The Crier Archives 2000-2022
Hear ye Hear ye! The Crier is always looking for things to shout about! Feel free to submit your Thoughts, Poems, Requests or anything you like to the Cookham
30 DECEMBER 2023 - YOUNG ARCHEOLOGISTS' CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S PARTY
The Young Archaeologists Christmas and New Year Party was held in the afternoon of Friday December 29th.
This year there was the attraction of Virtual Reality! Jay Younes brought the headsets to give the youngsters a 360o tour of the Cookham archaeology from last Summer and lots of fun and interesting VR stuff as well.
As before, there were other activities and a sumptuous Christmas tea, with home made cakes and everything nice.
15 DECEMBER 2023 - COOKHAM KIDS CONCERT A GREAT SUCCESS
The Cookham Village Concert was a huge success raising £2000 for Maidenhead Foodshare and The Pinderhall Refurbishment.
Renee Harris, the organiser said “It was an absolutely joyous evening and the feedback we have had has been amazing. We are so thankful to have The Pinder Hall to use- it’s such a wonderful space with amazing community energy!”
3 DECEMBER 2023 - COOKHAM VILLAGE CHRISTMAS FAIR
A fun afternoon for all when a large number of stalls were open along Cookham High Street so everyone could enjoy there lead up to Christmas. It was very busy in spite of the rain.
1 DECEMBER 2023 - MALIK WINS INTERNATIONAL AWARD
On 20 November 2023 the International Bangladesh Masterchef club held their Masterchef Cook-Off at Northampton Collage. This is the ultimate showdown of culinary talent. A competition to give recognition and encouragement for hard-earned efforts to be creative and innovative encompassing restaurant cuisine and the more rustic South Asian cuisine.Malik Ahmed from Malik’s in Cookham High Street said that he was grateful and honoured to receive the prestigious award for service and leadership to the catering industry.
2 NOVEMBER 2023 COOKHAM VISITS SAINT-BENOIT
Over the October half-term, 21st-24th October, 18 members of Cookham Twinning visited Cookham’s twinned village of Saint-Benoit, near Poitiers in France. Cookham has been twinned with Saint-Benoit since 1994, but this was the first visit since 2019 because of Covid restrictions.
Visitors stayed with local French families, and, as ever, the hospitality was excellent. A varied programme of social and cultural events had been organised, and we were kept both busy and very well fed.
The first event, on the Saturday evening, was a reception in the Mairie, (Town hall), hosted by the Mayor of Saint-Benoit. The Cookham visitors presented Saint-Benoit with two copies of ‘The Wind in the Willows’, one in English and one in French, and we explained that this book was inspired by the Thames at Cookham.
The following day there was the opportunity to walk around Saint-Benoit, including a visit to the ‘Jardin de Cookham’. Saint-Benoit is a four-star, ‘Ville Fleurie’, (garden village), and takes a lot of interest in its parks, gardens and environment. The visitors and hosts met for lunch together, followed by a cello recital in the local abbey church.
On Monday the group visited the medieval town of Chauvigny, with its five ruined castles, and beautifully decorated church. The hosts had laid on good English rain for the visit! After lunch in the town, the group went on to the Macaroon Museum in Montmorillon, including tasting samples and afterwards a tour of the town,
The final evening was spent together with more good food, (and wine), with songs from a local guitarist and occasional vocal accompaniment from the Mayor. On Tuesday, the group said their farewells, and everyone now looks forward to the visit of Saint-Benoit to Cookham next October.
If you would like to get involved with Cookham’s French twinning activities, contact keith_le_page@hotmail.com.
Nearly 100 people turned up for an inaugural charity running event in Cookham that launched at the weekend.
After many years of organising Cookham Regatta, The Rotary Club of Cookham Bridge capitalised on the picturesque site at Cock Marsh to launch 10K and 5K timed races.
With permission from the National Trust and Copas Farms, a figure of eight course measuring five kilometres skirting sites of special scientific interest (SSSI’s) was laid out.
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COOKHAM REGATTA – FUN FOR ALL
(AND LAST DATE FOR COOKHAM REGATTA RACE ENTRIES)
(Event takes place on Saturday September 2rd)
Regatta preparations set for a bumper event
The Rotary Clubs of Cookham Bridge, Maidenhead Thames and Marlow Thames this week confirm the final arrangements for the Cookham Regatta. The event will take place on Saturday September 2nd - the first race starts at 10.00AMand the event closes at 5.30PM.
