BEAUTIFUL COUNTRYSIDE AND HIDDEN WALKWAYS

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am a commuter to Wokingham. I visit for work. I’ll pop in and out but I know that those who have lived here a while think it’s great, up-and-coming and vibrant. There are lots of great schools in the area. It is a close-knit community.

There are hundreds of kites in the area, which is striking when you’re new to it. Having lived in London before, these kites make you feel like you’re in the wilderness a bit.

What makes me feel alive in my locale are its beautiful countryside and hidden walkways that are fun for families.

Home is my happy place and a sanctuary. Somewhere you’re happy to be with family and to invite those you love. Home in safety and security. Berkshire is my new home. There is so much to do and I’m keen to explore more.

Hopefully the young people don’t leave Wokingham behind. I hope it remains vibrant and a place to bring up families.

HAPPY IN MY SKIN

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am loyal, rather suppressed when emotional, too private sometimes, artistic, love growing plants, hard-working, considerate of others’ feelings, like exploring new places, happy in my skin, calm.

What makes me feel alive in my local area is being in the garden or my allotment. It’s quiet there! I enjoy “fronting” the Wokingham Arts Society, conversely like the buzz of the market.

Home is feeling safe, quiet, garden; working or relaxing; easy company with family.

For the future of Wikingham I wish for more outside space and less traffic. Wokingham is popular, being easy to get to London – road/rail links.

I have lived here for more than 50 years. Old industries, brick, glass, silk, gone. Now more IT and comms.

CLIMBING MONKEY BARS

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT. 

I am a sister to the most amazing person.

I like being outside in the garden, to be active. I like running races or climbing monkey bars. 

Home is a place that I am happy and with my family.

For the future of Wingham, I would hope for it to be pristine clean, also for there to be lots of greenery and not so many roads or litter. I would like to be as eco-friendly as possible.

TO DANCE ALONE IN A BEAUTIFUL POOL

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am so many things, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, sister, tutor, artist, mathematician, sadly no longer a daughter ☹ . I have always been a Flitter, interested in everything!!

What makes me feel alive in my locale is my peaceful sunny garden, bumping into friends wherever I go.  I often get to dance alone in a beautiful pool at the spa whilst listening to my favourite songs on waterproof headphones. Kissing the head of my new grandson.

Home is a place where I can relax and be loved. Familiarity. 

I am a bit nervous at the current growth rate. Hope it stops soon. Looking forward to seeing how all the new residents settle in and become the future.

I have lived in Wokingham since 1981. Wokingham has been a fabulous town to have my family. As I get older I appreciate the welcoming vibe wherever I go, a town full (and getting fuller!) of lovely people.

I KEEP MYSELF SANE CREATING IN THE WORLD OF TORMENT AND UNPREDICTABILITY

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT. 

I am a constant creative, wannabe artist. I keep myself sane creating in the world of torment and unpredictability. Taking each day as it comes because you really just never know!

I live opposite an amazing space with trees and nature and a river. Always finding peace and quiet to clear my head and plan my next move.

Home. Knowing my family are safe and I am free to create. Home is comfort and laughter. Free to be yourself and not be judged.

For the future of Wokingham I wish that they sort the traffic out.

Live just outside Wokingham (Lower Earley) . I love nature and being outdoors. Wokingham has some amazing spaces.

AN INVISIBLE MIGRANT

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT. 

I am a second-generation migrant – Jewish German. (An invisible migrant) who looks just British/a Wokinghamite – a professional, a mother and wife, an ageing but active person.

What makes me feel alive in my locale are my friends and family – being part of the community and an active interactor. I love walking in the woods and being on the river – hearing the birds, leaves blowing in the wind.

Home means my house family and friends and activities – as a child it was family as we moved around a lot – ‘professional nomads’ - as was I as an adult, till we settled in Wokingham 40 years ago.

For the future, I wish to remain healthy, active and able to explore. To support my children and grandchildren. I am worried that Wokingham will grow too much.

