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We pride ourselves on being a large school with a small school ethos, valuing a sense of community and respect that is shared by students, parents and staff alike. Our school community have demonstrated kindness and their ability to support one another in so many ways this month.
Our Year 7 students took part in Kindness Week, embodying the Key Stage 3 values of 'Spreading Kindness and Celebrating Success' by nominating their peers and teachers, and agreeing a Kindness Agreement within their tutor groups. At the older end of the school, our Year 12 'Reading Buddies' have begun mentoring our youngest students listening to them read and supporting their literacy, while Deputy Head students and prefects have led Men’s Mental Health assemblies for Years 7 and 8, alongside talks to years 11, 12 and 13 by the Oddballs Foundation.
The Little Recyclers clothing collection inspired our whole school community to give pre-loved items a second life, reducing waste and raising funds for the school foundation; while the foodbank competition provided another opportunity for our students to support others and make a real difference in the local community.
We are committed to ensuring that our students leave us with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need for the next stage of their journey.
This month has been no exception for Key Stage 4, with students preparing for the future with focus and determination. Year 11 have been reflecting on their PPE results and, following our Sixth Form Open Evening, are considering their next steps after GCSEs. Meanwhile, Year 10 have been developing essential skills through a CV writing workshop, equipping them for their future careers.
We continue to celebrate the achievements of our students, both inside and outside the classroom. From sporting victories and team successes, to competition finalists and award winners. This month has seen it all!
Our Year 12 students have particularly excelled this month, with Zimal who received the 'Inspiration Award' at the recent Berkshire Youth Awards, for her outstanding community work; and Maxim, who has reached the final 30 (out of 2,300!) of Breakthrough Junior Challenge, a global science competition, through his 2-minute video on Gravitational Waves. We can help him to reach the next round by watching and 'liking' his video on social media before Tuesday 9 December.
View the video via Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1334821581154931
View the video via YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKKdIDlX4dM
It makes me so proud, as Headteacher, to see our students thrive, support one another, and inspire our school community every day.
Mr David Ramsden
Headteacher
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Calendar dates for the next month can be found below.
For information on Term Dates, please click here.
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| Date* |
Event |
| Monday 1 December |
Year 12 & 13 Warner Brothers Studio Trip
Year 13 EPQ Presentations begin |
| Tuesday 2 December |
Year 10 A Christmas Carol Trip |
| Thursday 4 December |
Year 11 Parents' Evening
In person |
| Tuesday 9 December |
Carol Service
Tilehurst Methodist Church |
| Wednesday 10 December |
Christmas Jumper Day
Christmas Lunch
Year 9 Christmas Science Lectures |
| Thursday 11 December |
Year 12 & 13 History Trip
Six the Musical |
| Friday 12 December |
Year 12 Drama Exam |
| Tuesday 16 December |
Senior Citizens' Christmas Party |
| Wednesday 17 December |
Year 12 & Year 13 Disney Trip
Parents Meeting, 6pm |
| Friday 19 December |
TERM ENDS - 1pm finish |
| Monday 5 January |
TERM BEGINS |
| *Dates may be subject to change. Correct at time of publication. |
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Well done to all of Year 7 for embracing Kindness Week! Throughout the week, pupils have taken part in a range of activities, including completing loyalty cards, giving staff and peer nominations, and working on tutor group projects such as creating a kindness agreement.
To hear some of our Year 7 students talking about Kindness, have a look at our video here: Year 7 Kindness Video – November 2025
We hope Year 7 continue to spread kindness every day and carry forward everything they’ve learnt this week.
Mrs Jessop
Head of Year 7
Year 7 Singing Competition
The Year 7 singing contest was amazing, with Mrs Berkeley’s Music class winning the competition.
Well done to all of Year 7 for singing their hearts out, but especially to 7Y4, who performed 'Shotgun', for winning the competition, with 7Y1, who sang 'Life is a Highway' coming second and 7Y3, who performed 'Someone You Loved' coming a respectable third, out of the 12 classes.
Well done to all the pupils in KS3 this month, as we encourage them to keep working hard and be the best versions of themselves each and every day.
Mr Rayner
Assistant Headteacher KS3
Year 10 CV Writing Workshop
November has been an incredibly busy and productive month in KS4 – the atmosphere in lessons has been brilliant, and I am impressed with the positive attitude to learning of most students. Year 10 and Year 11 have been thinking about the future, with Year 11 making the most of the information provided at the Sixth Form Open Evening and Year 10 involved in a CV Writing and Personal Statement Workshop.