Keith Miller, Regatta Committee Chairman comments: “This is a great annual fun event for families, friends and organisations alike. And we in turn provide funds for - and raise awareness about - charities both at home and overseas.” The lead charity this year will be the One Can Trust – providing support to local families struggling to feed themselves in these difficult times. More information on the charity can be found on:
www.onecantrust.org.uk
A wide range of other mainly local charities will also benefit.
Keith went on to say: “Throughout the day there will be a variety of races on the river and all sorts of teams will have a go at competing in dragon boats. The deadline for race entries is looming and we encourage teams to go to the website and register as soon as is possible.” He added: “Team entries will be accepted on a first come basis - so check out the options on the website and get your entry in as soon as you can”.
Interested organisations and teams will find full details on:
In addition to the river competitions there will be a wide range of land-based activities– appealing to all ages. These will include various attractions just for kids, fair rides, classic car display, fun dog show, charity stalls, a range of children’s activities, a silent auction, brass band, a good selection of food stalls and much, much more. Keith also recommends bringing your dog along and entering it into the various show categories. You never know - Pooch might just win and earn the family a very modest prize!
A brass band will also entertain as attendees enjoy a variety of interesting food stalls, a tea tent, bar and Pimms tent. All available throughout the day. But if you want to bag a riverside spot - you need to get there early!
The organisers are delighted with the support received from local organisations, and yet again the Shanly Foundation has taken on the role of lead sponsor. Their generosity has allowed the event planning to proceed without risk, and will eventually benefit many smaller charitable organisations.
Families can benefit from a family ticket (just £12 for 2 adults and 2 children). Otherwise adult entry is £6 and child entry £2.
Full details can be found on www.cookhamregatta.org.uk
Refreshed’ by Phyllida Shelley 2023
60 thousand recyclable shower heads are manufactured and supplied, each year, by Challis MS Ltd, a local company, to UK healthcare providers.
To maintain health and safety standards (on behalf of the users), Challis replace the used shower heads quarterly and send them to Cookham Waste and Recycle to be processed and recycled. This time consuming process prevents them from becoming archaeological finds of the future. For this project Challis have donated the showerheads which will then be recycled accordingly.
In focusing on archaeological finds or waste from the past I have developed greater awareness of present day waste. I wanted to create an artwork on the excavation site that contrasts the research of Anglo Saxon history with a contemporary story about waste in Cookham.
How do we view the impact of today's waste and what considerations do our local companies, working together, make in the manufacture, distribution and disposal of vital equipment for the benefit of our health and wellbeing
By arranging these showerheads in the formation of the Anglo Saxon symbol found on the reverse side of the Queen Cynethryth coin I want to trigger a range of responses that encourage discussion and thoughts about waste from our past, present and future. This symbol is now the logo for Friends of Cookham Abbey FCA, designed by local website designer Richard Pow.
The artwork’s placement creates a physical connection with the ground. Drone shots will capture images of the FCA logo artwork when collecting archaeological data for this academic research project of Cookham Abbey.
Stroke in England national coxed 4
Stroke in national 8 boat
Stroke in England 8 sprint
He's recently reached the semi finals at Henley schools regatta with Shiplake.
Next up..... In team GB European rowing championships in Amsterdam next weekend!
Cookham triumphs!
10 JULY 2023 - BUTTERFLY WALK AT THE THICKET
with thanks to Andrew Padmore
After this great build up for the walk 4 people turned up. 8 members signed up, but they had obviously studied the weather forecast! Right on cue it rained heavily after 1.30am, which was a real shame, because on Thursday I had 16 species & logged 151 butterflies, including both Hairstreaks, Purple & White-letter. Butterflies making up for lost time, after a very slow start in the spring. Always enjoyable & I asked Brian Clews to record all that was seen. Even in those conditions, 11 species were logged. Lots of Essex Skipper sitting motionless on leaves, giving one ample time to get close, see the dark tips of the antenna, to separate from the Small Skipper, with golden tips.
A flash of rusty brown announced the presence of a Silver-washed fritillary, as it disappeared into the canopy.
The iconic White Admiral are famous in this woodland, but over the last few years numbers have declined. The habitat is perfect, the more tangled growth the better. Lack of Honeysuckle foodplant? Hopefully numbers are up in the canopy licking aphid honey dew, with no need to be nectaring on brambles.
I live in hope of seeing more Hairstreak this season or even a sighting of the illusive Purple Emperor!!
Well worth walks throughout the season, because this woodland is so rich in wildlife & the unexpected can appear. A gem in the National Trust’s Crown.