Because I moved around so much I don’t have many friends from before Wokingham – other than my wider family.  I see my girls benefit from their stable and fixed home life

PEACE AND STILLNESS

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am a lively and interesting person, curious about people in the world. I am sociable and kind and love being with family and friends. I enjoy being busy and active.

I love the immediacy of Wokingham town, it is pretty and historic with beautiful old buildings. It’s vibrant and busy with people enjoying sunshine and cafés in the market. There are fresh and beautiful countryside spaces close by.

Home means peace and stillness, beauty in my environment and love with my family. It is a haven in a busy place with bees and butterflies and birds.

I would wish for a future Wokingham where more people can enjoy the good things about the place. I want it to remain beautiful and historic but also be more creative and artistic in how it develops.

I loved the workshop. Shows how lovely, open and friendly the people of Wokingham are  – genuinely interested and welcoming

A PLACE WHERE I AM VALUED

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am a passionate person who loves life and people. I have a heart for the marginalised and voiceless, those overlooked by society.

Giving a voice to those who have disengaged with society is what makes me feel alive in my locale. I work with the homeless and those without hope to give them a future full of hope. Nature also makes me happy, enjoying the green spaces in Wokingham and the nature reserves.

Home is family and community, somewhere to feel safe, a place where I am valued. 

For the future of Wokingham I wish for it to be more integrated and accepting of everyone. Wokingham is a fantastic place to live - a real community feel.

I WILL CHERISH THE MEMORIES I’M MAKING

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I’m a bit quirky, but I like the fact I don’t fit into a ‘box’. Growing up it was difficult for me to express myself but I think with time comes acceptance and I love who I am now, I’m more confident and expressive.

Home is my central point, if I say I’m going home I feel a rush of warmth. I can’t imagine my life without my home and my family. I currently live with my amazing grandparents and I know years from now I will cherish the memories I’m making.

I AM POTENTIAL WAITING TO FIND THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITY

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am potential waiting to find the right opportunity. I am ready to be something that I know I can be but haven’t found the space to be it. I am lots of things and nothing in particular.

Things that make me feel alive in my local area are looking at the trunks of a group of Scotts Pines on a windy day and the first steps into a lake on a hot day.

Home, to me, is wherever my family are, where I can relax, where I can be myself, where I can stop, and sit.
In the future I hope that Wokingham borough has linked pathways around the borough so we can all walk and cycle leaving our environmentally damaging cars at home.

I’ve travelled from the north to the south with lots of diversions along the way. All places felt comfortable with my pen and book with me.

I AM CONSTANTLY CHANGING, EVOLVING, LEARNING EVERY MINUTE AND EVERY DAY.

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am a mother, a wife, a sister, daughter, a cousin, a sister-in-law, a friend, creative, brave, afraid, happy, sad, funny, soppy, silly, stressed and calm.

What makes me feel alive in my locale is music and green spaces, dancing and singing, listening to live singers, the smell of cut grass and flowers.

Home is family together, warmth, cosy garden and music and singing and painting and the smell of cooking.

For the future of Wokingham, I wish for healing of each other through community activities, large or small.

I am constantly changing, evolving, learning every minute and every day.

MOVING TO THIS JOB IN WOKINGHAM HAS BEEN A JOY

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am an English, caucasian woman, mother, wife, sister, cousin, aunt, goddaughter, school librarian, colleague. I am sociable, love the arts.

What makes me feel alive in my locale are children, laughing, chatter, people, trees and the sky. Home, to me, means comfortable, belonging and personal space.

For the future of Wokingham borough, I wish for harmony and inclusion. Moving to this job in Wokingham has been a joy. It has had a big impact on my well-being.

I RETREAT FROM THE BUZZ OF LIFE OUTSIDE

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am an ordinary person of limited ability. Somewhat of a loner, though I enjoy company but never for long! I feel on the outside of community and take an objective view of community problems, preferring to accept what may come.

