Page 38 - Sonning Common News Today

THE Barn café at the Herb Farm in Sonning Common is re-opening for takeaways from tomorrow (Saturday).

Pubs hope to avoid April showers );  ); PUBS and restaurants are proceeding with caution after being given a roadmap for the lifting of coronavirus measures. Although they can start to serve customers from April 12, this will be outdoors only for at least a month. The possibility of trade being heavily dependent on weather means some have decided to wait until May to bring staff back and re-open fully. Limits on social contact are set to remain until June, which means covid safety measures wil...

Vaccinations up and cases down ); THE coronavirus vaccination programme continues to gather pace. The Bell Surgery in York Road, Henley, has given 2,889 vaccinations, representing just over a third of all its patients, while 277 have received a second dose. The Hart Surgery next door has given more than 3,000 jabs. Goring and Woodcote’s joint medical practice has given 3,133 patients their first dose, with a 95 per cent uptake in the first four cohorts. Patients in group 6 are still bein...

Council tax going up with leaders blaming effect of pandemic ); RESIDENTS of Henley face paying nearly £70 more in council tax from April 1. Oxfordshire County Council, which has by far the biggest share of the charge, has agreed a 2.99 per cent increase, including one per cent to help fund adult social care. This means that the average band D household will now pay £1,573.11 a year for the council’s services, an increase of £47 on the current financial year. South Oxfordshire District Cou...

Man’s anger at police record of ‘hate crime’ );  ); AN elderly man is angry that police have kept a record of him being reported for an alleged hate crime. Douglas Kedge, of Lea Road, Sonning Common, says it is “insane” that he should be made to feel guilty when he is innocent. The 85-year-old was reported to the police by a woman in Northumberland whom he wrote to as he disagreed with a letter she wrote to the Times. Mr Kedge, a former chairman of Sonning Common Parish Council, was...

Jabs for vulnerable under-65s  ); ADULTS in the Henley area under the age of 65 who are vulnerable due to a medical condition are now being offered a coronavirus vaccination. Those between 65 and 70 are also being called up for the first of their two jabs, which are administered up to 12 weeks apart, as most aged over 70 have had theirs. The former will attend their GP surgeries while the over-65s will be asked to visit clinics at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford as part of a national programme. ...

£30,000 legal bill to fight appeal );  ); SONNING Common Parish Council is to spend £30,000 on legal representation at an inquiry into a development it opposes. Inspired Villages  appealed after being refused planning permission for a new retirement village in Blounts Court Road, opposite the Johnson Matthey Technology Centre. Its application was rejected by South Oxfordshire District Council, the planning authority, in June. The appeal will be heard at an inquiry in front of a planning in...

Singer-songwriter wants to go one better than ‘finalist’ ); A YOUNG musician is aiming high after reaching the final of the UK Songwriting Contest. Phil Finn, who uses the stage name P.S. Finn, did not win the 2020 competition, the results of which have just been announced. But with 19,000 Facebook followers and thousands of YouTube views and Spotify streams to his name, the 24-year-old is looking forward to trying again this year. Phil says: “I released my debut album Happy I Walk in Au...

Charity finally completes move to old police station ); THE Fish volunteer centre in Sonning Common has relocated after almost two years of planning. The charity has moved from Kennylands Road to the old police station in Lea Road after raising £150,000 to pay for it. The move was delayed twice due to heavy rain in November and the third national lockdown that began last month. Clive Mills, the former Fish chairman, who oversaw the process, said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve been able...

PICTURED: Kate Winslet (Wikimedia) Iconic actress Kate Winslet has appeared in some of the most popular films of all time, including hit blockbuster Titanic and Christmas classic The Holiday. She was born in 1975 in Reading, and studied drama at the Redroofs Theatre School. Kate Winslet also attended St Mary and All Saints primary school in Coley Park as a child. Ricky Gervais Ricky Gervais. Wikimedia Popular comedian Ricky Gervais is known for his distinct humour as well as his...