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July 5, 2026

Much-loved community cafe to close after 20 years

Good Morning Thames Valley — 2026-07-05

The community cafe will close on 31 October 2026, 20 years after it first opened in Palmer Park.
Good Morning Thames Valley
Morning briefing · 9 min read

Good Morning Thames Valley

Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell, Windsor, Maidenhead and Ascot in five minutes

Sunday 5 July 2026 Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell, Windsor, Maidenhead and Ascot in five minutes · Your Sunday local briefing
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Lead Story
Much-loved community cafe to close after 20 years

Much-loved community cafe to close after 20 years

• The community cafe will close on 31 October 2026, 20 years after it first opened in Palmer Park.

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Almanac · Daily readings

Today in Thames Valley

Conditions in your area this morning.

Thames Valley
16°C
Overcast · High 29° · Low 16°
Wind
5mph
Moderate
Sources
28
checked for today
Events
8
listed this week
Local news · 14 stories

The local news that matters this morning

Here's the local news from the past 24 hours, made easy to digest.

Teacher's escape room app wins national award
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

Teacher's escape room app wins national award

• Slough school teacher Valli Krishnappan developed Logic MasterMind to get pupils more engaged.

Children learning about the birds and the bats at school
Reading Borough Council News · today

Children learning about the birds and the bats at school

• Pupils decorate bird and bat boxes as part of the Council improvement works to their Victorian school buildings Building improvement project at Alfred Sutton Primary School completed as new one starts at Wilson Primary School

Venezuelan-born woman's heartbreak after quakes
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

Venezuelan-born woman's heartbreak after quakes

• Tens of thousands of people are still missing after two quakes struck Venezuela last month.

Pavement improvement works under way across the borough
Reading Borough Council News · today

Pavement improvement works under way across the borough

• Up to 30 stretches of pavement will be treated using an innovative new method which extends the life of the footway The technique is quicker, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than traditional methods while maintaining footways at high standard for longer

Fencing club seeks new home after two decades
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

Fencing club seeks new home after two decades

• The club, one of the largest in the UK, has been based at Reading Blue Coat School for two decades.

Lobbing Federer changed his life - the cult hero back at Wimbledon
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

Lobbing Federer changed his life - the cult hero back at Wimbledon

• Marcus Willis is best known for playing Roger Federer on Wimbledon's Centre Court but, 10 years on, he says he is not defined by that magical moment.

Man in court after fight shut parts of town centre
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

Man in court after fight shut parts of town centre

• The 29-year-old man from Reading was charged on Wednesday and appeared in court on Thursday.

Warning against exploring unused cinema building
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

Warning against exploring unused cinema building

• The former Odeon in Bracknell closed in May 2025 after decades operating in the town.

Kew Gardens' statue returns to Windsor Castle
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

Kew Gardens' statue returns to Windsor Castle

• The Hercules statue had been prominently placed in Kew Gardens but it was removed last year.

Reading's Lisbie driven by 'proving people wrong'
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

Reading's Lisbie driven by 'proving people wrong'

• Reading's first summer signing Kyreece Lisbie wants to prove people wrong as he steps up to League One.

Burnham asked to back Thames Valley mayoral plans
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

Burnham asked to back Thames Valley mayoral plans

• Oxfordshire political leaders have asked for Andy Burnham's support to create mayor for the region

Family served eviction notice under banned law
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

Family served eviction notice under banned law

• Lynne Antink and her son Colin from Wokingham are now expecting to be split up.

New motorbike squad to clamp down on speeding
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

New motorbike squad to clamp down on speeding

• The motorbikes will be equipped with handheld laser and video speed detection technology.

Data centre planned for Microsoft's UK HQ
BBC Berkshire RSS feed · today

Data centre planned for Microsoft's UK HQ

• public consultation on the proposal will be held by developers in Sonning next week.

Local utility · Practical note

Daily source desk

Primary sources checked for today's edition. Use these links to verify records, consultations, travel changes and local service updates.

Resident Desk · official

Public notices and resident checks

Council, planning, travel and official-source items that make this edition useful beyond the headlines.

Official notice: Bracknell Forest Council news. Checked today for council records, public notices, consultations, transport changes, openings or service disruption. Open source ->Official notice: Bracknell planning register. Checked today for council records, public notices, consultations, transport changes, openings or service disruption. Open source ->Official notice: GOV.UK flood check - Windsor and Maidenhead. Checked today for council records, public notices, consultations, transport changes, openings or service disruption. Open source ->Official notice: GOV.UK flood check - Reading. Checked today for council records, public notices, consultations, transport changes, openings or service disruption. Open source ->Official notice: Met Office forecast - Reading. Checked today for council records, public notices, consultations, transport changes, openings or service disruption. Open source ->
What's On · 8 items

What's on: next 7 days

A quick-view of 8 priority public listings from 8 tracked events over the next 7 days. Tap any item for the source and full details.

2026-07-05T09:30:00Z · What's On Reading. Berkshire Motor Show in Prospect ParkSun 05 Jul 2026, 17:00 · Hexagon - Main House · What's On Reading. BPDC “The Eras” Show2026-07-17T19:30:00Z · What's On Reading. Edinburgh Preview Double Bill: Glenn Moore & Jonny Pelham2026-07-06T10:00:00Z · Family Research Centre · What's On Reading. Face-to-Face Family History AdviceEvery Sunday 5-7pm · Spill Bar · What's On Reading. Live Music at Spill5 Jul 2026 Multiple times · Pangbourne Jazz · What's On Reading. Mark Aston, Saxophonist, with The Terry Hutchins QrtEvery Monday night from 19:30 · Mates Rates Comedy Club · What's On Reading. Mates Rates Comedy Raw, Reading's Weekly Stand Up Comedy Open Mic3 – 12 July · Reading Business Improvement District (BID) · What's On Reading. Reading Cocktail Week
Weekly Poll

Resident pulse

One weekly reader question. This same poll runs all week; vote below. We publish the result each Monday, then start the next question.

Weekly question

Pick the thread you want the local briefing to keep watching.

What should Good Morning Thames Valley follow up most this week?

  • Council and public services
  • Transport and disruption
  • Events and community life
  • Planning and official notices

Local picks · 3 Amazon searches

Local picks on Amazon

Three handpicked Thames Valley searches for today, rotated daily.

RF
Thames Valley pick 1

Reading Festival Poster

Amazon UK search for Reading Festival related posters and gifts.

Search Amazon UK →
WL
Thames Valley pick 2

Wokingham Local History

Amazon UK search for Wokingham local history books.

Search Amazon UK →
BF
Thames Valley pick 3

Bracknell Forest Walks

Amazon UK search for Bracknell Forest walking and outdoor guides.

Search Amazon UK →

Affiliate disclosure: these open Amazon UK searches with tag productli0e7f-21. As an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases.

Did You Know · local trivia

A small local fact

Reading and Maidenhead are both Elizabeth line endpoints on the western branch, so London transport disruption can be a genuinely local Thames Valley story.

This Day · local fact

Did you know? · Thames Valley

Dorney Lake near Windsor, a rowing lake built and owned by Eton College for £17 million, hosted the rowing and canoe sprint events at the London 2012 Olympics as 'Eton Dorney'.

Source →

Until tomorrow morning Have a lovely day.
EST
2024
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