Court, Reading Road has been chosen as the site for the Centre and once
approval has been given, work on renovating and decorating will begin.

st
Thur 1 Feb
FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH FOR TWO AT WOKINGHAM
Wokingham on Tuesday paid the ultimate expression of civic gratitude to two men,
outstanding in service to the town. The occasion was the presentation of the Honorary
Freedom of the Borough to Ald. Stanley Leonard Bowyer and former Town Clerk,
Mr. Leonard Goddard Smalley. The Honorary Freedom represented the highest
honour which could be conferred, recording for all time the gratitude of the
community to those who had served in great devotion and selflessness.
st
But for the untimely death on January 1 . this year of Ald. Frank Moles he too
would have received the honour.
The new Freemen were handed their scrolls by the Mayor and invited to sign the
Freeman’s Roll, witnessed by the Mayor and Mr. Nigel Butler, Town Clerk. Mr.
Godfrey Moles was asked to accept the scroll which should have been received by his
father.

st
Thur 1 March
RED CROSS SERVE DINNER AT MASONIC HALL
A traditional meal of turkey brought back memories of Christmas at the Masonic
Hall on Saturday when 150 elderly people were guests of the Wokingham Red Cross
Cadets. The party was a result of a year’s hard work by Cadets and the Parent
Committee who raised money by running jumble sales, a concert and a summer fete.
Old folk from Wokingham, Arborfield, Winnersh and Binfield were collected by a
fleet of cars and taken to the hall where they were joined by the Mayor of
Wokingham, Cllr. Ian Crail, the Director of Berks,. Red Cross Cadets Group Captain
W. J Swift, the Wokingham Commandant, Miss de Vitre, and Ald. Mrs. J. Davy.
Following a meal prepared by a team of volunteers from Arborfield led by the Chef,
Warrant Officer, F. Brierly from the School of Electrical Engineering, there was
entertainment by the “Merry Medlers,” a concert party from Reading.

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