‘An incredible way to honour a special boy’
A mother has thanked the Maidenhead community after the town turned red and hundreds of people lined the streets to pay tribute to her late son this week, writes Sam Leech. Liverpool Football Club jerseys, red balloons and ribbons adorned streets...
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Calls to find home for ‘essential’ Post Office
Calls have been made to find a new home for a ‘lifeline’ Post Office in the town centre amid uncertainty around its future, writes Jade Kidd. The service will have to move out of its current base in TGJones (formerly WHSmith) in the...
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Government set to lift limit on tax increases
The Government is proposing to give the Royal Borough ‘flexibility’ to increase council tax above the normal cap over two financial years – without holding a referendum. Council tax rises are set at a 4.99 per cent threshold nationally. This cap can...
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Magpies revive hopes for Braywick stadium
Maidenhead United’s hopes of building a new stadium at Braywick Park could be resurrected following ongoing talks with the Royal Borough, writes David Lee. The Magpies have held long-term ambitions to relocate from their historic York Road ground to a...
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Mum admits killing four-year-old son
A Maidenhead mother has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her four-yearold son. Akanksha Adivarekar, 37, of Dunholme End in Cox Green, pleaded guilty to the charge at a hearing in Reading Crown Court on Wednesday. Police were sent to her address...
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Approval for £500m Nicholsons scheme
The green light has been given for the £500m redevelopment of the Nicholson’s shopping centre in Maidenhead. On Thursday, November 20 council planners approved amended plans by Areli and Tikehau Capital to replace the shopping centre with a sprawling...
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‘The world will always be empty without him’
As the killer of 46-year-old Tomasz Kopec was sentenced to life in prison this week, his victim’s family spoke of the ‘devastation’ left in the wake of his murder, writes Adrian Williams. Jakub Nowicki, 40, of Ascot Road, Holyport, was sentenced to a...
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Fraudster duo ‘fleeced thousands of people’
A Maidenhead man has been handed a two-year suspended jail sentence for his role in running more than 40 misleading websites that tricked people into overpaying for Government services, writes Anaka Nair. The elaborate scam by Shezad Parvez and...
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Man accused of killing ex-partner’s boyfriend
A Holyport man accused of killing his former partner’s boyfriend at their Slough home is on trial for murder, writes Adrian Williams. Tomasz Kopec was 46 years old when he was badly beaten at his home in Grant Avenue on April 25, sometime after...
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Women call for action over ‘unsafe’ car park
Fears have been raised that one of the largest multi-storey car parks in Maidenhead is unsafe for use, following reports of groups loitering on its unlit floors. Stafferton Way Car Park, located a five-minute walk from Maidenhead station, costs £10 a...
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Appeal for partner to save Braywick Heath
Braywick Heath Nurseries is set to close at the end of this year, unless a partner can be found to save the long-running organisation, writes Jade Kidd. Chairman Robin Pemberton said it was with ‘deep regret’ that directors have decided to wind up the...
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Fear thieves ‘are being given the green light’
Fears have been raised that British Transport Police’s approach to investigating bicycle thefts could give the green light to thieves operating outside the area’s railway stations, writes David Lee. BTP’s assistant chief constable Ian Drummond-Smith...
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Councillors push back Nicholsons decision
Royal Borough councillors have pushed back a decision on the £500million Nicholsons Centre redevelopment after questions were raised about parking and retail space, writes Elena Chiujdea, local democracy reporter. Councillors met on Thursday,...
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Decision day looms for £500m redevelopment
Councillors will decide the fate of the £500m Nicholsons Centre redevelopment at a long-awaited meeting next week – with officers recommending the project for approval. The council will meet for an extraordinary development management committee...
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Couple raided shops in nine-day crime spree
A Maidenhead couple who went on a nine-day crime spree – robbing from multiple shops while armed with weapons – have been given prison sentences of eight and five years each, writes Adrian Williams. Timothy Seale, 46, of no fixed address, and Natasha...