The purpose of this workshop, run by the Education Business Partnership, is to support students to feel confident about entering the world of work and the initial process to finding employment. A vital first step to this is how to showcase their skills, interests and experience by creating a dynamic CV. They also looked at the purpose and significance of a personal statement and how to write it.
The workshop was supported by two great Business Ambassadors who shared their own experiences of CV writing and applying for jobs.
After taking part in the workshop,
- 95% of students felt the knowledge and understanding of CVs had increased, 78% of students said their understanding had increased by over 50%.
- 68% of students felt they knew their skills and qualities better.
Here are some of the student's comments from the session:
"Really interesting, and makes me more confident to make my CV."
"It was very helpful, I learnt a lot I didn’t know before e.g. referees."
"It was a good learning experience. Thank you guys."
Year 11 returned from the holidays and went straight back into written exams. I have been so proud of their attitude towards the PPEs. This week was their ‘PPE GCSE Results’ Day.’
Exam results were given out like they will be in the summer – there was excitement and some tears. The important thing is that, whatever the outcome of these PPEs, Year 11 build on what they have learnt and work hard as we edge towards the real exams in May/June.
The Music GCSE Performance evening was a huge success for all involved and the students involved in PE moderation conducted themselves impeccably and performed brilliantly.
Mrs Rayner
Assistant Headteacher KS4
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For more of our latest news, follow us on social media or view the latest news articles on our website.
Find us on Facebook and Instagram @LHSReading
@littleheathreading on YouTube
Search for Little Heath School on LinkedIn
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28 Nov 2025 This month saw the COP30 Climate Conference taking place in Brazil. COP30 is a major global meeting where countries try to agree on how to limit global warming, cut greenhouse-gas emissions, adapt to climate impacts, and support vulnerable nations — a key moment in shaping internatio... | 27 Nov 2025 Year 12 student Maxim Kyrychuk made a 2-minute film exploring gravitational waves — he needs Reading’s help in the popular Vote 24 Nov - 9 Dec.Maxim Kyrychuk, a Year 12 student at Little Heath School in Reading, has been selected as a global finalist for the 2025 Breakthrough Junior... |
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Reading every day is one of the simplest and most powerful habits children can develop. Daily reading strengthens the brain, expands vocabulary, boosts imagination, and improves focus — all while helping children to build empathy and confidence.
Each month, we will be recommending books for students in each key stage. Take a look at our November recommendations here…
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KS3 book recommendation
'Impossible Creatures'
by Katherine Rundell
Impossible Creatures tells the story of a boy called Christopher who is visiting his reclusive grandfather when he witnesses an avalanche of mythic creatures come tearing down the hill. This is how Christopher learns that his grandfather is the guardian of one of the ways between the non-magical world and a place called the Archipelago: a cluster of magical islands, where all the creatures we tell of in myth live and breed and thrive alongside humans. They have been protected for thousands of years from being discovered; now, terrifyingly, the protection has worn thin, and creatures are breaking through.
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KS4 book recommendation
'The Knife of Never Letting Go' by Patrick Ness
Winner of the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize, the story begins in a small town where women have been banished and only men remain. Due to a virus, everyone can hear each other’s thoughts, which they call 'Noise'.
Todd Hewitt, the last boy in the town, is on the brink of adulthood. Forced one day to flee through a nearby swamp, he stumbles upon a patch of silence and – surprisingly – the first girl he has ever seen. Despite their initial mistrust of each other, Todd and Viola team up to evade the men who are chasing him. As they flee he discovers much about himself, his family, about friendship and about prejudice.
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KS5 book recommendation
'Where the Crawdads Sing'
by Delia Owens
For years, rumours of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say.
Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life – until the unthinkable happens.
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Ask Open Questions:
Instead of “Did you like it?”, try...
“What surprised you?”
“What do you think the writer was trying to show?”
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Reading Buddies
50 Sixth Form students are giving up their time to listen to Year 7 and 8 students read!
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Some of them will be going into library lessons reading their DEAR books*, and some will be working with a selected group of students during tutor time completing reciprocal reading tasks in small groups.
We hope that this will be a valuable experience for both groups of students and further encourage a love of reading!
*Drop Everything And Read – when we stop what we are doing, to read for 20 minutes each day.
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Bookbuzz Programme
A group of pupils in KS3 were part of the Bookbuzz programme this month, which encourages reading for pleasure. Reading is one of those fundamental skills which is often overlooked yet is such a key driver for success in school and out in the real world. I would encourage all pupils to indulge themselves in a book/comic/magazine and put those screens down!
