Bracknell

Police are appealing for witnesses to a robbery which took place in Bracknell on Monday (28/1).

At about 7.45pm, a cashier at Unwin’s off-licence, Bullbrook Row, was lowering the security shutters outside the shop when she was approached by a man who pushed her inside and demanded money. He stole cash from the till before making off through the back of the store.

The man is white, approximately 5ft 8ins, and skinny. He was wearing a black hooded top and light blue gloves, and used a black and white checked scarf to cover his nose and mouth.

Bracknell Det Cons Griff Davies, investigating the robbery, said: “Thankfully, incidents like this are rare. However, we would like to remind all retailers and their staff to be vigilant when opening and closing their premises. We advise them to be aware of who’s in the vicinity at the time, work in pairs if possible, and ensure that regular checks are made to alarm and CCTV systems.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident, or has information which could assist police with their enquiries, is urged to contact DC Davies via the 24-hour police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505. If you don’t want to speak to police or leave your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell

A Harmans Water, Bracknell church could be upgraded to provide improved facilities for both worshippers and members of the community.

Members of St Paul’s United Reformed Church, in Harmans Water Road, and Bracknell Forest Borough Council have signed a statement of intent to work together and explore sources of funding. The statement was signed at a ceremony at the church earlier this month.

Local Bracknell residents and the church congregation will be consulted and involved in the process, which would see the existing facilities upgraded for multiple uses.

Ward councillors Trevor Kensall, Shelagh Pile and Chris Turrell have been working to obtain funding for some new community facilities and are looking forward to working with the church through the statement of intent.

The Council and the Harmans Water Community Association have agreed to close the existing community centre in March. It was felt the centre’s 1960s design was not meeting the needs of the community which meant there is only a small number of people using the facilities – who will now relocate to the church or other facilities.

Church Secretary Alistair Telfer said: "This is a great opportunity to provide a facility which benefits both the Church and the residents here in Harmans Water. St Paul’s Church has over the years become increasingly involved in the local community with its youth work.

"The United Reformed Church, alongside the Church of England – who also worship in our building – are committed to providing a community based church.”

Chairman of the Harmans Water Community Association James Wolff said: "There will be some disappointment about the closure of the community centre as it has played an important part in the life of the local community for many years.

”We recognised that the centre was in decline and could not continue as it was. Under these circumstances, it makes good sense to make better use of the facilities available at St Paul’s Church.”

Cllr Iain McCracken, Executive Member for Bracknell Leisure, Corporate Services and Public Protection, said: "The Harmans Water Community Centre has served the residents of Harmans Water very well for many years, but does not meet the current access standards or the needs of the community.

”Working with St Paul’s Church provides the opportunity to pool our resources to provide a modern facility which will meet the needs and aspirations of the congregation of St Paul’s and the residents of Harmans Water.”

Bracknell Forest Borough Council

Thames Valley Police carried out speed checks on Warfield Street, Bracknell, yesterday (23/1) as part of Operation Pride, an ongoing initiative to educate drivers about the dangers of speeding.

Officers from Roads Policing, together with the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership, and Road Safety Officers from Bracknell Council were on Warfield Street between 8.30am and 10.30am.

They stopped 26 drivers exceeding the 30mph speed limit. Drivers received a mixture of enforcement with a fixed penalty notice of £60 and three penalty points or education and advice given by a Road Safety Officer on the dangers of speeding.

PC Bob Wade, Road Safety Constable for Berkshire, said: “Speed enforcement is requested by the local residents, therefore we are responding to the wishes of local people as expressed via the Neighbourhood Action Groups. We will be running a number of operations throughout the year to target speeding, seatbelts, and mobile phone use.”

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell

Don’t tell anyone but the new Sneaky Secret Spy Science Show means The Bracknell Look Out Discovery Centre is now licensed to thrill!