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Hall crash sparks fresh call for junction action
A dramatic crash at an ‘extremely dangerous’ junction in Fifield has caused serious damage to a community hall – fuelling renewed demand from neighbours for a solution, writes Adrian Williams. On Tuesday, August 26 at about 11pm, several neighbours...
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Farmers ‘hanging on by their fingernails’
Farming in the Royal Borough is ‘hanging on by its fingernails’ as a difficult harvest mounts up alongside international trade wars and a changing climate, writes Sam Leech. A scorching hot summer and drenching winter will make 2025 one of the worst...
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Arrests in domestic abuse ‘day of action’
Police arrested eight people in one day as part of a ‘day of action’ crackdown on domestic abuse across East Berkshire on Tuesday, writes Anaka Nair. Thames Valley Police sees a rise in demand during the summer months, and the operation aimed to...
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Jury decides teenager was unlawfully killed
A litany of failings in the care of a teenage girl who was unlawfully killed while being treated at a Taplow mental health hospital contributed to her death, an inquest has ruled, writes Sam Leech. Ruth Szymankiewicz, 14, died following a fatal act of...
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Revived third runway proposals submitted
Heathrow Airport submitted proposals for expansion to the Government yesterday (Thursday) – including its controversial third runway spanning 3,500 metres, writes Adrian Williams. The move comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in January that the...
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Council shortfall could rise to £35m per year
The Royal Borough’s funding shortfall could grow to £35million a year, councillors have been warned. In a meeting on Tuesday, cabinet members approved the medium-term financial plan for the next five years – which featured more stark warnings about...
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Nicholsons demolition could start in February
The developers behind a major scheme to redevelop the Nicholsons Centre in Maidenhead are hoping to begin demolition work in February next year – if they secure planning permission, writes Jade Kidd. Areli is hoping a decision on its revised plans for...
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Smartphone pledge signed by 57 schools
Fifty-seven schools in Windsor and Maidenhead have signed a letter stating that they will be smartphone free by the end of this year, writes Adrian Williams. The letter, published on Friday, July 4, explains that smartphones will either not be allowed...
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Enduring legacy of ‘the kind of hero we need’
This week marks 10 years since the death of Sir Nicholas Winton, the quiet mastermind who helped hundreds of children escape Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. To commemorate the anniversary, Advertiser reporter Sam Leech has revisited his remarkable story...
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‘Don’t just stand there and watch’
The public and shopkeepers need to do more to confront shoplifters, says the police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley Police, writes Adrian Williams. Reports across Berkshire and the UK as a whole show an increase in shoplifting over the past...
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Doctor died after fall from hospital window
A ‘hugely liked and respected’ doctor working at a White Waltham private hospital died in an accidental fall from one of its windows, an inquest has heard, writes Sam Leech. Ali Maki, 33, who also worked at Wexham Park Hospital, was found dead by a...
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Arrest after boy, four, is found dead at house
A murder investigation has been launched by police following the death of a four-year-old boy in Maidenhead, writes David Lee. Police were called to a house in Dunholme End at about 6.30pm on Tuesday (June 10) evening. The victim was declared dead at...
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Pair charged following attack outside mosque
Police have charged two people with grievous bodily harm over an attack outside Maidenhead Mosque which left a man seriously injured, writes Sam Leech. Police initially launched an attempted murder investigation after being called to Holmanleaze at...
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Secondary schools lock on to phone initiative
Lockable phone pouches are being introduced at two Royal Borough secondary schools next week to crack down on smartphone use during school hours, writes Adrian Williams. From Monday, June 2, students from both Furze Platt Senior School and Charters...
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Firefighter who died in blaze was a ‘true hero’
Tributes have been paid to a former Maidenhead and Slough-based firefighter – ‘the true definition of a hero’– after his death in a major fire in Bicester, writes Sam Leech. Martyn Sadler, 38, ‘a born firefighter’, was one of three people who died...
