The ATP Champions Tour at the Royal Albert Hall ran like clockwork last week, when students from Charters school in Sunningdale were chosen as Ball Kids for the four-day tournament. Twenty Four students volunteered their time to retrieve stray tennis balls and ensure the players received new ones for their service games. The tournament, which features World No. 1’s, Grand Slam singles finalists, and victorious Davis Cup team members who have retired from the ATP circuit, offers spectators high quality tennis with a dash of fun.

Mrs Kirstie Hartwell, Head of PE at Charters said, “The students worked incredibly hard to prepare for their role in the weeks leading up to the tournament and thrived under the pressure of the cameras and the spotlights. Watching the skill of the players at close quarters was inspirational and it is an experience of a lifetime they will never forget. I am very proud of the students and each embodied the school’s motto of Unity, Respect, Excellence.”

Year 10 student, Kaya Campion, found himself playing alongside Tim Henman when Xavier Malisse handed him his racquet. “Even though I lost the point, the whole event was an experience I will never forget and I would love to do it again. Although I was nervous at the start, being a part of such a prestigious event was incredible.”

For further information about  Charters School please visit the website: www.chartersschool.org.uk/   

A meadow in Eton Wick has been extended to open up the area for residents to enjoy! Cooley’s Meadow, which is to the south of Eton Wick Road and west of the Royal Windsor Way, has been extended as part of a land swap arrangement.

The previously unmanaged narrow strip of land has now been extended by the additional parcel of land which had previously been owned by Eton College.

This land will now be public open space, with the existing wire fencing that is no longer required being removed, allowing the site to be opened up to the public.

The site will be managed as a wild flower meadow to improve floral diversity, and additional trees will be planted along the boundaries of the land.

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Thanks to a monumental effort by the pupil-led Single-Use Plastics Free Alternatives (SUPA) Committee, Upton House School is proud to be the first school in Berkshire to receive official Plastic Free School Status accreditation by the national Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) organisation – and all within a remarkably short time. 

Comprising a team of dedicated young pupils from years 4 to 6, who have worked tirelessly to achieve their aim of a plastics-free school environment, Upton’s SUPA Committee began as part of the school’s enrichment programme for more-able pupils whose research revealed the devastating effects of plastic in our environment.  It has rapidly gathered pace as other pupils and members of staff have felt compelled to join the all-encompassing, highly charged campaign.   Joining forces with the highly valued Plastic Free Windsor group has also been a tremendous boost to the children’s work in achieving SUP status.

LEGAL ACTION UPDATE:

Lawyers representing the coalition of local authorities, below,The Mayor of London and Greenpeace, who are all opposed to Heathrow expansion will make the case in the High Court from Monday 11^th March that the Government’s Airport National Policy Statement backing Heathrow expansion should be quashed.  SEE PREVIOUS ARTICLE

Councils in boroughs facing blanket noise misery from an expanded Heathrow are calling on the airport to spell out the real price communities will have to pay to satisfy its demand for growth.

Five local authority leaders say there are five key facts which are either missing or not spelt out clearly in the airport’s current publicity material.

KEY FACT 1 – The number of people already affected by noise from Heathrow is more than all the major European hub airports put together.

KEY FACT 2 – The combination of arrivals and departures and new flightpaths will mean seven-days-a-week noise for hundreds of thousands of people.

KEY FACT 3 – In many west London boroughs and Home Counties areas the number of communities newly exposed to noise will mean virtually no part of those boroughs will be safe from noise.

KEY FACT 4 – The current eight-hour respite which people in west London enjoy when aircraft switch runways will be slashed to just four hours.

KEY FACT 5 – The airport is backtracking on the Airport Commission’s recommendation for a night flight ban between 1130pm and 6am as a condition of support for a third runway.

Leaders representing Richmond, Wandsworth, Hammersmith & Fulham, Hillingdon and Windsor and Maidenhead councils say no parts of their boroughs will be spared aircraft noise if the third runway goes ahead.

The situation will be repeated across vast swathes of West London and the Home Counties and include central boroughs like Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.

 Cllr Simon Dudley, Leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, said:

“We will be arguing in court that the Transport Secretary had a legal duty to identify all the areas that might be affected. Instead it is being left to the local authorities to work this out for their residents.”

The airport, which wants to add an extra 25,000 flights a year in advance of a third runway opening is consulting on new ‘design envelopes’ which show just where the new flight paths needed to accommodate expansion could go....

 Visit:  www.papplewick.org.uk 

Pictured Above: Papplewick Year 5 boys with Rob Henderson, back row, far right.

Year 5 Papplewick boys were delighted when Rob Henderson came to the school in Ascot to do a coaching session with them on Monday, 25th February.

In the session the boys looked at the tackle, the ruck and some attacking lines before coming together to play a fiercely fought match against each other. They boys then got an opportunity to ask Rob about his playing days.

Rob is a retired Irish rugby union footballer who played for a number of clubs, including Toulon and Munster. He represented Ireland internationally, winning 29 caps, and toured with the 2001 British and Irish Lions, winning three caps.  

“All the coaching was gratefully received by the boys and we’ve certainly never seen them play with such intensity!” Headmaster Tom Bunbury said. “It was a great afternoon for the boys and one they will be looking to take with them into their remaining matches of the season.”

About Papplewick...

Friday 22nd February 2019 marked an extraordinary day in Thames Hospice’s 30-year history as we welcomed Prime Minister Theresa May to our new hospice Ground Breaking Ceremony.

The Prime Minister gave an impassioned speech at the Oakley Court Hotel in front of more than 80 supporters of the Hospice, including local dignitaries. Many attendees have already donated or pledged their support towards the new hospice’s £6 million capital appeal.

Following the presentations, everyone gathered at the new hospice site by Bray Lake to witness the official Ground Breaking Ceremony.  As Thames Hospice prepares to relocate from Windsor to Maidenhead, it was an honour for Windsor MP Adam Afriyie and the Prime Minister to mark the occasion together.

We were also delighted to welcome international Welsh rugby star, Jonathan Davies OBE, who is Director of Stadia at our construction company, Andrew Scott.