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Reminder: Last chance to have your say on proposals to open new facilities for children with special educational needs
Thank you to everyone who has already taken part in our survey on plans to open new facilities for children with special educational needs, which will allow more children with special educational needs to attend a local school.
You have until next week (Friday 24 February) to share your feedback if you haven’t done so already.
We would like your feedback on plans to create an Early Years School Readiness Hub at The Lawns Nursery School, in Windsor, and to establish up to four more Resource Bases attached to mainstream schools in Maidenhead and Windsor. The funding for the proposed new facilities comes from a government grant.
For further details on the survey, which launched on Monday 9 January, and to take part, visit our online consultation webpage.
To learn more, please read our press release.
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Unlock Your Potential – Support for local businesses
Our skills and employment campaign, Unlock Your Potential, continues this week with a focus on the opportunities and support available to help local entrepreneurs set up and grow their businesses.
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Business owner up and running after attending council-backed business course
Tanya Cossins is fulfilling her dream of becoming a business owner just months after attending a course for entrepreneurs in our borough.
Tanya has taken over the reins at the cake decorating supply store Pipedreams, in Bell Lane, Eton Wick, selling equipment to make delicious cakes and decorations for birthdays, weddings and baby showers.
As one of more than 40 attendees of the council-funded Rebel Business School course last February, she gained knowledge and the confidence to get going.
“I was looking for information around social media and saw the course advertised. I was surprised the Royal Borough supported businesses this way. It is fantastic,” Tanya said. “It helped me prepare for growing my own business.”
Tanya had come out of a 12-year accounting role and was assessing if, and what, business would be right for her. She said the course changed her ideas of owning her own business into a goal and to pursue her hobby of cake making and decorating, which she has enjoyed for several years.
“Rebel Business School helped me see I could run a business around my passion.
“The course taught me to just get on with things and not wait until they were perfect.
“For example, I thought I should wait until I had completed refurbishments before I set up my Instagram, but I remembered Rebel encouraging me not to hesitate. So, I moved forward and now my Instagram is growing, and more people are learning about the shop.”
Rebel Business School estimates the Royal Borough-funded course has led to a quarter of a million-pound impact on the local economy in the last year.
If you are thinking of starting a business venture, read more about what advice Berkshire Growth Hub can offer below.
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Help and advice for new and growing businesses
There are more registered businesses in our borough than any other of the county’s local authority areas, according to the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Business in Berkshire 2021/22 report recently released.
Each of those 9,495 businesses could get and may benefit from, the advice of Berkshire Growth Hub part funded by the Royal Borough through the LEP.
The report also states there has been a 2.7% growth in the number of businesses in the county between 2011 and 2021, of which 90% are micro or small businesses with up to 149 staff.
Berkshire Growth Hub offers courses to help entrepreneurs with an idea, fledgling and growing businesses.
A mix of hybrid workshops and coaching sessions gives business owners the skills and knowledge needed to successfully begin and build a business. As well as learning, participants can support each other and get support, creating a nurturing start-up community.
The Growth Hub courses tackle the basics of establishing a business including securing finance, forecasting, developing sales and marketing plans, and launch advice.
There is also help for ongoing business support once established, to accelerate and grow, including business strategy and 1-2-1 mentoring.
Get support by creating a business profile on the Berkshire Growth Hub website.
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Help shape the future of business
If you are a business owner or entrepreneur and want to inspire the Royal Borough’s next generation, this could be for you.
The Careers and Enterprise Company is an employer-led organisation set up with the Thames Valley Berkshire LEP.
Business advisers are being sought to support three of the Royal Borough’s schools: Manor Green and Forest Bridge, which are schools for children with special educational needs, along with Holyport College.
Help could take the form of working with the school’s leadership team to oversee a strategy for careers or teachers to support aspirational careers education. A range of professionals from a variety of business backgrounds are needed and support will be provided by the Careers and Enterprise Company.
