Windsor Berkshire

Relief Road temporary closures

2008-08-26T16:50:00.002+01:00

The A332 to Slough and Eton (The Relief Road) will be closed for four nights next week to allow contractors to carry out essential road safety and speed reduction measures.

Dates and times are listed as
Closed 10pm to 6am Tuesday August 26th
Closed 10pm to 6am Wednesday August 27th
Closed 10pm to 6am Thursday August 28th
Closed 11pm to 7am Friday August 29th
Closed 11pm to 7am on Saturday August 30th.

Judicial Review for Fire Station closure plan

2008-08-26T16:46:00.002+01:00

The council's application for a judicial review of Berkshire Fire Authority's plan to close our fire station on the grounds that the fire authority's consultation process was flawed has been approved. A judicial review at the High Court in London has been set for 29th January 2009.

Security van robbery in Dedworth, Windsor

2008-08-07T12:58:00.006+01:00

Local police report that two security guards delivering cash to the ATM in Tesco's supermarket in Dedworth Road were robbed on Monday 4th August 2008 at around 11am.

They were approached by a white man, 5ft 6ins to 5ft 7ins, of slim build. He was wearing a blue cagoule jacket, jeans and boots and a balaclava. The man threatened them with what is believed to be a handgun and demanded money. No-one was injured in the incident. and the robber drove off in a silver Mercedes convertible.

If you have any information about this incident please contact DC Sarah Houghton on 0845 8 505 505. If you don't want to speak to police then please call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Swan Upping 2008

2008-07-14T13:19:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow Tuesday 15th July 2008 the Swan uppers will depart from Eton Bridge at about 09.00 am. Again this has been a poor year for the cygnets due to weather and the conservation role of ringing the birds will help future plans to aid the swan population on the thames.
http://www.windsor-berkshire.co.uk/swanupping.php

Leopard Moth

2008-06-20T17:44:00.000+01:00

A lovely visitor to my garden this morning. This striking 'Leopard Moth' Zeuzera pyrina spent all day on a sunshade. He looked to have a wingspan of about 5cm and as you can see, is beautifully marked.

Red Kites Return to Windsor

2008-06-16T21:03:00.002+01:00

After an absense of several hundred years Red Kites are back. At 1.30 pm today Windsor resident Nicola Brown reported a large bird of prey with the familiar forked tail and wingspan close to 2 metres circling over the Dedworth Road.

Red Kites were once regarded as vermin and were persecuted from the late middle ages until the nineteenth century when the last English Red Kites were killed by humans. However a small colony survived in Wales and a breeding program and reintroduction sceme has proved amazingly successful.

The bird seen of Windsor today was almost certainly from the Chiltern hills where there is now a large and ever growing population of these stately birds, taking advantage of the thermal currents coming off the hillsides.

Although large and impressive, Kites mainly scavenge on dead animals, small mammals and invertebrates such as beetles and earthworms.

Windsor Boys' School in partnership with Eton College

2008-05-27T10:35:00.002+01:00

Windsor Boys' School will be involved in a four-year partnership with Eton College.

According to the BBC, Schools Minister Andrew Adonis announced partnerships as a "new era for independent/state schools partnerships. " The purpose is to share sixth form expertise, including "raising aspirations" about university applications.

Eton has recently come under fire over its charitable status designation and is actively pursuing policies such as this that demonstrate how it helps a wider community and why it should retain that status.

Old Windsor Pub frozen out by British Gas

2008-05-14T08:41:00.003+01:00

For the past 18 months the gas meter meter at the Jolly Gardeners pub in Old Windsor, Berkshire has wrongly been measuring consumption in feet rather than metres. This led to bills of close to £2,000 per month in winter and the Landlord had to turn off the heating, resulting in loss of business. British Gas now admit the mistake and have offered £500 compensation. However the pub Landlord has asked them to rethink that offer which he does not believe represents a fair settlement of the matter. Didn't we go metric in the early seventies? You might think the gas people could have sorted things out after close to 40 years.

Dates for the Windsor Wheel

2008-05-14T08:22:00.001+01:00

This year (2008) the giant Ferris Wheel will once again stand in Alexanrdra Gardens from 28 June to Sunday 2 November.

Apprentice in Windsor

2008-05-07T09:22:00.003+01:00

According to The Sun newspaper (sic), one of this season's characters appearing on the tv show "The Apprentice" has been allegedly behaving badly with a young lady in a back alley in Windsor.

What the Sun fails to ask is why the soldiers weren't called out from the barracks to march this young man off to Slough straight away?

Alright, having an occassional fumble down the Goswells is something we may all regret in our pasts, but ... appearing on The Apprentice? Oh, the shame of it!

William is 1000th Knight of the Garter

2008-05-04T09:20:00.002+01:00

A couple of weeks ago Prince William was appointed to the Order of the Garter. He is the 1000th member of the order which was founded here in Windsor by King Edward III, 660 years ago in 1348

Windsor Arts Centre to reopen in September

2008-05-04T09:09:00.003+01:00

Following the announcement that Dan Eastmond (38) has been chosen to take on responsibility for the Arts Centre, the re-opening date has been set for September 2008.

