Electricity to come exclusively from renewable sources | Electricity purchased by the council is to come only from renewable sources following a cabinet decision last month.

As part of the Council’s pledge to reach a carbon neutral position by 2050, all electricity bought will now be generated by technologies such as solar, wind and hydro power.

This will include all electricity used in schools managed by the Royal Borough, as well as all street lighting.

The Town Hall, Maidenhead, is already home to a large number of solar panels, and more will be installed on the new Braywick Leisure Centre and other locations around the borough.

Cllr Gerry Clark, lead member for sustainability, waste services and economic development, said: "I am delighted to see the Council take this significant step in support of our net zero carbon by 2050 pledge and we will continue to identify where further reductions can be made.

“By only purchasing electricity from renewable sources, we are making a clear statement that we are all committed to this hugely important cause.

“This is a significant step forward towards a carbon neutral borough".

Previously, electricity was procured from a variety of sources including, gas, coal and renewables.

The council purchases approximately £2 million of gas and electricity each year through the Crown Commercial Services framework, with 87% of this spend on electricity. Cabinet approved the decision on Thursday 25 July to purchase electricity from only renewable sources.

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See the Lion outside Ascot Racecourse and Ascot Station!

The giant pride will be installed on the streets of the Royal Borough, from Windsor to Eton, Ascot, Datchet, Maidenhead and beyond, from World Lion Day on Saturday 10th August.  The beautifully decorated lion sculptures will remain in pride of place until 27th October and will then be auctioned to raise funds for charity.

Lions will be displayed across the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead for nearly three months, leading thousands of lion fans of all ages on a safari of discovery across the region as they track down all of the lions in the pride.

See more photos and stories on the news page of the website.

TRAIL MAPS - will be available from outlets across the Royal Borough, including Visitor Information Centres in Windsor, Maidenhead and Ascot, week beginning 5th August.  A full range of map outlets will be available on the website from 5th August.

Trail maps are available – £1 donation to go to the event charities – from:

Charters School please visit the website: www.chartersschool.org.uk/   

On Monday 13th May, seven students from  Charters School in Sunningdale  travelled to Buckingham Palace to receive their Gold DofE awards.

Created in 1956 by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, the Gold award requires young adults to complete a Physical and Skills section, (spending 12 months on one and six months on the other), alongside 12 months of Volunteering. There is also a qualifying expedition for four days and three nights, which takes place in ‘wild country’, and a five-day residential placement.

Young adults have until their 25^th birthday to complete the Gold, however all seven of the Charters students are either still at Charters Sixth Form or in their first year at university.

Mr Richard Pilgrim, Headteacher at Charters School said, “We are all extremely proud of our Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Scheme students who received their Award from Sophie of Wessex at Buckingham Palace.  Charters has a long history of promoting outdoor adventure at its centre in Tyr Abad, Breacon Beacons, and it is wonderful to see our students progress and achieve success at the highest level.” 

More than 60 children and their family members of all ages took part in BFG-themed workshops at Cumberland Lodge on Wednesday 7th July, as part of an intergenerational storytelling day.

The workshops were run in partnership with the Learn2Think Foundation and Dr Ann Alston, a children’s literature expert from the University of the West of England.

They explored the power of stories for inspiring questions and conversations that resonate across the generations, and looked at how stories can help people to think about shared dreams for stronger communities.

Dr Ann Alston, who led small-group storytelling sessions in the grounds of the Lodge, said, ‘It’s all about starting conversations about the power of books and storytelling for passing ideas and learning from generation to generation, and encouraging people of all ages to question and think critically about the world we live in.’

Virginia McLean and Felicia Jackson from the Learn2Think Foundation led creative workshops throughout the day, for children and their parents, grandparents and guardians.

Participants were tasked with imagining what they would ask the oldest person in the world, and what they could learn from the oldest person they know. They also drew pictures of how they wish the world could be, and thought about how stories can bring children and older generations together.

One of Ascot's best-known characters, Colin Lewis,  of C E Lewis butchers in Ascot High Street, sadly past away on 15th July 2019 aged 82 years.
Friends and relatives have described Colin as a great man and a ray of sunshine in Ascot, who was only ever kind to everyone he met. Many will remember meeting him in the street, to be greeted with “Lovely Day!",  even if is was pouring with rain!

Colin was the son of a butcher, William Lewis, based in Westfield Old Woking,where the business was set up in 1931. He left school at 14 to join the family business and then moved to Sunningdale in the 1950’s  and then to Ascot in the 1960’s -  where he has successfully operated his business ever since and been at the heart of Ascot High Street for over 50 years, serving the local community faithfully.  In that time, he has seen many businesses come,through recessions,meat scares and rising rents.

HIGH CLASS BUTCHERS IN ASCOT HIGH STREET  are looking for full time and part time staff either fully trained or with knowledge and experience of preparing meat Email lawrielyons@googlemail.com Tel. 01344 620481 Colin's motto was “the customer is king" and  his legendary  Christmas queues down the High Street were testament to his loyal following locally.  The shop was his life, his passion, his stage and every day was a new performance - less of a job and more of a vocation in life.  It is generally believed that there will never again be a finer butcher.
Over the years he  served the Royal Family, other royal families from around the globe, many celebrities and, most importantly,  the local people in and around Ascot, with the finest meat money can buy, sourced from small independent farmers.

Colin, friend to many, will be greatly missed in our community.

Colin Lewis 1937 - 2019

Colin's funeral is on Monday 5th August at 2pm, at St. Peter’s church Cranbourne . The hearse will take a route from  Ascot high Street from 1.15pm, for a final 'goodbye'.

Pictured Above: Professional Singer and Ukulele Player, Emma Stevens Plays for Baby and Mum, Jo Gee.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St Peter’s were delighted to recently be joined by professional singer and ukulele player, Emma Stevens, for Lullaby Hour. Lullaby Hour is an award winning project created by the Music in Hospitals & Care charity that brings calming music into hospital wards to help aid sleep and recovery for babies. Emma sang to some of the parents and babies in NICU, and played some gentle and soothing music on her Ukulele which created a relaxing and calm environment for parents as they held their babies. 

Phoebe Gorry, Concerts Coordinator at Music in Hospitals & Care says; “Our live music sessions are delivered by professional musicians and are designed to humanise clinical settings, to reach and connect people, to encourage communication and meaningful interactions and to elicit emotions and memories when it matters most.”

Jo Willard, NICU Family Support Coordinator at St. Peter’s Hospital supports the project and says; “We received such wonderful feedback from both staff and parents who all thoroughly enjoyed the session. The Lullaby Hour created such a beautiful memory for all the parents involved to treasure and provided a distraction to the neonatal environment.”

This exciting series of Lullaby Hour sessions is one of many proposed activities that will form part of the ‘healing arts’ initiative to enhance the therapeutic environment across Trust sites, helping to achieve our vision of providing an outstanding experience and the best possible outcomes for patients and the team.