If you are interested and want to learn more, please contact [email protected] or register at enterpriseadviser.careersandenterprise.co.uk.
If you only have an hour to spare, you could still change the course of a young person’s life by sharing your story or helping them understand more about the world or work. Register on the Careers and Enterprise website.
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Helping young people find employment
The Royal Borough’s children’s services partner Achieving for Children is holding a business information session, alongside The Care Covenant and John Lewis, to build even stronger support for young people with a care background.
The Better Futures event will be held at Moor Hall in Cookham, on Wednesday 22 February. The aim is to support businesses to understand the benefits linked to supporting young people in care.
If you have links to local businesses and feel you can support us to ensure the right people attend or would like more information, please contact Michael Guard at Achieving for Children or sign up on the My Royal Borough website.
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Check out My Royal Borough for further business advice and support | |
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My Royal Borough has a wealth of free information, advice and links to training from business support organisations Berkshire Growth Hub and Thames Valley Berkshire LEP, and the national Visit Britain service, including:
- Adopting technology successfully and digital IT courses
- Sustainability as a goal or promoting green credentials
- Reducing waste, recycling and maximising energy consumption
- Reducing emissions and creating sustainability plans to reach carbon net zero by 2050
- Online disability equality training for businesses via AccessAble.
If you are a local business, visit the My Royal Borough website to find out more about getting involved. If you are a resident, check out the information on how you can support independent shops and other local businesses.
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Calling all jobseekers! Attend our jobs fair
A jobs fair will take place at Maidenhead Library on Tuesday 14 March from 10.30am to 1pm.
Jobseekers will have the opportunity to meet local employers and find out about their current vacancies. There’s no need to book, just turn up on the day.
Employers who wish to attend the event should contact [email protected].
For more information, please visit our employment support webpage.
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Parking options for Maidenhead Town Centre
The Nicholson’s (Broadway) car park remains closed in the interests of health and safety while we carry out technical condition assessments to help us make an informed decision about the next steps. While that important work progresses, please continue to play your part for Maidenhead town centre by continuing to shop locally and support local traders.
Alternative parking for shoppers continues to be available at a number of car parks, including in Hines Meadow multi-storey car park and Grove Road and West Street surface level car parks. You can explore alternative parking options on our parking web pages and our Make Maidenhead Facebook page.
The Shopmobility service has relocated to unit 69/71 Queens Walk Mall. The Brock Street entrance to the centre can be used as a drop-off point for those unable to walk from the town’s other car parks. The nearest disabled parking bays are on Queen Street.
We would like to thank everyone for your ongoing patience. We very much recognise this unfortunate closure, while necessary, has caused inconvenience, however, public safety must be our top priority and this important work is progressing as fast as practically possible.
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Reminder: Have you got suitable photo ID for the upcoming elections?
The Government has introduced a requirement for voters to show photo ID when voting at a polling station in some elections. This new requirement will apply for the first time in England at the local elections on Thursday 4 May, when our Borough and Parish elections will be held.
You may already have a form of photo ID that is acceptable. You can use any of the following:
- Passport
- Driving licence (including provisional licence)
- Blue badge
- Certain concessionary travel cards
- Identity card with PASS mark (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
- Biometric Immigration document
- Defence identity card
- Certain national identity cards
If you don’t already have an accepted form of photo ID, or you’re not sure whether your photo ID still looks like you, you can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate, on the Government website.
For more information, please visit the Electoral Commission website or call their helpline on 0800 328 0280.
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Book your tickets for the Mayor’s Charity Spring Dinner
The Mayor, Councillor Christine Bateson, will host a charity spring dinner in aid of the British Heart Foundation on Saturday 25 March at 7pm.
The dress code is black tie and tickets are £65 each, which include a drinks reception, three-course meal, and entertainment.
Tickets are available on a first come first served basis, so please visit our website to learn more and book your place before the Monday 13 March deadline.
