Whizz, bang, ahhh!

Image of fireworks

Have you booked yet for the fireworks?

Our family bonfire night, with professional fireworks, is a week today, on Friday 27th. The display is thanks to the generosity of Sonning Fireworks, an award-winning local company with a reputation for spectacular displays. The weather is forecast to be fine.

It’s a small-scale, family-friendly event with hot-dogs and other snacks served in the small hall. The rest of the hall is fenced off during the current building works. There’s a licensed bar serving wine and Loddon Brewery ales. Parking is at Dunsden Farm.

You can now book tickets quickly and easily online. They are also on sale at Binfield Heath Stores and at the Shoulder of Mutton in Playhatch. The event begins at 6.30pm.

More village hall news

Don’t forget, there’s also a great programme of musical performances at the hall coming up in the next few months, starting with the fantastic Whalebone on Saturday 11 November. Theirs is a unique style of eclectic acoustic music, which you can sample here. Tickets are just £10 from our online box office, including snacks with a full bar featuring Loddon Brewery ales available. Don’t miss it!

On 26 January we will be hosting a show by award-winning folk duo Ninebarrow, who have been described as ‘stunning’, ‘damn fine’ and ‘perfection’ by critics including The Telegraph, Radio 3 and Mike Harding.

The hall’s exciting programme of re-building works is on track for completion before Christmas. The new extension to the main hall, with its attractive terrace and fully-equipped kitchen will be a great asset for social events of all kinds.

The hall’s management committee is looking for new people to help them run the building. Experience is not necessary, and the time commitment is not heavy, but the work is very rewarding. With the new hall heading for completion before Christmas, now is the perfect time to get involved! If you are interested, please contact Ginny.

 

Raising the Playhatch Road

Oxfordshire has not been successful in its bid for funding for the next stage of this project, which was to prepare a complete design scheme. Locals in Sonning Eye were concerned that the scheme (which is intended to keep the road open in times of heavy floding) could make their flooding worse, and cause considerable disruption during its construction. The Parish Council is to poll residents for their views on this issue and on the Third Thames Bridge.

Proposed Third Reading Bridge

A group led by Reading East MP Matt Rodda continues to press for a new bridge. The scheme has the active support of representatives of Reading and Wokingham, with South Oxfordshire and Oxfordshire representatives keeping a watching brief. The scheme’s objective is to get 55,000 vehicles out of Reading, with onward routes including Caversham Park Village and the B481 through Sonning Common. What are your views? Look out for our online poll.

Henley Road closure

The work is on schedule and on target, expected to be completed by the end of the first week in November. New views have opened up across the fields as a consequence of the installation of shuttering which should prevent the road breaking up in future.

Gladman Homes appeal against planning defeat

Gladman Homes have appealed against the refusal of planning consent for 245 houses in fields close to the AONB near Dunsden after a long campaign by the group CAGE Dunsden. The process will run to a strict timetable which has yet to be announced.

SODC Councillor offers grants

Our District Councillor, Paul Harrison has around £500 to offer for a specific project in the parish. The council will discuss this at its next meeting, but possibilities include the conversion of the phonebox on Dunsden Green to an information point and book exchange, or the installation of a defibrillator in the village hall.

Tarmac gravel extraction

A liaison group was told this week that gravel extraction is expected to begin next week. Oxfordshire’s monitoring officer will be visiting the site on a regular basis to ensure compliance with the planning permission. Kevin Browne is the local plant manager who can be contacted concerning problems with the work.

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