Crown Wood in Bracknell was full of happy youngsters back in the summer of 1980 as a new youth club was opened in the community centre.

Initially the club was going to meet every Thursday evening, just in time for the lighter summer nights, so outside activities such as football and rounders could continue, with darts and pool available if the weather was poor.

Wokingham 38 years ago when The Sealed Knot Society, a group of men and women devoted to life in the 17th century, forged a mock battle to entertain the crowds in Cantley fields.

The battle was one of the highlights of the afternoon, especially as the Roundheads and Cavaliers brought a little bit of ancient history back to the town.

A soap-box rally in Warfield tested the engineering skills of its contestants as all the teams had build and race the karts themselves.

Six teams entered the charity rally, and despite many bumps and scrapes, with a few wheel changes along the obstacle course, the sponsorship money raised amounted to over £40 per kart.

A Queen’s Guide from Wokingham, Sarah Bennett-Smith brought back some treasured mementoes and memories from her visit to a 1,000 strong Guide camp in Australia.

Returning home laden with cuddly gifts of koala bears and kangaroos, Sarah also brought hundreds of slide photos to prove to her fellow guides that she had the trip of a lifetime.

Speaking to the News she recounted:” We stayed with Guide families for the first three days and saw a lot of the sights such as Sydney’s Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Then we went to the camp where we were welcomed by the Australian Guide Chief Commissioner.

The giant get together was not without its logistical issues as the Guides consumed 1,334 loaves of bread, 3,000 sausages, 3,600 fish fingers and (strangely) one ton of cucumbers.

Bracknell welcomed a new family back in 1980, but the new arrivals were of the feathered variety, having set up home in a nesting box in a garden in Crowthorne Road.

Using an RSPB template design, William Parkin and his wife Mahala, made two nest boxes and a family of Blue Tits took up residence.

Mrs. Parking told the News:” The first signs that they were interested came in late March when a Blue Tit flew back and forth to the box. Then it went quiet until, one by one, the young started to emerge.”

Now the birds have left the nest Mahala admitted:” We were quite upset after they had gone, the garden is so quiet, it is like a graveyard!”

With all the pomp and pageantry of Royal Ascot the News carried a photo of Her Majesty the Queen arriving on the first day of the meeting, maintaining a tradition since her Coronation in 1953, to the present day.