The new Bracknell fun show for all the family shows children how to take fingerprints, listen through solid walls and even how to find a bomb. The show lasts for 40 minutes is on until July 23 at 11am, 12noon, 2pm and 3.15pm during weekends and school holidays.

The Look Out Discovery Centre is also home to an exciting, fun hands-on, interactive science and nature exhibition. There are more than 70 exhibits, which are bright and appealing to all ages.

The exhibits are themed in five zones: sound and communication, light and colour, forces and movement, body and perception and woodland and water.

Use keyboard skills and play a tune on the giant floor piano, launch the hydrogen rocket and hot air balloon or make shadows on the wall in the fabulous shadow box. Younger visitors can be entertained by Solomon the wise robotic owl who is on hand to entertain during the day.

There are also more than 1,000 acres of Crown Estate woodland, where there are many trails and walks. There is a children’s play area, a picnic area, coffee shop and gift shop. Mountain bike hire is also available - please check times with the centre.

Cllr Iain McCracken, Executive Member for Bracknell Leisure, Corporate Services and Public Protection, said: "The Look Out is always a fun and educational day out for all the family.

"If your children think they would like to be the next James Bond then bring them to The Look Out over the next few weeks and let them enter the secret world of spies.”

Bracknell Forest Borough Council

The mild winter has given some of Bracknell Forest’s daffodils real flower power, as they have started blooming much earlier than expected.

The type of daffodil which is planted in Bracknell borough does not normally flower so early in the year - as early as January 10 near the Coppid Beech Roundabout and along Temple Way near Binfield. Depending on the variety and locations of daffodils they can flower between December to April.

Bulbs decide when to start growing and flowering based on certain environmental cues or changes in soil conditions which mark the beginning of spring. The late onset of autumn, mild temperatures and recent wet weather could explain why some of the more sheltered areas of the borough have seen daffodils flowering at a time when it is more expected to see snowdrops.

Any further cold snaps could end the early flowering, it also means there will be fewer daffodils later in the spring. Additionally, other plants, shrubs and trees are showing evidence of early flowering and the grass is now fast growing all almost all year round

Helen Tranter, Head of Bracknell Culture and Visual Environment, said: It is worth remembering that Wordsworth’s famous daffodils poem was inspired by a diary entry made on April 15, 1802. Clearly in the intervening 200 years these welcome spring flowers are appearing - in the south at least - almost three months earlier.”

Cllr Iain McCracken, Executive Member for Leisure, Corporate Services, and Public Protection, said: "As nature is changing in response to the world around us, the Council’s hardworking landscape teams are also having to adapt.

"I hope our residents enjoy this very early sign that spring is on its way.”

Bracknell Forest Borough Council

Two police community support officers (PCSOs) from Bracknell will be offering a bicycle marking service in Bracknell town centre on Friday 18 January.

PCSO Carl Francis of the Great Hollands neighbourhood policing team, and PCSO Matt Wright from the Crown Wood and Forest Park neighbourhood team, will be at the Bracknell town centre bandstand between 9am and 5pm.

Members of the public are invited to bring their bicycles along to be marked with their postcode and other details, which will help police to identify their property if it is lost or stolen. Advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of cycle theft will also be on offer.

Although there will be no charge for the service, Carl and Matt are hoping that bicycle owners will make a voluntary donation to charity.

“We are doing the cycle coding not only to help prevent crime, but also to publicise a long-distance charity bike ride we will be taking part in,” said Carl. “In mid May we will be cycling from Edinburgh to Bracknell to raise money for the Chiltern Air Ambulance and Dreamflight.

“We’ll use the opportunity on Friday to tell people about the ride and hopefully encourage some to support us through donations or sponsorship.”

PCSOs Francis and Wright can be contacted on 0845 8 505 505.

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell

Bird lovers in Bracknell Forest are being asked to spot the number of feathered friends in their gardens to help determine who is top of the pecking order in the borough.

The Bracknell Bird Bonanza is supporting the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch which takes place on January 26 and 27. Participants are asked to spend an hour spotting birds in their gardens or local parks and to record the number of each bird species observed at any one time.