Have a look at the recommended Bookbuzz books here to see if they might inspire your next read: The 2025 Bookbuzz books | BookTrust
Please remember to bring a reading book/comic to school every day, which can be used in DEAR time.
Mr Rayner
Assistant Headteacher KS3
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School Council Update
We held our inaugural school council meeting last week, chaired by myself and with great management by Mrs Skeete.
Throughout the meeting we got through our introductions to each other and began working on what we as a council would describe as key features to a good lesson.
We also created new contact points in the school council who will work closer with the chair and Mrs Skeete to be more visible across school and to promote school council accountability. Throughout the year, one of our main goals is focused on being visible and seen across school to show the school council has genuine care for the school and are out there day in day out promoting the students' needs.
Callum, Y13
Deputy Head Student
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Sixth Form Successes
Sixth Form has celebrated success in the Senior Maths Challenge this month. Almost 50 certificates were achieved at either bronze, silver or gold level with Alicia and Hashim qualifying to go on to the follow on round.
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Our committed Bar Mock Trial team represented the school brilliantly in the regional competition, narrowly missing out on the national finals but gaining invaluable experience. Meanwhile, a group of environmentally conscious students impressed at the local COP30 conference, contributing thoughtful ideas to global climate discussions. You can read our news article online here: Little Heath School - Sixth Form attend Climate Conference events during COP30
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Beyond competitions, Key Stage 5 students embraced wider learning opportunities. Highlights included an inspiring trip to the National Archives Museum, deepening historical understanding, and a thought-provoking presentation from OddBalls Foundation to our male students (in years 11, 12 and 13), promoting awareness and wellbeing.
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Please spare a few minutes to vote for our incredible Year 12 student, Maxim, who is a global finalist for the 2025 Breakthrough Junior Challenge, an international science-communication competition after creating a 2 minute video on gravitational waves.
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His place in the next round is decided through the combined likes on his video published by the official Breakthrough Facebook page and YouTube channel.
How to vote for Maxim – by Tuesday 9 December:
- Open the Breakthrough Facebook post for Maxim’s video and click Like and React.
- Open the official Breakthrough YouTube video and click Like.
The international popular vote runs from 24 November to 9 December. You can read more about Maxim here: Little Heath School - Little Heath School Sixth Form Student named as Global Finalist in International Science Competition
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We also want to recognise the incredible commitment of our GCSE retake students, who worked tirelessly in their English and Maths exams this month. Their determination has been exemplary, and we look forward to hopefully celebrating positive results in January.
Finally, at the time of writing, we are delighted to share that one of our students has been invited for an interview at the University of Oxford, which is a fantastic achievement! We are hopeful that more invitations will follow in the coming weeks. The UCAS applications have been completed and are now being sent through for universities to consider. It's great to see so many students getting competitive offers from universities and to see them getting excited about their potential next steps. It's also been a very busy time for students who are not going to university. Many have been completing applications for apprenticeships, and it was fantastic to see students getting through to the final assessment day at EY for a degree apprenticeship.
We have everything crossed for all students in year 13 as they embark on trying to take their next steps.
Mr Jessop
Head of Sixth Form
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Zimal wins Inspiration Award
Huge congratulations to Year 12 student, Zimal, who won the Inspiration Award at the 85th annual Berkshire Youth Awards.
The event brought young people together with dignitaries, councillors, MPs, community leaders and supporters to honour the positive impact made by individuals, groups, and organisations throughout Berkshire.
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The Inspiration Award is given for "Recognising a young person who has achieved something exceptional, whether in personal development, sports, arts, education, or making a difference in their community."
When Zimal heard she had been nominated, it came as quite a surprise: "I was really shocked, to be honest. I was so honoured to be amongst some amazing nominees. It was really unexpected to hear my name!"
Zimal received the award for the positive impact she has had on her community. She has spent a number of years supporting Mental Health, firstly as a Young Health Champion in school, and now as a Mental Health Prefect; but also as a Community Health Champion within her community outside school. She volunteers as a Young Leader at Guides and has inspired many others to get into community work and to help others. Zimal said: "The little things you do really do matter."
We are so proud of her and her achievements inside and outside the school community. To find out more about Zimal and the Berkshire Youth Awards, you can listen to the BBC Radio Berkshire programme here: BBC Sounds - BY 85th Anniversary Awards Interview (scroll to 11 mins).