2 JULY 2023 - THAMES HOSPICE OPEN SWIMMING CHALLENGE 2023
(With thanks to Stephanie Diggon for the photos)
Today a new event was launched by Thames Hospice with their inaugural Open Water Swim Challenge in Bray Lake.
This challenge was open to all swimmers whether a seasoned pro who can manage long distances or those who have only swum in a pool before, but always fancied dipping into open water. Not only were participants swimming in tranquil surroundings at Bray Lake, but also engaging in an activity that has so many incredible health and wellbeing benefits.
All participants received a swim hat, medal and free hot drink on the day. They could also purchase exclusive hoodies.
Every penny raised will help Thames Hospice to ensure that their patients and their families are cared for with utmost compassion, dignity and support.
29 JUNE 2023 - TURKISH TAKEAWAY COMES TO COOKHAM
Lychee in Cookham is being turned into a Turkish kebab takeaway called Yunim.
17 JUNE 2023 - THE COOKHAM VILLAGE SCOUT FAIR
The Cookham Village Scout Fair was held today on the Moor. It was a beautiful day for residents to come and enjoy themselves.
15 JUNE 2023 - ELIZABETH HOUSE IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS
We are looking for some more lovely Volunteers! if you would like to know any more details please pop in or call me anytime on the number below.
Dawn 01628 527621.
Volunteers support our fun-loving and interesting independent seniors, we have a core of volunteers who work in 2 shifts each day 10am – 12 noon and 12 -2pm, so no more than 2 hours at a time, supporting staff and each other.
There is always time for a coffee and a chat, you could always stay for a lovely 2 course Lunch too.
Volunteers do not have to commit to a fixed time or day, they can cover just holidays or sickness, so that we have a reserve list.
We offer first aid training and there is an opportunity to do other training if interested, we also offer for volunteers to accompany members and staff on outings (free of charge), help with fundraising events and even the possibility of joining members on a theatre trip with a small joining fee and discounted tickets.
https://www.elizabethhousecookham.org/
8 JUNE 2023 - FRIENDS OF COOKHAM ABBEY LOOKING FOR A MANAGER
Job Vacancy
Community Engagement Manager
The Friends of Cookham Abbey is a charity set up to support the exploration of an Anglo-Saxon monastery on a site next to Holy Trinity Church. We want to appoint a Community Engagement Manager who will engage with local groups and schools to extend the reach of the archaeology project, in the context of the rich historical, artistic and environmental heritage of Cookham and its neighbourhood. The role will reach to people from minority ethnic backgrounds and people on low incomes who traditionally miss out on new experiences and don't feel archaeology is 'for them'. We expect that the CEM will work 40 days over the next year, at £200 per day plus reasonable expenses. Further information from David Mudd:
22 MAY 2023 - LUXURY HOSPITAL TO OPEN THIS SUMMER
Luxury destination hospital Berkshire Grove to open in Maidenhead this summer
Get ready, Maidenhead, for a touch of luxury meets medical marvel. Opening in May 2023, in White Waltham, Berkshire Grove Hospital is here to offer state-of-the-art cosmetic surgery and body confidence procedures in a tranquil, spa-like environment.
Fitted out more in the style of a Mediterranean villa than a hospital as you know it, Berkshire Grove Hospital boasts five operating theatres, a private GP surgery, a pharmacy and clinic rooms, complete with an on-call doctor's apartment for out-of-hours inpatient care. The top floor houses a dental and aesthetic clinic, catering to general and aesthetic dentistry, laser treatments, injectables, skin tightening, and non-surgical fat reduction.
The experienced team at Berkshire Grove Hospital takes pride in their mission to empower body confidence. Utilising cutting-edge technology, they offer a wide range of surgical and non-surgical treatments like facelifts, breast surgery, and body contouring. Moreover, the hospital introduces Renuvion, a groundbreaking tissue tightening treatment which can avoid the scarring associated with traditional surgery, to the region for the first time.
Not only a luxury hospital, Berkshire Grove doubles as a training centre with audio-visual links to the operating theatres. This allows patient surgeries to be projected into the conference centre (only with patient consent, of course) while reducing the number of people in the theatre itself. The space is also available for responsible device manufacturers to train surgeons.
Fulvio Urso-Baiarda, the Medical Director and Chief Executive of Berkshire Grove Hospital, expressed his excitement: “We're thrilled to bring Berkshire Grove Hospital to Maidenhead as our flagship location. With stunning grounds, privacy, ample parking, and excellent transport links thanks to the M4 and Crossrail, it's a perfect central location for our patients. We can’t wait to introduce them to our body confidence-inspiring approach.”
