Page 988 - Reading Mercury

Red Cross – and one of the first to enter Belsen when it was liberated. Despite her
busy war work she found time to run the hunt kennels.
Most of the smooth success of the amalgamation of the two Hunts was due to her
tact and personality. She had served with several Masters – including her father – and
during all that time had endeared herself to the whole countryside, of which she was,
more than anyone else, a part.
Returning thanks, Miss Barker described herself as “a very ordinary person doing a
very ordinary job for generous and kin d people.” The last 29 years had gone in a
flash. No Master had had such kindly co-operation from the whole country –
landowners and farmers alike; she was specially grateful to the non-hunting farmers
for their kindness.
She expressed her thanks to the field, too. “Maybe I have left them behind at times,
but I hope I have made a few young people want to be fox-hunters.” She hoped that
fox-hunting would continue to be the magnet of the countryside.
Miss Barker first became a joint Master of the Garth in 1936. Her father--the late
Col. F. G. Barker--was Master from 1928 to 1931. Mr. Reginald Palmer – now
president of the combined hunt – was joint Master (with Sir H.R. Cayzer) from 1931
to 1936.

1966
th
Sat 15 Jan
PLAN TO TREBLE ‘OPEN SPACES’ IN WOKINGHAM
Over 200 acres of building-free open spaces will be available to the people who live
in the Wokingham of the future. This, at any rate, is the intention of the town council,
which is conducting a survey of possible sites in the borough for playing fields. Two
council committees—the Public Properties, Pool and Parks and the Plans and town
Planning—combined forces to draw up a plan for almost trebling the existing 80 acres
of pleasure grounds—in official terms, Public open Spaces ad Playing areas—to an
ideal acreage well over the 200 mark.
This ideal is based on an assumption of an eventual population of 25,000 people,
which leaves a considerable margin of growth for several years to come. The
population of the town at the last census was between 15,000 and 16,000. Residential
developments planned or already under construction will make a heavy demand on
existing play-areas in the borough. The new areas under consideration are at
Keephatch, Chapel Green Farm, Fox Hill and an area near Matthews Green Farm.
These added to the open spaces already in existence, would balance recreational
facilities in the bigger new town.
In addition the education authorities are to be asked whether they would allow the
public to use the playing fields and sporting facilities attached to the schools in the
borough.
The National playing Fields Association and allied organisations are to be brought
into discussions on an advisory basis—and another meeting of the two town council
committees working on the project has been called for April. Among the points to be
discussed will be the availability of the land already suggested; what areas will be
suitable for open spaces or playing fields; and what games could be played on those
areas which fall into the latter category.

th
Sat 5 Feb
DR. P.P. PIGOTT IS LEAVING WOKINGHAM

986