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Royal Borough Community Spotlight
Here are just some of the upcoming community events in the Royal Borough:
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Bazaar and coffee morning (Saturday 18 February, 10am to 11.30am) – St Mark’s Crescent Methodist Church, Maidenhead. Items on sale include home-baked cakes, stationery, books, and bric-a-brac. There will also be a raffle. Proceeds will go to the Emerge Project at Wexham Park Hospital. To learn more, please email [email protected]
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Desborough Bowling Club Open Day (Saturday 18 February, 10am to 4pm) – Desborough Bowling Club, Maidenhead. The club are inviting residents, young and old, to come along and see the facilities and experience Bowls at its best. Tea and coffee will also be available
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Fundraising event for Turkey and Syria earthquake appeal (Saturday 18 February, noon to 4pm) – Clewer Community Centre. Join the Windsor Muslim Association for a bake sale, face painting, henna, raffle, and food stalls to raise money. To learn more, visit the Global Helping Hands website
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Friendship: The perfect blendship (Saturday 18 February, 7pm) – St Nicholas Church. Taplow. Explore the facts and myths around the show Anything Goes. Learn more about Cole Porter, try your hand at a trivia quiz and even sing along! Supporting the ‘Friends of St Nicolas Church, Taplow’ and led by the church organist, Neil Matthews with members of the Maidenhead Musical Comedy Society and their friends. Tickets for £10 are available on the church website
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Surviving Opera (Monday 20 February, 11.30am) – Baylis Theatre, Braywick Leisure Centre. This month’s lecture from The Arts Society Maidenhead unpacks the idiosyncrasies of this art form including the huge voices, big gestures, and bizarre plots. £10 for non-members (free with advert from the Maidenhead Advertiser Thursday 5 January)
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Flute, harp and viola concert (Thursday 23 February, 8pm) – Norden Farm. Maidenhead Music presents a concert by the Trilogy Ensemble, an unusual combination of musical instruments playing a programme called “The Wind and the Sky” with pierces by Debussy, Vivaldi, and others. Tickets are £20 (Members £15) and under 18s go free with an adult. Each person with a ticket (whether Member or Season Ticket holder one-off) can also bring a friend for free. Please contact Norden Farm to arrange your ticket and your friends for free. Learn more on the Maidenhead Music Society website contact [email protected] to book
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World Day of Prayer 2023 (Friday 3 March, 2.15pm to 3pm, and 7pm) – Two ecumenical services will be offered. Pupils from St Peter’s Church of England Middle School, Crimp Hill, Old Windsor will be leading the afternoon service. An evening service will also be held at The Church of St Andrew, Clewer, Mill Lane, Windsor. Everyone is warmly invited to the celebrations which will be followed by refreshments. For further information please email [email protected], [email protected], or visit the World Day of Prayer website
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Quiz night (Saturday 11 March, 7pm) – Woodlands Park Village Centre. Tables of six or individual entries are accepted, and a raffle will be organised during the evening. Please bring your own food, drinks, glasses etc... Tickets are £7.50 per person and can be booked at [email protected] or call 01628 623263. All funds raised go to the St Mark’s Crescent Methodist Church Fund
If you have an upcoming not-for-profit community event or activity you’d like to promote in this newsletter, simply send basic information about your event to [email protected] and it could be shared with more than 21,000 local residents.
You just need to include a brief description, when and where it takes place, and a link to a website/social media page/contact where people can find out more.
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Local Travel Updates
Planned engineering works are taking place on the South Western Railway network tomorrow (Saturday 18) and Sunday 19 February which will impact local rail services. Please visit the South Western Railway website for more information.
Overnight closures of the A404M are also due to start next Monday (20 February) running until Thursday 23 March. During this time, National Highways will be resurfacing between junction 9b to the M4 Holyport Interchange. For further information, please visit the National Highways website.
For details of council works on highways, visit our website. For full local
roadwork details, including work by utility firms, please visit the One Network
website.
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