Matteo Scabbia, Asset & Property Manager at Sorbon Estates, said “Berkshire Grove Hospital is an exciting addition to the Maidenhead community, bringing a fresh and unique offering, not just to the town, but to the wider region. It is important to us to introduce new and relevant services to the local area and Berkshire Grove Hospital perfectly fulfils this objective. We are so pleased to welcome them to Maidenhead.”
Curious? Visit www.berkshiregrovehospital.co.uk or register for the launch party on 10th June. During the first month, enjoy a complimentary coffee from the coffee truck outside the hospital and pop in to find out more.
10 MAY 13 MAY 2023 - COOKHAM’S TWIN CELEBRATES CHARLES III’s CORONATION
St Benoit, the village twinned with Cookham, located near Poitiers in France, celebrated the Coronation too. They did a 9 kilometre walk in homage to King Charles.
Get involved with Twinning and meet new people, no knowledge of French necessary. Info@cookhamtwinning.org.uk.
10 MAY 2023 - COOKHAM TANDOORI RESTAURANT 1983-2023!
Congratulations to Bashir Islam and Aysha Islam of Cookham Tandoori Restaurant in Cookham Village on 40 years of business in Cookham. They had celebrations this evening to celebrate how the restaurant has grown to be part of the Cookham community over the last forty years. Bashir would love to see any photos you may have to bring back memories.
8 MAY 2023 - THE BIG LUNCH
There were two Big Lunches in the Cookhams to celebrate King Charles’ Coronation. One on the Moor in Cookham Village and the other on the Cricket Common in Cookham Dean. There was lovely weather and it was a good opportunity for people to get together and enjoy themselves.
5 MAY 2023 - LIB DEMS NOW IN CONTROL OF COUNCIL
The Lib Dems managed a brilliant night in the borough taking 13 seats from the Conservatives while also picking up a vacant seat and defending all of the seats they already had. Meanwhile, it was not a good night for the Conservative Party in the royal borough having only secured seven seats on the council, down from the 22 they previously controlled, as they lost control of the council for the first time since 2007.
Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council will now be run by a narrow Lib Dem majority. The final totals are: Lib Dems 22 (+13), Con 7 (-15), tBFI 7 (+4), Old Windsor Residents Association 4 (0), National Flood Prevention Party 1 (0).
One of the surprising moments of the night came when it was announced that 22-year-old Lib Dem candidate, George Blundell, had defeated council leader, Andrew Johnson, in the Hurley and Walthams ward.
Mandy Brar and Mark Howard will be the councillors for the Cookham and Bisham ward.
3 MAY 2023 - CATS MISSING IN COOKHAM
2 MAY 2023 - SARAH RUNS THE MARATHON
From Cookhamite Sarah Parfitt who took part in the London Marathon in memory of her father who died recently. “A big thank-you to everyone, who made a donation to my London Marathon page. My current total is: £3,306, which is beyond my wildest dreams! The money will be divided equally between my three chosen charities - PFC Ethiopia, Brighter Futures and Maidenhead Foodshare.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/SarahParfitt2023
It was my 15th and slowest marathon as fun-runner and one of the toughest. I jogged all 42.2 kilometres, which was my goal! I had really bad muscular spasms in my legs from about 30kms, but I kept going very slowly and gave it absolutely everything I had. The crowd support was phenomenal, and it definitely kept me going.
There were some really emotional moments too when I thought of Dad and had to fight back the tears, but I felt his presence and strength the whole way. Overall, it was a brilliant day and as I always say, it was London at its best. Special thanks to Damian Mustard, Helen Philip, Caroline Field and Beth Noble for all their phenomenal support.
The blue heart in the photo was a gift from the Brighter Futures’ charity at the Great Western Hospital when Dad passed away in March. I carried it with me around the course.
2 MAY 2023 - PINDER HALL READY FOR POLLING DAY
28 April 2023 - COPAS FARMS FRUIT FIELDS OPENING
At The Fruit Fields, we are excited to announce the start of the asparagus season. While it has been a slow start this year, we are now ready to welcome visitors to our Cookham and Iver farms on Saturday 29th April for asparagus picking from 10am - 1pm unless we get picked out so come earlier to avoid disappointment.