On Saturday, January 26, residents can also take part in the Bird Safari at South Hill Park in Bracknell, organised by the parks and countryside rangers. Participants can learn about the survey, how to recognise birds and can also take part in some fun activities.

The Council is hoping that species such as the bullfinch will be spotted. This is a key local species which is supported by the borough’s Biodiversity Action Plan and holds special RSPB status due to declining numbers.

The action plan sets out how to protect 24 key species in the borough is known as the Bracknell 24. The barn owl, dartford warbler, hobby, kingfisher, nightjar, skylark, swift and woodlark are birds also included in the Bracknell 24. Advice is available to anyone who would like to improve their garden or land for such birds.

In 2007, more than 400,000 people across the country spotted six million birds in 236,000 gardens as part of the Big Garden Birdwatch; helping to produce a snapshot of the winter bird population. Over 30,000 school children also took part in the Big Schools’ Birdwatch using a resource pack provided by the RSPB.

Cllr Iain McCracken, Executive Member for Bracknell Leisure, Corporate Services and Public Protection, said: "We are truly fortunate in Bracknell Forest in the diversity of wildlife we have and participating in the Bracknell Bird Bonanza is a great way to learn about the birds which live around us.

"The results will help us better protect our local wildlife as well as adding to the RSPB’s knowledge of birdlife across the country.”

For more information visit the Council’s biodiversity webpage at www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/environment or www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch where an online survey form will be available. Alternatively call the Biodiversity Officer for local advice on 01344 354125 or RSPB on 0870 600 7108 (calls charged at national rate).

Bracknell Forest Borough Council

Pancake pandemonium is set to hit the streets of Bracknell town centre next month when the flipping fantastic charity pancake race makes a welcome return.

For the seventh year running, Bracknell Forest Borough Council and Bracknell Regeneration Partnership are working together to put on the popular pancake race in the town. Local businesses and retailers are encouraged to put their best foot forward, get four colleagues together, don their trainers and run the relay route for a very worthy cause. They will also get a very coveted trophy if they win.

And those people who decide to come in fancy dress could be up for a prize too, if they impress the judges!

All profits made at this year's event will be donated to the chosen charity of Cllr Mrs Gill Birch, the mayor of the Borough of Bracknell Forest, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA).

This year's event is once again supported by the Bracknell News and the Grange Hotel will be supplying to pancakes, which have to be tossed by the competitors as they run along the course.

Graham Mountford, Town Centre Manager, said: "The event is always very popular and every year we aim to beat the amount of money raised for charity the previous year so I would urge as many businesses and retailers to come forward to take part. The event really is a great laugh, not just to those taking part but to everybody watching too. "

To enter the race it costs £5 per person (£20 per team) and runners are asked to bring with them a frying pan for tossing their pancakes, appropriate shoes, fancy dress if they want to and a large amount of enthusiasm. The event begins at 10.30am sharp, so make sure you arrive early!

For more information and to sign up to take part contact Debbie Ogles on: 01344 352460 or email her at: debbie.ogles@bracknell-forest.gov.uk by Thursday 31st January.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council

Police are hunting a man who robbed a teenager as he waited for a bus in Bracknell on Saturday afternoon (12/1).

At 5.20pm a 13-year-old boy and his friend were at Bracknell bus station waiting for a bus to Ascot when they were approached by a young man.

The man threatened the boy and snatched his shoulder bag. He then walked off in the direction of the railway station and crossed the bridge going towards Easthampstead.

The robber is white, in his early twenties, 5ft 10ins to 6ft, slim with a muscular build, with short fair hair combed forwards. He was smartly dressed in a dark grey woollen jacket with large round buttons and black trousers.

The stolen bag is a black canvas Nike bag with a brown and green shoulder strap and a multi-striped shoulder pad. It contained a Nokia 6021 mobile phone and black iPod Nano with white headphones.