Riding my bicycle through the woods and trails smelling the pines and feeling the pinecones crackling, and being out and about taking exercise, these things make me feel alive in my local area. My house in a quiet part of town, surrounded by trees, away from people. I retreat from the buzz of life outside. With a workshop where I can create and repair objects both practical and beautiful.

I would like Wokingham to remain integrated with the natural world as it is at present. Proximity to its woods and fields are an underestimated asset. Our culture stands at a gateway to a very different future from that which we have assumed over the last 70 to 80 years.I think I may have just long enough to see its beginning.

WE ARE WOKINGHAM

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am an artist, philosopher, teacher, nurturer, the great great granddaughter of a black Victorian, the sailmaker. 

What makes me feel alive in my local area are the tunnels of trees in Cantley Park, the red oak in Jo Park with its giant leaves where Astrid stream meets Embrook at the top of the three fields, and the moon pool in the SANG.

Home, to me, means belonging to my family and the land around me. I am alive here with the road near the book and the stream, the ash and the oak.

I wish that everyone here would embrace that they are now part of the history of the area. We are Wokingham.

I am here also because of the Windrush generation who came to rebuild Britain after World War II. I have lived here for 19 years.

HOME IS SANCTUARY

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am a mother, daughter, sister. I am independent.

Nature – particularly plants and flowers, bird song in the morning and evening, sunsets across the fields, makes me feel alive in my local area.

Home is sanctuary, a place for me, my family.

I wish for better services to the community. In particular healthcare. Wokingham is special to me as it is the place I have bought up my children

I AM A HAPPY EARTHLING

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am a happy earthling who enjoys exploring every corner of this happy place.

What makes me feel alive in my local area is having a beautiful community with a rich history, a place to enjoy the present, a place that lifts every season and mood, a place where you can make memories to be cherished for years to come.

Home is a place where you can let your worries down where are you can let your make up down and be yourself

I AM A SUPPORT WORKER, A MUM, WIFE, DAUGHTER, AND A DOG LOVER

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am a support worker, a mum, wife, daughter, and a dog lover (Costa).

What makes me feel alive in my locale is supporting and helping people, and the train station. Home is family – love – quality time, and stock car racing (watching my son).

For the future I wish for peace, good health, and to keep our area safe and pleasant for us all! I started a support-worker job based in Wokingham seven years ago ☺

I LOVE TEDDY BEARS AND CHOCOLATE

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I love teddy bears and chocolate. I work at TK Maxx. I am a tea lover and hot chocolate lover.  I love seeing my friends.

What makes me feel alive in my locale is the bowling alley and the cinema, listening to music, being in the park reading a book. Home is a place to stay, to keep warm, with a bed and a TV.

In the future I hope Wokingham has more clothes shops, more activities and craft, and more garden centres.I am leaving Wokingham. I like looking in the charity shops and I like going to cafés.

FOR THE FUTURE I HOPE TO GET ENGAGED

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am Russell. I like to go dancing on Fridays with Robyn. I like my food. I like watching YouTube. I like art.

What makes me feel alive in my local area are the birds, Woking vibe, cycling, my dad not living too far away from me, and the shops are not too far away from mine. Home is relax time, family and friends.

For the future I hope to get engaged to Robyn and see more of her. I live in my flat, I came from South Africa and have support. I met Robyn, we enjoyed dancing on Friday night.

WHAT MAKES ME FEEL ALIVE IN MY LOCAL AREA ARE THE BIRDS

This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of THE WOKINGHAM ARC PROJECT.

I am Robyn. I like to go dancing on Friday with Russell. I love my food. I like doing TikTok videos. I like watching YouTube. I like art. I liked being a bridesmaid for Sam and Steph and Holly-Anthony.

What makes me feel alive in my local area is the birds, Wokham vibe, cycling, my Mum and Dad and Nan next door to each other. The precinct is not too far from me. Holly lives close to my house.

Home, to me, means relax time, family and friends. For the future I hope to get engaged to Russell and see more of him. I live at home with mum and dad and have a carer to take me out and my boyfriend Russell. I enjoy dancing. On Friday night grandma cares for me. She lives next door to me.