The centre, which closed over Christmas is one of Windsor's gems, set in a beautiful old fire station at the bottom of St Leonard's Road.

Now is a great opportunitiy for local residents to talk to Dan about their wishes and perhaps offer practical support to ensure this new chapter in Windsor's cultural history is a huge success.

Call Dan on 0845 652 0272

Marshall on the mend

2008-05-04T09:05:00.002+01:00

Good news that local resident and actor Kris Marshall is making a great recovery following an accident last week and is already heading back to work.

Kris will shortly be appearing in a new west end comedy and we are very much lloking forward to supporting him by attending the show.

Kris Marshall car crash

2008-04-29T10:45:00.003+01:00

Actor Kris Marshall who lives in Windsor was hurt in a car accident in Bristol on Saturday night.

Kris recently starred alongside Billie Piper and Laurence Fox in 'Treats' at the Theatre Royal, Windsor before transfering with the play to the West End.

Kris (35) can also currently be seen in the BT adverts.

Kris is in a serious but stable condition. Latest reports are that he is making progress. His friends and fans here in Windsor wish him a speedy recovery.

Goodby Frogmore Hotel

2008-04-17T07:07:00.002+01:00

We drove past the Frogmore Hotel on Alma Road Yesterday at the moment that a big yellow digger pulled the frontage to the ground. Does anyone know if they are rebulding as a hotel or developing flats? It strikes me that everyone is building flats (they call them apartments, but I know a flat when I see one) all over Windsor, but nobody actually wants to live in flats do they?

Green parakeets of Windsor doing well

2008-04-15T21:38:00.000+01:00

There were lots of green parakeets in the oak trees of the great park by the side of the A332 this evening. I got this shot at 720pm. The birds seem to have survived the Winter, including last weeks cold snap and are around in ever greater numbers.

Windsor Tattoo

2008-04-09T19:13:00.001+01:00

Here is the official website link for the forthcoming Windsor Tattoo

Looks like it is going to be huge!

Library Staff shafted by disgraceful borough council

2008-04-04T16:26:00.003+01:00

Just weeks after the Conservative led council voted to give themselves a 91% increase in expense allowance (potential cost to ratepayers =£250,000) they have demanded that all Library staff lose their saturday pay or face the sack (potential saving =£33,500).

Terry Pattinson's excellent front page article in this week's Windsor and Eton Express tells the whole sordid story. Please read it and then get on to your local councilors to express your displeasure at this shameful display. Our libraries are staffed by excellent people who should be paid a fair wage and not be messed about by greedy politicians.

Royal Procession round Windsor this coming Wednesday

2008-03-22T11:44:00.001Z

HM the Qeen will accompany the french President on a tour of Windsor this coming Wednesday. We will be there taking photos so if you cannot get to town yourself, come back to this site next week and take a look at british pagentry in all its spendour.

Cool Clubbing in Windsor

2008-03-17T07:53:00.002Z

After a few lame years Windsor is back on the nightclub map.

Erotique at the Vanilla Bar is proving a massive hit and was reviewed to great acclaim in the Guardian Guide this weekend.

Congrats to Vanilla bar and to Oliver Lang for "whipping up a packed crowd into a rare old tizz"

Missing Taplow teenager

2008-03-15T12:54:00.003Z

Police are appealing for help in tracing a missing teenager.

17-year-old Christine Pullhofer went missing in Taplow on 4 March.

If you have any info as to Christine's whereabouts or need further info, visit

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/

Man's jaw broken in Windsor street attack

2008-03-15T12:51:00.001Z

The BBC reports that a man was assaulted in Peascod Street, near the junction with William Street, in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police are eager to trace passing taxi drivers who may have witnessed the incident.

More info at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/7294354.stm

Is 'free introductory workshop' all that it seems?

2008-03-14T11:33:00.001Z

Like us, many local residents may have received an invitation to an 'Inside Track' property investment seminar in Windsor on Wed 26th March.

Before attending it may be worth your while to read the following Guardian newspaper article :

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/mar/02/money1

In addition we took a look at
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/mortgages/homesabroad/article.html?in_article_id=420738&in_page_id=505

Also the ASA adjudication on a previous mailing is interesting

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/non_broadcast/Adjudication+Details.htm?Adjudication_id=40921

Personally, I will not be attending this seminar.

Save Windsor Fire Station!

2008-03-13T13:11:00.002Z

Windsor Fire Station will be closed at night from late 2008 onwards. If you, like thousands of local residents feel angry at this dangerous cost saving move, read the information at http://www.windsorfirestation.co.uk/ and add your voice to the many expressing their unhappiness at this move. Remember your family's safety in Windsor is a stake.

Windsor Museum Appeal

2008-03-03T14:21:00.002Z

As part of the cultural strategy for the borough, a Museum is being planned, but the funds for property purchace are going to require private as well as public support.

Visit http://www.windsormuseumappeal.org.uk/ for more information.