Page 1144 - Reading Mercury

Congregations have increased and Mr. Rapsey said, “People in general seem to look
on St. Paul’s as a friendly and welcoming place. We get many requests for weddings
and funerals from all over the town.”
Mr. Rapsey is expecting life to be completely different at Warminster School whose
pupils are aged between five and eighteen. “My responsibilities are for the whole
school community. In some ways it will be very similar to being a parish priest, but in
others it will be completely different. We are looking forward to the challenge.”
Mrs. Rapsey, who has been teaching at the Meadow Nursery School in Murray
Road during the past few years, is also looking forward to the challenge. The Rapseys
have three sons, two of whom are at university, while the third, Dominic, is still at
school. Mr. Rapsey’s successor has not yet been appointed

Thur 28th Oct
EVELYN WILLEY DIES AT 93
Mrs. Evelyn Willey who was the widow of leading Wokingham figure Jack Willey,
has died in Norfolk at the age of 93.
Ald. Jack Willey a town councillor and twice Mayor of Wokingham. Mrs. Willey
was his Mayoress and was also mayoress to Cllr. Walter Granville in 1953. She was
an active member of the Townswomen’s Guild, where she made many friends.
The funeral is at Kelling Church in Norfolk at 10 am on Monday, November 1st.
The internment is in the churchyard of St. Paul’s, Wokingham, at 3 pm on the same
day. Mrs Willey lived in Crescent Road, Wokingham.

th
Thur 9 Dec
POOL BATTLE FINALLY LOST
Protesters have finally admitted defeat in the battle to save Martin’s Pool after the
government refused to halt the bulldozers. The Department of the Environment
announced this week that it had decided not to call in the planning application. As
soon as the decision of the Secretary of State was revealed consent notices for the
clearance and the new housing were issued by Wokingham District Council.

1994
rd
Thur 3 March
TOWN HALL CLOCK
Gillet & Johnson have completely rebuilt the clock at a cost of £2,700 and given it
an all-weather varnish. Keith Begrie looked after the clock which was giving faulty
time for some years. Now he only has to make two trips a year to move the hands
forward and back for spring and autumn. The last time it was overhauled was a
hundred years ago.

th
Thur 17 March
WEST OAK IS HOME FROM HOME
There was an all-star line up on Friday to help celebrate the official opening of the
West Oak Nursing Home. The home which houses 55 elderly people, has been
running for a year and was initially built to help cater for ex-patients of Wokingham
Hospital.
Now, residents come from all over the area and the Murray Road building has
proved a great success with staff working hard to create an informal home from home
atmosphere.
Management pride themselves on creating comfort and security with a non-

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