 RESIDENTS have been urged to trust security at Thornford Park Hospital following reports that the notorious serial killer dubbed the Stockwell Strangler has been moved there. Kenneth Erskine was jailed for a minimum of 40 years in 1988 after sexually molesting and killing seven pensioners in a terri |
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Stockwell Strangler alleged to have been moved to West Berkshire
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EU Referendum Q&A being held in Thatcham today (Friday)
 THATCHAM residents can hear the case for remaining in the EU today (Friday). With only three weeks until the crucial vote on whether Britain should remain in or leave the European Union, local ‘IN’ politicians will present their case. The MP for Newbury, Richard Benyon, will team up with his Labour |
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Man sentenced after stealing clothes from Camp Hopson for son
 A Thatcham man who still suffers from blackouts and flashbacks after being shot in the stomach by a gang of would-be abductors in 2002 found himself in the dock last month after stealing clothes from Camp Hopson. The court heard on May 12 how he was only caught after he went back the following day t |
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Cold Ash care home put in special measures after damning inspection
 AN independent care home for the elderly in Cold Ash has been slammed by the Care Quality Commission after an inspection described squalid and potentially dangerous conditions. The Holly Grange Residential Home, which has 19 beds and typically houses 16 residents, was found to be ‘inadequate’ by the |
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Thatcham-based charity awarded by the Queen
 THE Thatcham-based Charlie Waller Memorial Trust is to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for its work in raising the profile of mental illness. The trust was created in memory of 28-year-old Charlie Waller, who committed suicide in 1997 after suffering from depression. The family of th |
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Talented pupils bid farewell to Kennet School
 ANOTHER group of creatively-costumed sixth- formers have bid farewell to Kennet School. Following tradition, the 160 upper-sixth pupils attended their last day before study leave in fancy dress on May 27. Superheroes, sharks, monks, priests, police officers, mad hatters and March Hares were among so |
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Thatcham schoolboy has higher IQ than Einstein
 AN 11-year-old Thatcham schoolboy has been invited to become one of the youngest members of Mensa after scoring an IQ higher than Albert Einstein and Professor Stephen Hawking. Daniyal Vemuri, of Cavalry Close, registered a maximum 162 on the Cattell III B paper – two points higher than those regist |
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Latest Bath Road housing scheme in Thatcham approved
 THE latest chapter in an on-going Thatcham housing saga has been approved; but with a demand placed on the developer. Duncan Crook, of Ressance Ltd, is seeking to demolish 129 to 141 Bath Road, up to the junction with Henwick Lane, and replace them with 26 apartments and seven houses. Access will co |
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Thatcham residents chance to appear on TV
 THATCHAM residents will have the chance to appear on television when a new show rolls into town. It will be lights, camera, action in Ferndale Court in Station Road on Saturday as Street Auction sets up shop. The BBC programme sees residents bring their unwanted items and assemble for a pop-up aucti |
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Kennet School is 'outstanding'
 KENNET School is once again an outstanding academy following its latest Ofsted report. The Stoney Lane school received Ofsted’s highest ranking across its leadership and management, quality of teaching, personal development, behaviour and welfare, and outcome for pupils, following a two-day inspecti |
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Crafters to raise charity funds in Thatcham
 A GROUP of local craftspeople and artists in Thatcham will be hosting a fundraising weekend for charity. Pineapple Palace, located at Lower Way Farm, is a shop and café supported and stocked by a number of local artists. The crafters will be holding a summer market featuring craft demonstrations, mu |
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Thatcham bin fire suspected arson
 A Thatcham bin fire yesterday (Fri) evening has been put down to a suspected arson. One pump from Newbury Fire Station was called at 9pm to Dunstan Green, off Harts Hill, where a bin was ablaze in a park. Firefighters extinguished the blaze using two buckets of water. Firefighters have criticised th |
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Concern over cumulative impact of Thatcham housing scheme
 THE impact of 75 new homes in Thatcham has been questioned by West Berkshire Council. Bloor Homes Southern wants to build the homes on land east of Tull Way and north of the Henwick Worthy Sports Ground, 40 per cent of which will be affordable. The development would be accessed off Tull Way. The sch |
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Thatcham teen raising money for life-changing expedition
 A THATCHAM schoolgirl has been fundraising to help people in Ecuador. Kennet School pupil Jemima Unsworth is part of a group of pupils and teachers heading off on the expedition arranged by the school and Camps International. The organisation takes pupils to Africa, Asia and South America, where the |
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Thatcham fun day coming this Sunday
 THATCHAM’S Family Fun Day is almost here. The popular free event will return to the Henwick Worthy playing fields on Sunday. The fun day will be officially opened by the mayor of Thatcham, Ellen Crumly, at 11am and runs until 4pm. Youngsters aged under 16 can sign up for the Thatcham Sports Network |
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Thatcham woman made the surprise star of BBC show
 ONE of Thatcham’s “local celebrities” was recognised for her selflessness as residents became the stars of a new television programme on Saturday. Ferndale Court became the set for the new BBC programme Street Auction. In the programme, residents enter unwanted items into a pop-up auction and the mo |
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Hack Space to set up in Thatcham
 A GROUP for like-minded people with technical, artistic and scientific skills is to set up a temporary base in Thatcham. Newbury and District Hack Space is set to move into the workshop in Lower Way, owned by Thatcham Town Council, next month. The workshop is currently used by the Thatcham Neighbour |
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Henwick Park developer back with scaled-down plans
 A DEVELOPER looking to build hundreds of homes on the town boundary has submitted new scaled down plans. Croudace Strategic is back with fresh proposals for 225 homes at Henwick Park – land to the north of Heath Lane and west of Cold Ash Hill. The plans are Croudace’s second shot at developing the s |
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"Mexican stand-off" leads to road rage
 A Thatcham man appeared in court after a “Mexican stand-off” on a Cold Ash road led to a blast of road rage. At West Berkshire Magistrates’ Court on June 9, Scott Wildman, aged 44, pleaded guilty to threatening fellow driver James Allen on a road at Cold Ash. On September 6, the court heard, Mr Alle |
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Thatcham to remember the Battle of the Somme
 THATCHAM will pay tribute to the men who fell at the Battle of the Somme, when it falls silent to commemorate the centenary of the battle, which began on July 1, 1916. The attack, devised as a way to relieve pressure on French forces at Verdun, was preceded by an eight-day artillery barrage, which w |
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