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More than 1,000 responses to library consultation | More than 1,000 responses were received to a consultation on how Royal Borough libraries, including Sunninghill and Ascot Durning, can meet the changing needs of our community.

The Council asked for residents’ views on the positive changes and different delivery methods we’ve been able to experiment with in response to the pandemic.

The library service has looked at the digital development, community engagement and volunteering that already exists within the service and how that can be developed further.

The 12-week consultation included 38 engagement sessions, including public sessions and those with parish councils, trustees, stakeholder groups and the Girls’ Policy Forum. A comprehensive needs analysis was also undertaken.

South Ascot Village School pupils swap the school run for a school walk | South Ascot Village School is taking part in an award-winning behaviour change scheme to help more pupils walk to school.

From 4^th May 2021, South Ascot Village School will be taking part in WOW – the year-round walk to school challenge from Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking.

Over half of South Ascot Village School pupils regularly walk to school, but the school hopes to increase this further. When running WOW, schools see an average 23 per cent increase in pupils walking to school and a corresponding drop in car use; reducing congestion outside the school gates, increasing safety and helping in the fight against air pollution – all whilst children benefit from being more active.

With WOW, pupils log their daily journeys to school each day on the WOW Travel Tracker tool. Those who walk to school at least once a week for a month earn a WOW badge, with 11 to collect across the year.

Each year, the 11 WOW badges follow a new WOW theme, all of which are designed by pupils in Living Streets’ annual badge design competition. This year’s theme is INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD and will take WOW pupils on a year-round journey through time and across the globe, celebrating some of the greatest inventions ever created.

Joe Irvin, Chief Executive, Living Streets says:

“Walking to school is an easy way for children to fit more activity into their day. More children walking to school means fewer cars around the school gates - making them safer and cleaner places....

Students from Charters School in Sunningdale were celebrating last week, after achieving recognition for their artwork in the Royal Ascot Schools Art Competition. Eighteen schools took part in the competition, which ran across six age categories, and over 3,000 votes were cast online to determine the winners.

Lottie was the overall winner in the 13-14 age category with an amazing depiction of a racehorse in full gallop, while Ben was runner up in the 10-11 category with a drawing of two race-goers in front of the iconic stand. The two students received prizes from the racecourse and Charters School was awarded £1000 in recognition of Lottie’s overall win. Kimberley’s drawing of a horse flying over a jump received a Highly Commended.

The artwork will be added to the Heath Tunnel gallery, which connects Ascot High Street to the public Heath located in the centre of the racecourse; making a colourful walkway for racegoers and the local community.

Mr John Fletcher, Headteacher at Charters School said, “Well done to all who entered and in particular to Ben, Lottie and Kimberly, who gained official recognition from the organisers. Their work showed great technique and skill and was well beyond their age group. They all clearly have an incredible talent that will develop further with practice and trying new techniques and projects. They were rightly very proud, as are we, of their work which shows a real commitment to excellence. We look forward to seeing their work enlarged and on display at Royal Ascot for the coming season.”

New orders to tackle dog fouling, dog control and cycling in pedestrianised zones

Two new Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour in the Royal Borough are to be introduced.

The orders will help to tackle dog fouling and dog control as well as cycling on the highway.

Full Council agreed on Tuesday 27 April to the PSPOs which will be in place for three years. These are:

A borough-wide order to help tackle dog fouling and ineffective dog control
An order to tackle cycling on the highway in pedestrianised zones in High Street, Maidenhead and Peascod Street, Windsor

Local sports author, Harry Harris has published his new book 'Red Card to Racism'

Is football doing enough to give racism the boot? The global Black Lives Matter campaign has given greater exposure to the extent of the structural and systemic racism that exists in all strata of our society. It has provided renewed impetus to the urgent need to challenge and eradicate racism in all its forms and wherever it is found.

Sadly, sport has not been immune from this, especially so in the case of football.

For too long, there were attempts to hide and mitigate racist attitudes and actions within the game, but thanks to the growing profile and visibility of black and minority ethnic (BAME) players both past and present - Viv Anderson, Cyrille Regis, Jimmy Carter, Les Ferdinand, Pat Nevin and Ruud Gullit - to name just a few and almost three decades of education and campaigning led by Kick It Out, attitudes have changed.

However, there's still a great deal left to do.

Throughout his entire journalistic career, leading sportswriter Harry Harris has championed the fight against racism in football. Now, within these pages, he shines a timely spotlight on the Beautiful Game, revealing the forces within football that have both helped expose and challenge racism - and, at times, sadly, hinder more rapid positive change.

Includes exclusive commentary from Greg Dyke, Glenn Hoddle, Ivor Baddiel, Mek Stein, and Jermain Defoe.

‘Highly commendable and will keep the debate raging’ – John Barnes