28 April 2025  | 05:00 The Newbury Common For years the Kennet & Avon Canal, especially between Monkey Bridge and the swing bridge, has seen people gather to feed and photograph the resident mallards, coots and moorhens. A particular local favourite is the true mandarin drake that’s returned each spring for the last seven years, yet never hybridises with the mallards it swims alongside.

Eden McCormick-Langdon On Sunday 23rd march Peter Oswald, poet and playwright, received a mayoral welcome as he arrived in Newbury on day 6 of their pilgrimage from bristol to parliament square. Accompanied by Nick Bilbrough. The two men were observing Ramadan. Fasting as they traveled the 150 mile route along the Kennet and Avon canal; hosting events in each place they stopped, reading the poetry of palestinian children to raise awareness for the cause of justice in Palestine and money for The Hands Up Project.

28 April 2025 | 05:00 Dan Dury On 2 March 2025, two engineers at RAF Odiham ripped part of the Paddington Bear statue from its bench outside Camp Hopson in Newbury after a day at the races. Thames Valley Police recovered the damaged half, and Newbury BID’s installation team repainted and secured the figure. At 11:30 on 9 April, Ian Batho and Ashley Morris of the Newbury Business Improvement District unveiled the restored bear before residents and pupils from John Rankin School.

We discuss our local media project and what it aims to bring to the community. We reflect on how it started, what makes it different, and our hopes for its future.

14 April 2025 | 05:00 The Newbury Common On Saturday, April 5, 2025, St Bartholomew’s School hosted GreenFest, providing education, inspiration, and practical solutions for a sustainable future. From 10:30 AM to 16:30 PM, visitors could explore over 60 stalls hosted by local environmental groups, businesses, and volunteers. Some stalls were hands-on workshops: crafting, cooking, and bug hunts for kids. There were also talks about electric vehicles, heat pumps, plastic reduction, and so on.

10 February 2025 | 05:00 West Berkshire Council In response to public feedback, certain plastic pots, tubs, and trays can now be included with your regular recycling - making it easier than ever to recycle everyday items. Alongside plastic bottles, cans, and aerosols, residents can now recycle items such as clear yoghurt pots, spread tubs, clean ready meal trays (without film lids), and fruit punnets (without film lids).

10 February 2025 | 05:00 Dan Dury I imagine many who were educated in the UK might remember a history lesson essentially mocking Chamberlain. How could we allow others to annex territories without consequence? Whether it’s Chamberlain’s concession to Hitler, or modern-day parallels with Putin first in Crimea and Israel’s crawling annexation; it’s the story. US President Donald Trump unveiled a plan to take over the Gaza Strip once its Palestinian residents are forcibly relocated.