Our plan is to open every Wednesday and Saturday morning for asparagus picking until the rest of our crops are ready. For up-to-date information on our opening times and availability of our crops, check our website, or call our Iver and Cookham farms.
We understand that things can change, so we are committed to keeping our phonelines and website updated regularly to avoid any confusion.
To check our website, please visit www.thefruitfiel
For up to date info on our Iver farm call : 01753 652727
For up to date info on our Cookham farm call: 01628 529511
We are looking forward to welcoming you all back!
24 April 2023 - MISSING CIVET SEEN IN COOKHAM AREA
22 April 2023 - A BUDDING JOURNALIST
Congratulations to William Garwood from Holy Trinity School, Cookham for getting his article published in First News - a national publication! They have named him a Junior Journalist.
20 April 2023 - POLICE URGED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT SPEEDING IN COOKHAM
Allan McGregor who founded the Cookham Bridge Speedwatch Group has raised concerns about speeding in Cookham and has asked Thames Valley Police to address the situation.
Allan says that between January and June 2022, the Cookham speedwatch group recorded 1,345 drivers travelling over the 30mph speed limit during 66 sessions, lasting 30 minutes each. It does seem that it is time for the police to take more notice.
16 April 2023 - MAIDENHEAD HERITAGE CENTRE
12 April 2023 - SARAH TO RUN THE LONDON MARATHON
Cookham resident, Sarah Parfitt, is running the London Marathon this year in memory of her father who died last month. Sarah will be rausing money for three phenomenal charities and would love it if you could make a donation however small. Sarah said "For the last 10 years I have been an ambassador and trustee for a fantastic charity called Partners for Change Ethiopia. We're currently trying to fund the breakfast club for some of the most vulnerable children at Basso Primary School in Ethiopia. We're also trying to offer their parents and carers small business training, so that the project becomes self-sustainable: (1) PfC Ethiopia Ambassadors | Facebook.
Secondly, I will be supporting Brighter Futures, a very important charity helping patients and their families at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon (brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk), who helped us tremendously as a family before Dad died. The team also gave us a beautiful multi-coloured crocheted blanket and some hearts on the day he passed away.
Brighter Futures is currently fundraising for many different projects at the moment, but I'd love to be able to donate a bench in dad's memory so that patients receiving palliative care and their loved ones have somewhere to sit and pause for thought. We feel very blessed that dad received such fantastic care during the last few months of his life & would like to thank everyone at the Great Western Hospital, who looked after him.
Finally, I will be raising money for Maidenhead Foodshare, a charity we have supported as a family for a while. Its main objective is to help people in and around Maidenhead who are, for whatever reason, unable to feed themselves and their families properly. Lester and his magnificent team are doing vital work in these financially-challenging times.
If you would like to support Sarah click here
8 April 2023 - STATIONS OF THE CROSS
A large crowd of Cookham people from Holy Trinity, St John the Baptist, St Mary's, Methodist churches of Cookham and Maidenhead and many others who are exploring their spirituality gathered to walk the 12 stations of the cross through Cookham Dean the Rise and Cookham village. A wonderful sunny day for the Stations of the Cross walk.
19 March 2023 - STANLEY SPENCER GALLERY WITH WINE AND CHEESE
If you’re a member or co-ordinator of a neighbourhood group, or other local organisation, the Spencer Gallery have something a little different that might interest you.
The Gallery has teamed up with the Old Butcher’s Wine Cellar in Cookham High Street to provide a sociable and entertaining evening out. Your group will have a private, guided 45-minute tour of the Gallery, followed by wine, cheese and
charcuterie at the Wine Bar across the road. The event is suitable for groups with a maximum of 22 and minimum of 18 people. The price of £27.50 per person includes the Gallery tour, the first glass of wine and share of a cheese and charcuterie platter at the Old Butcher’s Wine Bar.
Dates are available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 5.30pm. To book, please contact Keith at groups@stanleyspencer.org.uk
Join us in wishing Pizza Dreams all the best as they embark on this new journey. We're confident that this is just the beginning of great things to come!
Cookham.com is sad to hear of the death of a well known a well known Cookhamite, John Stretton. John died yesterday morning 3 January 2023 at the age of 102. John and his wife Jean were both very active members of the community and both were Councillors. John was a Borough Councillor and was responsible for many of the improvements to Cookham. John was a very active member of the Cookham Society and was able to gather together many archives documenting the changes in the village.
Hear ye Hear ye! The Crier is always looking for things to shout about! Feel free to submit your Thoughts, Poems, Requests or anything you like to the Cookham Webmaster