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Call for better support after murders abroad
The family of a Maidenhead man who was shot dead in Texas in 2009 are hopeful of improved support for those affected by murders abroad following a Parliament debate, writes Jade Kidd. Thomas Reeve was ‘one of life’s fun people’ and was a ‘big man with...
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Revised regeneration proposals submitted
A pineapple-inspired multi-storey car park, scaled down apartment buildings and a shift away from office space are among the submitted plans for the Nicholsons Centre regeneration, writes David Lee. The £500million scheme has been beset by delays...
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Historic house’s new life as special school
A new special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school has been granted permission to open at the historic Braywick House – amid a push to address a shortfall of SEND places, writes Adrian Williams. The school will be operated by Polaris, a...
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‘New routes threw us under the bus’
Changes to bus routes in Maidenhead have left the vulnerable behind, say residents who fear the impact will push more people into isolation, writes Sam Leech. Major changes ‘aimed at improving’ bus services across the Royal Borough saw some rerouted...
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Wildlife trust warns of ‘threat to nature’
A Berkshire and Buckinghamshire wildlife charity has criticised the Government for a bill it believes will cause permanent damage to the environment by ‘rushing through’ new housing developments, writes Adrian Williams. The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire...
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Freehold sale agreed for Nicholsons project
The Royal Borough’s cabinet has agreed to sell its freehold interest in the Nicholsons Centre – in a new deal which means the council will no longer be ‘on the hook’ to fund a new multi-storey car park, writes Jade Kidd. Under the previous...
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DJ’s mission to start a cancer conversation
“If me talking about this potentially gets someone to check themselves out, book that doctor’s appointment and that in turn leads to someone catching this thing early, that makes everything totally fine for me.” Radio DJ Chris Stark has been leading...
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Fears gas works will ‘destroy High Street’
Cookham High Street faces ‘another nail in the coffin’, businesses say, ahead of 34 weeks of major roadworks in the village, writes Sam Leech. From Monday (March 31), traffic controls will hit Sutton Road as Cadent Gas resumes an ‘essential’ operation...
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Start of ‘incredible new chapter’ for Foodshare
Maidenhead Foodshare is set to embark on an ‘incredible new chapter’ as it prepares to move into its new permanent home after years of searching for a suitable place, writes Adrian Williams. The food hub is settling at number 9 Reform Road – once the...
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Abuse inquiry hope for ‘prisoners of the past’
Council representatives have called on the Government to hold a public inquiry into historic child abuse at a Maidenhead children’s home – to bring closure to victims who are ‘prisoners of the past’, writes Adrian Williams. Green Field House was a...
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Activist ‘threatened’ by wanted posters
An exiled pro-democracy activist who is the subject of a Hong Kong arrest warrant has spoken out after her former neighbours in Maidenhead received ‘wanted’ posters, writes Jade Kidd. Carmen Lau, who lives in the town, was one of six overseas...
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‘A family torn apart by a selfish drink-driver’
A drink-driver who killed a 72-year-old woman in a crash while he was almost four times the alcohol limit has been jailed for more than 10 years, writes David Lee. Zbyszko Kienast, from Harrow, ploughed into two other cars while attempting a dangerous...
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Golf course go-ahead for 1,500 homes
After years of discussions, political arguments, protests, tweaks and consultations, plans to build 1,500 homes on Maidenhead Golf Course were approved at a meeting last week. In a special report, Adrian Williams looks at what was said during the...
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More flats in revised plans for Nicholsons
More than 180 extra flats and a reduction in the height of the tallest tower feature in revised plans for the major redevelopment of the Nicholsons Centre, writes Jade Kidd. A public exhibition of updated plans for the new Nicholson Quarter opened to...
