Page 1170 - Reading Mercury

The renovations will provide the dilapidated Town Hall with a new lease of life that
will take it into the 21st century.

FACELIFT AND NEW NAME FOR PARK
Howard Palmer Park is being given a face-lift and a new name in time for summer.
The Wokingham Town Council-run park, off Howard Road has been renamed
Howard Palmer Gardens.
The improvements underway include changing the entrance, moving some
Victorian-style lampposts, adding benches, enlarging the flower borders and planting
broad leaf trees. The council is also running a competition for the junior
schoolchildren in the town. The youngsters are being asked to make a picture showing
where the nearest town council park is to their school, and what they most like about
it—for example trees, flowers, play areas or animals.
Mayor Jack Earnshaw will judge the competition once it has closed on Monday,
March 2. The winner’s drawing—which could be a collage, painting, drawing,
computer graphic or photo will be turned into a poster to go into the Town Hall Help
Shop. There will also be a cash prize and a certificate for the winning child.

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Thur 9 April
Wokingham FC is to lose its ground in Finchampstead Road. The club directors
claim they have been forced to sell to developers to clear mounting debts.

The main hall of Wokingham Town Hall can now be used for marriage ceremonies.
Hiring the hall which has been given a special licence to act as a wedding venue will
cost £150. The honorary constables will act as ushers.

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7 May
FUN IN THE SUN AS FOLK FLOCK TO MAY FARE
Thousands of people reclaimed the town centre from the car for a day at the pack
Wokingham May Fayre. Denmark Street and Market Place were heaving with visitors
from near and far who enjoyed the warm sunshine, jolly music and colourful stalls.
The biggest-ever May Fair included 120 pitches, and more local charities and craft
stall than in the last few years. Organiser Gerry Aggett, president of the Wokingham
Lions said local organisations were set to take more than £20,000 on the day.
Crowds of people in T-shirts and sunglasses wandered around the fair which was split
into two—town and country.
A county fair was held at Elms field, behind the old Tesco store, where bouncy
castles, a rock climbing wall, and plenty of farm animals were some of the attractions
on offer.
Back in the town centre the attention was focussed on May-Pole and Morris dancing
and music from the Berkshire Youth Jazz Orchestra.
One of the highlights of the day was the crowning of the May Queen, who this year
is Victoria Reason from Yateley. Victoria, aged ten, bought her fetching pink outfit
from a charity shop, and her proud father said she looked excellent.
There was also an art and flowers exhibition in the Town Hall, which showed 160
works of art from local artists.

TOWN’S TWINNING LINKS TO BE STRENGTHENED
Links between Wokingham and its twin towns of Viry Chatillon in France and
Erftstadt in Germany are set to be strengthened thanks to a directorate of local

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