Bringing local people together
River Academy, our local secondary school in Richfield Avenue, has produced an Amazon Wishlist to stock its library so that students can engage in a range of wonderful texts. Donations of books via the wishlist will be very welcome.
Would you like to help? To donate a book to the school’s library please visit amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls.
A huge thank you for the kind donations that have been received already. These will bring joy to so many.
Our gardening competition is back! This is an opportunity to beautify your home and possibly win a prize – all you need to do is cultivate your front garden and let us know. The competition will have a similar format to last year’s, this time with John Lewis vouchers for the winning entries courtesy of an anonymous donor.
Next year we expect to be holding a gardening competition with a difference – in the spring instead of the summer – so the choice of flowers and the growing season will be very different.
This may seem a long way off, but it will soon be time to start thinking about what to plant as bulbs for next year will need to be planted in September and October. Stay tuned for details!
Judging for this year’s competition will take place at the end of July and beginning of August. To enter the competition please email us with your name and address at info@bell-tower.org.uk.
Our area has lots of fascinating history, and this year we are organising heritage walks around our area again in September as part of Heritage Open Days. The walks will take place on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 September and will last about 90 minutes.
Entitled ‘Caversham Road: An area shaped by Victorian aesthetics and innovation’, the walk will take in much of the area’s Victorian industry, showing signs of what remains and pictures of local scenes from the era. We’ll also be looking at some of the original Victorian architectural features that survive to this day.
Further details and booking at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/caversham-road-an-area-shaped-by-victorian-aesthetics-and-innovation-tickets-948165768337. Please note that places will be limited to 12 per walk so prior booking will be required.
These walks get booked up quickly, and we are keen to offer them to as many local people as possible. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
We’ve also made the walk into a 20 minute documentary – you can watch this here:
Saturday 8 June 2024 – another great Bell Tower street party in Newport Road. As usual there were plenty of activities for the kids, including Splat the Rat, colouring and face painting. The weather was a bit cool this year, but it stayed fine all afternoon. DJ Burt was back spinning some great party sounds, and we had live rock covers from the band again, featuring one or two familiar faces – everything from the Beatles to some hard rock from Kings of Leon. Andy and Bee from the Moderation were back again with Thai curry dishes. Many thanks to Andy and the Mod team for the fantastic free food, everyone who helped and New Hope and the residents of Newport Road for their support. We’re looking forward to next year’s party!
Band photo courtesy of Claire Thatcher.
The Bell Tower Community Association’s gardening competition is back, for the first time since the Covid pandemic, with a chance to win a garden centre voucher.
All you need to do is start cultivating your front garden and tell us that you are interested in entering the competition. Judging will take place in July, and the winner will be awarded a £30 voucher for Richfield Garden Centre, next to the Rivermead.
To enter please contact Richard Chandler at 61 Cardiff Road, email richard@bell-tower.org.uk or leave a message with your address and contact details on 0118 950 8761.
Saturday 3 June 2023 – another great Bell Tower street party in Newport Road. This year’s party was attended by the newly-elected mayor, Councillor Tony Page, who presented the prize to the winning quiz team. There were plenty of activities for the kids, including Splat the Rat, colouring and cupcake decorating and table football. The weather was just about perfect, if a little breezy as usual. Local DJ Burt was back spinning some great party sounds, and we had live music from covers band Jamboozled (you might spot one or two familiar faces there!) Andy and the team from the Moderation were back with Thai curry dishes. Many thanks to Andy and the Mod team for the fantastic free food, everyone who helped and New Hope and the residents of Newport Road for their support. We’re looking forward to next year’s party!
Band photo courtesy of Claire Thatcher.