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Government refuses 25 per cent tax rise
Council tax in the Royal Borough is set to rise by just under nine per cent after the Government refused the local authority’s plea for a 25 per cent increase, writes Sam Leech. A statement from Windsor and Maidenhead Liberal Democrats said the...
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Turbulence as Reeves revives third runway
Campaign groups and the Royal Borough council have reaffirmed their opposition to Heathrow’s third runway after the airport’s expansion was cleared for take-off by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, writes Jade Kidd. In a speech on economic growth in Oxford on...
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FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS
PAUL CHIWDHRY TOUR WARM UP NIRDEN FARM JAZZ CLUB BORN GAGA SOFT OR SPIKY? MACBETH: DAVID TENNAT AND CUSH JUMBO
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Seven-storey block set for town centre site
Councillors have approved a seven-storey block of flats behind the former Post Office building in Maidenhead High Street – despite concerns that no affordable housing would be offered, writes Anaka Nair. Developer Sorbon Estates, part of the Shanly...
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Loss of funding closes club’s support service
A community trust set up by the town’s football club is ‘devastated’ it will have end its one-to-one support service for those in need because its funding is going to be cut, writes Adrian Williams. Since COVID-19, Maidenhead United FC Community Trust...
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Anger at 430-home consultation timing
Developer ‘tricks’ are behind a new consultation which was launched over the Christmas period on plans for more than 400 homes in Bourne End, councillors have claimed. A 30-day public consultation was triggered after Catesby Strategic Land Limited and...
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‘Gridlock’ warning as estate gets go-ahead
People of Cookham expressed their dissatisfaction with the planning panel last week after an unpopular 199-home scheme was approved in a mammoth five-hour meeting, writes Adrian Williams. The Maidenhead development committee decided the fate of the...
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Borough told to target 1,449 homes each year
The Royal Borough has been told it should deliver 583 more homes per year than previously agreed – due to sweeping changes introduced by central Government, writes Adrian Williams. In August, local councils heard that they would be given new mandatory...
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Borough wants 25 per cent council tax rise
The Royal Borough is seeking to raise council tax by a whopping 25 per cent for 2025/26 in its ongoing mission to save the council from its financial crisis, writes Adrian Williams. Draft budget papers have been released for the coming financial year...
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Golf club set for Bucks move in merger deal
Maidenhead Golf Club has made the controversial decision to merge with Flackwell Heath Golf Club to ensure its survival – evoking strong feelings from its membership, writes Adrian Williams. Contracts have not yet been signed but it is hoped this will...
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Could business levy fund town projects?
Schemes which could introduce business levies to improve Royal Borough town centres are being looked at in ‘great detail’, a councillor has said. The council is exploring whether Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) could be created for Maidenhead,...
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Proposals submitted for 225-home project
A plan is in for 225 homes on land south of Kimbers Lane – acting as a ‘continuation’ of previously agreed plans for 215 homes. Developer Taylor Wimpey confirmed in August that it was looking to bring forward these plans as part of the broader...
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‘No longer sustainable’ for festival to continue
The organisers of the popular Maidenhead Festival have decided to bring the community event to an end – citing a combination of increasing regulations, funding pressures and volunteer fatigue, writes Jade Kidd. The team behind the two-day festival,...
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Hospital boss ‘nervous’ about winter pressures
Around 85,000 patients are waiting for treatment at NHS Frimley Health hospitals – including Wexham Park and Heatherwood – with a health trust boss also ‘nervous’ about pressures on emergency departments this winter. Many people are ‘still waiting far...
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‘An absolute betrayal of our residents’
Independent finance experts have confirmed there may be ‘strings attached’ to any emergency support for the council by central Government. The standard-setting Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s bleak report on the Royal Borough’s...
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Warning council is on verge of bankruptcy
Windsor and Maidenhead council is ‘almost effectively bankrupt’, a new report has revealed – and ‘tough decisions’ must be taken swiftly to avert this, writes Adrian Williams. The council identified a significant threat to its financial sustainability...
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