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Men's Mental Health Assemblies
On Monday 24 November, we led our first Men's Mental Health assembly for the year 7 boys, and our follow-up one was on Friday for the year 8 boys.
Through these assemblies, we are challenging the stigma of men not talking about their mental health, which is becoming a prominent issue across society, with our key themes being focused on speaking out about how you feel when you're not okay and also accepting the fact that as a man it is okay to not be okay.
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As a group, we spent a few weeks crafting the PowerPoint to deliver to the students, with genuine support from Mr Linz throughout the process, to curate a piece which found the balance of feelings surrounding the subject which promoted key themes throughout.
Callum Y13, Aaron Y13 (Deputy Head Students) & Riley Y12 (Mental Health Prefect)
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The Oddballs Foundation talk to Y11, 12 & 13 boys | |
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Year 9 Harry: Finalist of Rail200 Competition
Well done to Harry, in Year 9, who made it through to the final in the nationwide Rail200 Model Railway Competition, which was judged at a Railway Show at the NEC Birmingham.
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The RAIL200 Competition aims to celebrate two centuries of railway heritage by engaging both seasoned and novice modellers of all ages. Harry designed a oo9 layout named 'Symonds Park'.
Sadly, Harry didn't win this time, but it was a huge achievement to have made it to the final, and he had a great day in Birmingham. Well done Harry!
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Year 7 Girls Football Team Success
Well done to the Year 7 Girls Football team who have won 5 of their 6 league games, which is impressive! Keep up the amazing teamwork!
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Finlay takes on a Champion
Finlay, in Year 8, has had more success with his boxing, as he took part in an Olympic-style boxing competition last weekend.
Unfortunately, he was drawn against the British Champion and lost 2-1 on a split decision.
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What an achievement just to take part in that type of competition – truly an amazing experience. We wish him lots of success in the various boxing competitions that lie ahead of him.
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Great Results for U14 Badminton Team
It was a great evening for our teams at the West Berkshire U14 Boys Badminton competition earlier this month.
The A team finished runners-up to Kennet, who won the final 3 games to 2.
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The B team were undefeated in their league, adding gold medals to the silver already collected by the A team.
The C team only lost one match but finished runners-up to Kennet in a very tight league.
Well done all – really nice to see everyone enjoying their badminton and playing with great commitment to the team. It is an especially good result considering we had to fill a number of places at the last minute to ensure we had a full team. Well done, and a particular thank you to Harry, Janel, George, Charlie, Rishi, Jack and LJ for stepping in.
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Strong Start to the Basketball Season
We had a good start to the U16 boys basketball season with a 56 -49 win against Bohunt.
Well done to all the boys who played exceptionally well against a strong, athletic Bohunt team.
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NOVEMBER: Sports Fixture Results
- 4/11 - Year 7 Rugby team won against Denefield
- 4/11 - Year 7 Rugby LVS 7 - 4 Theale Green
- 4/11 - U13 Boys Football National Cup (Y7) Bohunt, Wokingham 3 - 2 LHS
- 5/11 - ESFA National Football Competition: Round 3 (Y9 Boys) LHS 7 v 1 Cherwell School, Oxford
- 6/11 - U13 Rugby (Y8) LHS 0 v 15 Denefield
- 6/11 - U13 Rugby (Y8) LHS 0 v 15 Theale Green
- 6/11 - Year 9 Girls Football team won against Oakbank
- 6/11 - Year 9 Girls Football team won against Maiden Erleigh
- 6/11 - Year 8 Girls Football Denefield 2 v 0 LHS
- 7/11 - U13 Rugby Tournament at Abbey RFC (Y8) Bohunt 6 v 0 LHS
- 7/11 - U13 Rugby Tournament at Abbey RFC (Y8) Gillets 6 v 0 LHS
- 7/11 - U13 Rugby Tournament at Abbey RFC (Y8) Hiughdown 3 v 2 LHS
- 13/11 - Win for Year 7 Girls Football team
- 14/11 - Year 7 Rugby Tournament at Reading Blue Coat LHS 5 v 0 Claires Court C Team
- 14/11 - Year 7 Rugby Tournament at Reading Blue Coat LHS 5 v 0 Reading Blue Coat D Team
- 14/11 - Year 7 Rugby Tournament at Reading Blue Coat LHS 4 v 1 St Crispins
- 14/11 - Year 7 Rugby Tournament at Reading Blue Coat LHS 3 v 0 Forest
- 14/11 - Year 7 Rugby Tournament at Reading Blue Coat LHS 2 v 1 Yarm School (Middlesbrough)
- 14/11 - Year 7 Rugby Tournament at Reading Blue Coat LHS 1 v 3 KES
