The Parish Magazine September 2021

around the villages — 1
The Parish Magazine - September 2021 25
Sonning pupils branching out to improve our local habitats
Pictures: Emily Barrett
At the end of the last academic year, Sonning Parish Council kindly donated some litter pickers to Sonning CofE School
so the children can carry out half-termly litter picks near the school. During the coming academic year, which starts
this month, the children will learn how to become more aware of the dangers to our environment that litter causes.
Emily Barrett, the school's geography and history subject lead, said, 'The children litter picked in Ligugé Way, King George's
field and Berkshire County sports field. In total they found four bin bags full of rubbish. As eco-lead of the school, I am
trying to make the children more aware of pollution and the effect it has on our local habitats. Our aim for next term is to
branch out further to the surrounding roads to keep Sonning looking clean'.
Litter has always been an issue in some parts of Sonning — on 18 August 1956 Reading Mercury reported that the village
was being spoiled by 'ticket sprinklers', people who get off the buses and scatter their tickets across otherwise immaculate
streets! Today, it is more serious with rubbish such as empty drinks bottles, cigarette packets, crisp wrappers, broken
toys, plastic bags, Covid masks, and even discarded clothing as our front cover picture shows. Let us hope that the current
generation of schoolchildren do a much better job at learning to look after our environment than some us did in the past!
At last, singing again!
For all female voices who have missed
singing together, Suzanne Newman is
running a singing afternoon on Saturday
11 September in Charvil Village Hall
from 2-4pm. It will be an opportunity
to sing a medley of songs from Motown:
The Musical arranged for two-part choir.
The cost, £10 includes the music and
refreshments. To book: 0118 934 0589 or
suzannenewman@btinternet.com
Charvil Village Party
To make up for missing the annual
fete Charvil is holding a village party
in East Park Farm playing fields on 5
September, 2-6pm. There will be live
music, food, a bar, a petting farm,
Berkshire reptiles, bungee trampolines,
face painting, and balloon modelling.
Rounders 2022
The next annual Sonning village
rounders evening, which this year
was cancelled because of Covid,
is booked for
the evening of
17 June 2022
Keep the date free!
roibul, dreamstime.com
Painting outside — for the time being . . .
A river scene by George Gallocker
Sonning Lock by Bernadette Varilone
Sonning Bridge by Rob Farquhar
Garden flowers by Sue Eley
Sonning Art Group decided to make the most of the fine weather and continue
meeting and sketching outdoors, but will return to Pearson Hall when
conditions change. Above are sketches made around Sonning and from the
garden of a member who generously hosted an art afternoon. The greatest
challenge was finding a place where they can all park! The group is looking
forward to exhibiting its work at the Sonning Show which is planned for
Saturday 11 September — see page 29.