News

Climate Emergency: Reading Borough Council not commit to double its tree count

Published

5 years ago

February 18, 2020

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We’re facing a climate emergency but Reading Borough Council won’t commit.

Reading Borough Council has NOT committed to increasing biodiversity in the town and last night we found out that we won’t join Oxford, Bristol, Bath and others and commit to doubling tree cover.

Trees help to protect the climate, improve air quality, support more wildlife, reduce flood risk and improve people’s well-being. This briefing, compiled by Friends of the Earth’s Trees campaigning team, details how councils can access land and money to double local tree cover.

In order to tackle the climate emergency and reach net zero emissions as early as possible, the UK needs to double woodland cover, according to research by Friends of the Earth and the Centre for Alternative Technology.

By publicly supporting a target to double local tree cover, councils can send a strong signal to the government to unlock more funding for trees, and encourage local landowners to grow more trees.

Many local authorities – including rural and urban councils controlled by the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party – have already publicly announced a goal of doubling local tree cover and are devising plans to access money and land to deliver it. Here are a few examples:

Bath & North East Somerset has announced plans to double woodland cover across the district.
Bristol City Council committed to double tree canopy cover by 2045 as part its One City Plan .
Hackney Council has plans to double on-street canopy cover and plant 30,000 trees in parks and green spaces.
Leeds City Council approved a report calling on tree canopy cover to be almost doubled across the local authority area.
Oxford City Council has publicly supported doubling tree cover across Oxfordshire.
South Gloucestershire has pledged to double tree cover by 2030 by working with landowners across the local authority area.
Wirral Council has pledged to “at least double Wirral’s tree coverage by 2030”.

Call on your councillors to double tree cover

Councils often control large expanses of land with plenty of space for more trees. So will you ask your councillors to commit to doubling tree cover in your area?

Please click the link below & fill the form, it’ll only take a minute. You can personalise it if you want to have even more impact.

Call on your councillors to double tree cover

Let’s double tree cover and create a better future for people and wildlife.

News

OLLY MURS plays READING – Palmer Park on Friday 13th June 2025!

Published

2 weeks ago

April 11, 2025

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Olly Murs fans, buckle up! The Palmer Park Summer Series is delighted to announce Olly Murs Live in Palmer Park, Reading on Friday 13th June 2025.

It’s 15 years since Olly exploded onto our screens, yet he is still more determined than ever about what’s next. With 7 successful albums, 5 of them reaching no.1, in excess of 2 million tour tickets sold, 7.6M monthly Spotify listeners & a combined following of over 27M across social media, Olly has so far had an incredible career as a singer, songwriter & TV personality.

2024 was also a busy year with Olly working 44 dates touring with Take That & finishing off the summer with a run of his own headliner gigs. Having just announced a summer tour in 2025,
Olly has another action-packed year ahead of him & will be celebrating his 15-year anniversary gigging all the hits as he travels down the road to Reading, Palmer Park with Legacy Live on Friday 13th June.

Don’t miss the chance to celebrate 15 fantastic years of Olly Murs in Reading! Book your tickets now at www.legacylive.co Limited Tickets Available!

News

Host a Street Party This Summer – Apply Now for Free Road Closures in Reading

Published

3 weeks ago

April 4, 2025

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People are being encouraged to bring communities together this summer by holding their own street parties as part of The Big Lunch 2025.

This year’s celebrations are particularly significant, as they coincide with the 80th anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day – a special opportunity to come together with neighbours in both celebration and commemoration.

Free Road Closures for Summer 2025 Street Parties

Reading Borough Council is once again supporting local events by covering the cost of road closure fees for street parties on any of the following weekends:

Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 June – The Big Lunch Weekend
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 June – Armed Forces Day
Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 July
Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 July

How to Apply

To host a street party, residents must apply by Monday 21 April 2025. Applications must ensure the proposed road closure does not affect a main through-route or public transport route. Organisers are also asked to consult with neighbours, address any concerns, and ensure access for emergency services is maintained throughout the event.

You’ll need to provide:

Your name and contact details
The name(s) of the road(s) to be closed
The date and times of the closure
A list of the properties that will be affected
Details of how you will notify residents of the closure
Confirmation that neighbours are on board with the plans

So, roll out your bunting, get the trestle tables down from the loft, and start planning your perfect summer street party!

For more information and to submit your application, visit the Reading Borough Council website.

News

MP for Earley and Woodley Yuan Yang shortlisted for women’s prize

Published

4 weeks ago

March 28, 2025

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MP for Earley and Woodley Yuan Yang among shortlisted women for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction in 2025.

Yuan Yang, the MP for Woodley and Earley, wrote Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China, while Oxford-based Dr Rachel Clarke wrote The Story of a Heart.

Ms Puri said the non-fiction works were “united by an unforgettable voice, rigour, and unique insight”.

The shortlist is rounded out by Dr Rachel Clarke’s The Story of a Heart, The Buffalo Stance singer’s A Thousand Threads, Chloe Dalton’s Raising Hare, Clare Mulley’s Agent Zo: The Untold Stories of Courageous WW2 Resistance Fighter Elzbieta Zawacka, and Helen Scales’ What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World’s Ocean.