Page 1120 - Reading Mercury

take place in the winter planting season and was likely to be carried out early in the
new year.

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Thur 9 Nov
WOKINGHAM’S FIREWORK SPECTACULAR
Thousands of people turned out to watch a spectacular fireworks and laser show in
Wokingham on Saturday. Windsor Forest Unicorn Club raised about £5,000 for the
TIMES cancer care appeal and Ark, a workshop for handicapped children in
Bracknell, at the extravaganza which featured fireworks from all over the world.
The event attracted 8,000 people who saw the sky lit up with a stunning array of
fireworks, a huge bonfire complete with a he Guy Fawkes and a laser show. A funfair
and sideshows completed the dazzling picture. The event was so popular that it had to
be delayed for about fifteen minutes to give people the chance to get in. Traffic
queues from the field at Cantley stretched back to the centre of Wokingham and
Mayor Fred Clark was just one of the hundreds of people caught up in the jam.
Cllr. Clark and his wife Elsie were due to launch the fireworks and at one moment it
looked as if they might miss the event. Fortunately the couple arrived only a little late
and Cllr. Clark was able to welcome the thousands who turned up.
Companies
Unicorn spokesman Mike Shirley said that the money raised at the event and
through contributions from local companies and people was still to be finally counted
but it looked likely the total would be around £5,000. Most will go towards the cancer
care unit to be built at Wokingham Hospital. The rest will go to Ark. The club hopes
to put the show on again next year as part of its fund-raising activities.

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Thur 16 Nov
ARTHUR TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF
Lovable wide buy, Arthur Daley, alias actor George Cole popped into Wokingham
to launch the district council’s crime prevention manual. Surrounded by a large group
of our boys in blue he looked decidedly uneasy as he opened a special crime
prevention exhibition at the council’s Shute End offices.
But even this didn’t stop him from trying to off load a job-lot of Japanese locks on
the unsuspecting public. But there was a serious side to it all for it marked the launch
of a unique joint venture with the Thames Valley Police Authority to produce a
manual aimed at giving practical advice to house holders to help them in the fight
against crime.
About £28,000 was spent on producing 53,000 copies to be distributed to every
home in the area and council chairman Major Douglas Goddard said, “I feel it is very
well invested and there has been a tremendous response. People are actually reading
it.”

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Thur 23 Nov
WELCOME WILLIAM
School ‘delighted’ Prince is coming
Prince William is to go to school in Wokingham, Buckingham Palace announced
at the weekend. In an unusual break with tradition Prince Charles and Princess Diana
have decided to send their son to the exclusive £2,100-a-term Ludgrove School in
Wixenford.

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