Anyone who witnessed the Bracknell incident, or who has any information that could assist police is asked to contact PC Geoff Hawley on 0845 8 505 505. If you don’t want to speak to police or give your name, please call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell

Bracknell Police are appealing for witnesses to an incident of criminal damage that took place in Bracknell yesterday (9/1).

At 4.15pm, a woman was at her home in Harmans Water Road when she heard a noise outside. She looked out to see that all the windows of her yellow Ford Focus, which was parked in her driveway, had been smashed by four people wearing hooded tops.

Bracknell PC Lloyd Brock, who is investigating the incident, said: “This incident took place on a busy road and there were a lot of people in the area at the time, so someone must have seen what happened.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Brock on 0845 8 505 505. If you don’t want to speak to police or give your name, please call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell

A 16-year-old former Bracknell boy has signed an acceptable behaviour contract (ABC) with Thames Valley Police and Bracknell Forest Borough Council, in which he agrees to curb his offending behaviour.

The teenager, who is currently living away from the Bracknell area, has been involved in a number of incidents in the town, including vandalism and public disorder.

Under the terms of the six-month contract, which started on 20 December 2007, the boy has agreed not to associate with specific named individuals; not to encourage others to commit crimes such as damage, theft, stealing cars and assault; not to drink alcohol or smoke cannabis, or be under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, in a public place; and not to strike, or cause to be struck, property belonging to other people.

The teenager recently pleaded guilty to an offence of criminal damage in the town centre (breaking a window) in early December, for which he is being dealt with by the courts.

PC Marius York, anti-social behaviour officer for Bracknell Forest police area, said: “The terms of this contract have been worked out with the young man himself. We hope that his direct involvement in the process will increase the chances of him keeping to the conditions of the ABC.

“I and my colleagues in the Youth Offending Service at Bracknell Forest Borough Council will be reviewing the ABC regularly and encouraging the teenager to abide by his agreement. He fully understands that if he breaches the conditions, this may result in an application to the Magistrates’ Court for an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO).”

Joanna Simpkins, Bracknell Forest Borough Council's Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator, said: "ABCs are a successful tool for tackling anti-social behaviour before the problems spiral out of control, requiring enforcement action. We have had a total of 28 ABCs in Bracknell Forest with both adults and young people.

"The majority of these have had a positive impact for both the recipients and the communities affected, resulting in no further action. However, individuals subject to ABCs are made fully aware of the consequences of any breaches, and we will not hesitate to take further action where breaches occur".

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell

Bracknell Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman was assaulted in Birch Hill, Bracknell, on Saturday night (5/1).

At approximately 11pm the woman, who is in her thirties, was walking home alone from the Silver Birch pub. As she walked along Ringmead, near the junctions with Juniper and Kimberley, she was approached by a youth.

She was asked for a cigarette and when she refused, she was subjected to an unprovoked assault, during which she was pulled to the ground. The boy was joined by two other youths, before all three ran off towards South Hill Park, Bracknell.

The woman sustained only minor injuries, but she was left very shaken by the experience.

All three youths are white boys aged 15 to 16. The main offender is about 5ft 7ins with a slight build, short dark hair, a round face, very dark brown eyes and thick eyebrows.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has any information that could assist police in their investigations, is asked to contact Det Con Donna Pearce of Bracknell CID on 0845 8 505 505. If you don’t want to speak to police or give your name, please call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell

Police are appealing for witnesses after an attempted robbery in Dukeshill Road, off Binfield Road in Bracknell, on 2 January.

At about 9.40am, a woman in her early twenties was walking near a garage block in Dukeshill Road, Bracknell when she was approached from behind by two men. They pinned her against a wall and tried to steal her handbag.

However, the woman resisted and the two men ran away empty-handed. Although she was not injured, the woman was left shaken by the experience.

Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to contact PC Joshua Pitts on 0845 8 505 505. If you don’t want to speak to police or give your name, please call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Bracknell