SPRING NEWSLETTER 2026

Thank You!

Firstly, a big thank you for your continued support as a champion for Arts4Wokingham. The advancement of arts and culture for the benefit of residents throughout the borough of Wokingham remains our key objective. We’re keen to keep you up to date with the many ways in which we are continuing to realise this ambition and hope that you will find some of our activities outlined in this latest newsletter both revealing and reassuring. 

Our launch project, the commissioning of Nicola Anthony’s exciting stainless-steel sculpture, The Arc, outside Wokingham’s Carnival Hub, continues to be the central focus of many of our fundraising activities. Nicola has now created a maquette of the work which has been on show outside the library for the past six months or so. We are currently considering other possible venues where the maquette might be displayed. We’re also making sure that this scaled down version of her work is showcased at future arts events so that everyone can get a much clearer sense of just how impressive the final sculpture will be.

August 2025 - Party in the park, Woodley

In August we were delighted to be able to contribute to Woodley Town Council’s annual ‘Party in the Park’ event. Arts4Wokingham committee member and artist in her own right, Jo Wyles, hosted a series of sessions focusing on her speciality of creating art from recycled materials. Her guidance and instant mentoring saw dozens of participants, both young and old, transforming used packaging and egg boxes into a whole range of inspired creatures.

September 2025 - Wokingham Theatre

September turned out to be a very busy month for A4W. Our charity gala presentation of Richard Harris’s play, ‘Dead Guilty’ was a huge success. We were thrilled to have our championing of public art endorsed by two of the play’s original cast members, Hayley Mills and Jenny Seagrove, both of whom sent autographs and warm messages of support. These were reinforced by a wonderful personal note about the background to the play from the playwright himself, Richard Harris. Top notch raffle prizes and an impressive staging by Wokingham Theatre really made this a very special and enjoyable fundraiser.

September 2025 - Wokingham Arts Trail

At the end of September 2025 we were, once again, delighted to join forces with another local charity, Wade, to contribute to 2025’s Wokingham Arts Trail. Young people and some of the town’s senior folk joined forces and pooled their creative energies to produce a range of work on the theme of ‘Animal Magic’. A number of workshops, led by artist and A4W committee member Jo Wyles, helped participants to refine their efforts. The fruits of their labours were on display at Wokingham gallery, Old Kiln Yard, across the weekend of the trail. The artwork had strong competition from some of the cakes on offer. Members of Wade flaunted their bake-off skills with an impressive spread. They proved too difficult to resist for many of those drifting in and out of Old Kiln Yard and the pop-up café did a roaring trade. All monies earned from works sold, catering and other activities linked to this project were shared equally between Wade and A4W.

March 2026 - Business Breakfast

Our sincere thanks to Cratus Communications for facilitating a ‘business breakfast’ at the end of March which allowed Arts4Wokingham to meet, forge links and garner support from local housing developers. This was a critical opportunity for A4W to demonstrate its core objective of promoting and embracing public art and to offer its skills to those seeking to explore possibilities or initiate specific projects. 
A special thank you to Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Cratus Communications, Nick Kilby and their Senior Planner, Duncan Flynn.

Cratus brought together over a dozen developers who were given a presentation by A4W’S chair, Charlotte Haitham Taylor. A Q&A session followed and the dialogue suggested much common ground and interest in how public art might be further explored and rooted in this area. 
Our thanks, too, to the leader of Wokingham Borough Council, Cllr. Stephen Conway and Head Planner, Nick Irvine, for attending and contributing so positively.
Our aim now is to reconnect and consider a more bespoke approach with those who were able to join us on the day. A huge thank you to all the developers for giving up their time so unselfishly. We hope that this initiative has enabled us to give a clearer context to our objectives and share a belief in the value, significance and importance of public art.

April 2025/2026 - Shinfield Sculpture

Last year Arts4Wokingham was invited to contribute to an exciting new sculpture project launched by Shinfield Parish Council. SPC wanted to commission a piece of public art which will be located in a new plaza to be built next to its School Green Centre. A4W was approached and engaged in a consultancy role to offer its skills and expertise. Our knowledge of the logistical, legal and aesthetic aspects of a commission like this proved to be invaluable. We much enjoyed working with SPC and were able to offer tangible support and guidance throughout the project. Ahead of the selection of a shortlist of three final artists, Chief Executive and Clerk to Shinfield Parish Council, Bruce Winton said, ‘We are incredibly grateful to Arts4Wokingham, led by Charlotte Haitham Taylor, for their support throughout this project. Their expertise and enthusiasm have been instrumental in getting us to this point and we’re delighted to be working alongside them to deliver a legacy piece for Shinfield’.

The winning artist has just been announced. He is Nicolas Moreton, a member of The Royal Society of Sculptors. Nicolas was chosen by a panel comprising council representatives, Arts4Wokingham, local residents, two students from Oakbank School and a distinguished arts professional. Nicolas works mainly in stone and views on two of his final designs, using UK-sourced granite, are currently being sought by the wider local community. (See also main image above)

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Wednesday 14th October 2026 - Wokingham Theatre
Hot off the press, we can bring you an invitation to share in another Wokingham Theatre production which will see all ticket proceeds going to Arts4Wokingham. You will not only be able to enjoy the play but will also know that the money paid for every ticket will help us to promote more public art in and around the Borough. A double whammy. You will be making a significant donation by simply buying a ticket for this charity evening staging.  The play is "The Welkin" by Lucy Kirkwood, first staged at the National Theatre in 2020. Set in 1759, it’s an exploration of justice and power that places twelve women centre stage, asking who gets to be heard and who decides. A brutal murder and a surprise pregnancy trigger events as ordinary women find themselves holding a life in their hands.

The bar will be open from 7pm and this is a great time to mingle with like-minded art lovers and those who simply want a great night out. There will be an enticing raffle for those feeling lucky. Do keep an eye on our website and the local press for more ticket information in a couple of months’ time. It’s sure to be a fantastic evening and our sincere thanks go to Wokingham Theatre, once again, for their generosity and support. 

Friday 11th June 2027 - Purdey at the Royal Berkshire shooting school
Just ten minutes walk from Pangbourne station, in an area of outstanding natural beauty, lie 65 acres of woodland and valley. This is the home of ‘Purdey At The Royal Berkshire’ which offers some of the finest clay shooting experiences in the country. We have booked Friday 11th June 2027 as an experience that participants will cherish. It may still be over a year away but those choosing to join us will enjoy the ultimate day to remember. Hosted by staff at the shooting school, guests will be treated to breakfast, a champagne reception and a sumptuous three course lunch as they compete in teams of four to ‘out gun’ fellow shooters. Prizes are on offer for those who excel and Purdey will supply eye and head protection together with Purdey caps and around 2,500 cartridges. Those with no experience or knowledge of shooting clays can still come along as guests or helpers and enjoy everything except the shooting. A concluding grand auction will be offering experiences that are unique and outstanding as we strive to swell the takings for Arts4Wokingham funds.

If you’d like to buy into this extraordinary day, we’ll have more details on costs and timings soon. If you have any queries or wish to honour, reward or simply gift a friend, partner or colleague a place and can make up a team of four, then contact us at our contact website address, info@arts4wokingham.com