Page 954 - Reading Mercury

containing money collected by former mayors as a gift for his 70th birthday, which he
celebrated on October 24th.
Commented Dr. Pigott, ”We all appreciate the dignity and care which Mr. Nibbs
brings to the office of mace-bearer-at-arms, and Ald Bowyer had the idea that all the
mayors should contribute to this present.”
But then, Mr. Nibbs has always cared for things. Perhaps it stems from his days as a
gardener, or from the time his wife, Florence, became an invalid, 32 years ago. Since
that date he has had to do virtually everything for her. Mr. Nibbs proudest boast is
that, in 22 years, he only missed one council meeting, about eight years ago.
It was only by chance that he became mace bearer-at-arms. Born in Medmenham,
he came to Wokingham in 1940 as a town hall keeper. At that time the job as mace
bearer-at-arms was going so he just combined the two. He retired as town hall keeper
at 65 and shocked colleagues and friends by refusing a £40 collection. I don’t like a
lot of fuss he said.
Mr. Nibbs is an ex-sailor, father of two and grandfather of six.

Fri 8th Dec (Evening Standard)
FINE FARE SUPERMARKET OPENS
Wokingham’s newest supermarket, Fine Fare in the new shopping centre in Peach
Street opened on Tuesday and with it came the price-slashing war. The first 150
customers received a free chicken. Over the next few days Fine Fare will be handing
out 7,000 frozen birds to early morning customers or to those purchasing £2 worth or
more of goods.
Other stores will follow suit.
But it isn’t only the free chicken gimmick which will be pulling Wokingham and
district housewives into the new supermarket. The price-cutting on selected items
each week will attract them too. Other stores will have to follow suit as they do in
other towns if they wish to compete. The only winner is the shopper.
Mr. W.T. Smith, manager of this latest Fine Fare store—part of Mr. Garfield
Weston’s £30M scheme for supermarkets over the next few years says that tea will
permanently be cut a penny. Then every week seven or eight commodities will be cut
by twopence or perhaps threepence at a special offer.

1962
th
Sat 6 Jan
WINTER COMES TO WOKINGHAM
“Snow ploughs” have been out in force in Wokingham. Bulldozers from town
building and demolition sites were hired out, and a squad of these “snow ploughs”
patrolled the town centre on Monday and Tuesday, shovelling and scraping the
mounting mess off the roads. Gangs of workmen too, have joined in clearing the
paths, caked with solid ice and snow
But the continued efforts of men and machines were not enough. People were scared
off the pavements, cars were abandoned in Broad Street and Denmark Street and
every morning Wokingham has awakened to a freezing half-empty town.
All but a few of the bus services have operated in the town. But, report Thames
Valley, they have had some difficulty with the number 3A bus—which goes through
Wokingham to Finchampstead. Milk deliveries went haywire, and some deliveries
went on until 11 o’clock on Monday night.

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