- 18/11 - Year 9 County Cup Rugby LHS 28 v 19 EDG
- 19/11 - Year 7 Basketball LHS 8 v 9 Denefield
- 20/11 - Win for Year 7 Girls Football team
- 20/11 - West Berkshire U14 boys Badminton Competition
- A Team runners up
- B Team won
- C Team runners up
- 21/11 - ESFA National Football Competition: Round 3 (Y11 Boys) LHS 7 v 3 Chertsey
- 24/11 - U16 Boys Basketball LHS 56 - 49 Bohunt
- 25/11 - Quarter Finals County Cup Rugby (Y9) Bohunt 50 v 0 LHS
- 27/11 - U13 Boys County Cup (Y8) LHS 2 v 7 Ranelagh
- 27/11 - ESFA National Football Competition: Round 4 (Y11 Boys) LHS 5 v 5 Matthew Arnold School
- 27/11 - Year 7 Girls Football team Maiden Erleigh 3 v 2 LHS
- 27/11 - Year 7 Girls Football team Maiden Erleigh Barbarians 0 v 5 LHS
- 27/11 - Year 7 Girls Football team Blessed Hugh Farringdon 1 v 0 LHS
- 27/11 - Year 9 Basketball LHS 51 v 52 Denefield
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Little Recyclers Clothing Collection
Thank you to all who donated to our latest clothing collection, in collaboration with The Little Recyclers.
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We collected an incredible 786 kg of second-hand clothing which raised £353.70 for the school. Conway were once again crowned as the champions of the clothing collection, taking first place for the seventh time in the last four years!!
1st Place – Conway with a huge 295kg!
2nd Place – Stirling – 208kg
3rd Place – Warwick – 158kg
4th Place – Arundel – 125kg
Thank you to everyone who dug through their wardrobes and, once again, huge congratulations to Mrs Harper and Conway for yet another win!
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Geography Foodbank Competition
Students and staff showed their support for our community by donating 252.6kg of food and essentials to the West Berks Foodbank this month. This equates to around 530 meals for local families in need.
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This was also a House competition to see which House donated the most. The results are as follows:
1st Place – Stirling
2nd Place – Arundel
3rd Place – Conway
4th Place – Warwick
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We really appreciate all of your generous donations, and we are so pleased that these crates will now be distributed to those who need it the most in the West Berkshire community.
If you are able to support the Foodbank, through a donation of food, money or your time, you can find out more here: Give Help | West Berks Foodbank
If you need their support, they have a Foodbank available on Monday afternoons at The Calcot Centre. You can find out more about their services here: Get Help | West Berks Foodbank
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We are a school with a strong sense of community.
Please read the notices and event information from the local area below.
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Community Events & Activities
ORCHARD PROJECT
Update from Purley Sustainability Group
Around 25 residents gathered in the Memorial Hall on 15th November to hear an update on the Purley Sustainability Group’s orchard project in Bucknell's Meadow. Although this project has been in motion for some time, we are thrilled to be moving into the next and very exciting phase, which we hope you and others will be part of. The group heard from Sean Morris, a passionate expert from Blewbury, who generously shared his experience and insights. His talk helped everyone understand what to expect as the orchard develops—and why patience will be key to its long-term success.
During the meeting guests also enjoyed some excellent fruit cakes—an early taste of the treats we can look forward to once the orchard is flourishing and producing fruit in years to come.
The meeting was filled with enthusiasm and a strong sense of shared passion for the orchard’s future. Residents viewed artists’ impressions of the site’s future development, a model of the orchard, and information about the fruit trees already purchased.
We are aiming to get planting on 6th December at 10am in Bucknell's Meadow - subject to the delivery of the trees and the weather of course. We do hope you can share the poster below amongst your group as we do need more volunteers – thank you.
Volunteers of all ages* are warmly welcomed at this event—whether to dig, measure, serve refreshments, or simply provide moral support.
During the meeting, PSG took the opportunity to thank everyone who has helped bring the project to this point. Grants from Purley Parish Council, Purley Park Trust, Veolia, Pangbourne Rotary, along with generous private donations, have made this work possible, supported by the expertise and enthusiasm of many volunteers.
Any queries, please do not hesitate to contact info@purleysustainability.co.uk
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Little Heath School
Little Heath Road
Tilehurst, Reading
Berkshire RG31 5TY
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