Page 1127 - Reading Mercury

Wescott Ward on Wokingham District Council, a seat he has held for six years. But
despite an impressive launch for the party’s election campaign on Monday, the agent,
Major Russell Matthews, lost the papers. After a phone call from the TIMES, just
after the 12 noon deadline for nominations on Tuesday, Major Matthews searched for
the missing papers and found them under a pile of other documents.

THE FIRST WOMAN HIGH SHERIFF
Berkshire has its first woman High Sheriff. She is Lady Elizabeth Godsal—whose
husband Alan held the post in 1959. She lives in Twyford. Lady Elizabeth takes over
from Raymond Seymour, of Bucklebury, Reading.
Defence, jails and the collection of fines were once the High Sheriff’s main concern
as the principal Government agent in each shire, but the duties are now mainly
ceremonial. Every year the Queen is given three names for the Sheriff’s post and she
must choose one of them by lottery with a bodkin. This procedure dates back 850
years and although a name is traditionally selected by chance, the sovereign know
who will be picked.

rd
Thur 3 May
RITZ CINEMA TO REMAIN OPEN
Ritz Cinema to remain open for as long as it is viable according to the owner,
Raymond Hipkin. Although he is applying for planning permission to change its use it
does not mean it will definitely close. Around £200,000 has already been spent
building a new bar and refitting the bingo hall to accommodate an additional 60 to 80
people. The entrance to the two screen cinema has also been moved.
The cinema is still provisionally scheduled for closure in September when the new
ten-screen cinema at The Point in Bracknell opens.

th
Thur 17 May
CHURCH WINS ITS BATTLE FOR HALL
Wokingham church leaders have won their battle to build a church hall—providing
a meeting place for the local groups. But they fear the delay in taking it to a
Government inspector will push up the final bill.
The application to build the hall near St. Paul’s Church in Reading Road was turned
down last year by Wokingham District Council planners. But the decision was
overturned subject to conditions, after the church leaders appealed to the Department
of the Environment. Now members of St. Paul’s fear the one-year delay could add
10% to the final cost.
Warden Ted Bosher said the new church hall will be a valuable asset to the
community as well as the church. The area lacked facilities and the hall will give
groups somewhere to meet. It will have a main hall, upstairs offices and meeting
rooms, a kitchen and toilets.
The church was using the former St. Paul’s School at the corner of Station Road as a
hall until the contractor refurbishing it went bust. It was decided to sell the building
and find another site for the hall.
A proposal to build the hall on old graves next to the church was rejected by church
officials. Instead they decided to use a piece of nearby shrubland further along
Reading Road. But councillors feared the development would lead to trees being
uprooted and would cause more car parking problems along the Reading Road and
surrounding streets.

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