Rebecca Johnson

Stories by Rebecca Johnson

Below are recent stories by Rebecca Johnson

• Published: 13 Feb 2010 12:00

  Springing into team gym action

  GYMNASTS from across the south east will compete for a place in the British TeamGym qualifiers at a tournament in Bracknell.

• Published: 15 Jan 2010 12:00

  Solid show of support with military tattoo

  A COLOURFUL and musical display of military bands will help raise cash for wounded soldiers.

• Published: 6 Oct 2009 12:00

  Artists fuse for exhibition

  CERAMICS and stich work will fuse together for an exhibition of art work.

• Published: 10 Sep 2009 13:19

  Pride of Bracknell awards

  IT'S time for readers to put their thinking caps on and get nominating for this year's Pride of Bracknell awards.

• Published: 18 Mar 2009 16:00

  Could you be this year's makeover winner?

  LAST year, one woman had the chance of a lifetime as she underwent a £12,000 makeover thanks to a competition run in Midweek's sister paper the News.

• Published: 16 Mar 2009 11:55

  Bureaux boosted to tune of £10,000

  AN EXTRA 300 people seeking debt and employment advice will benefit from a cash injection to the Citizens Advice Bureau.

• Published: 13 Mar 2009 15:55

  Brother working to help Dubai prisoner Marnie

  THE brother of a mum jailed in a Dubai prison for adultery has pledged to donate profits from his new business to help fund her legal fees. Daniel Pearce has opened D&M Tackle anglers' shop in Wokingham with business partner Mick Hawkins. They will donate half of their profits to help support Daniel's sister Marnie. She is serving a three-month sentence for adultery in a Dubai jail, which she maintains is a trumped up charge put forward by her ex-husband who wants custody of their sons. Mr Pearce, 36, from Bracknell, said: "We are aiming to take a percentage every week after everything has been paid and put it towards the fund." Marnie, originally from Bracknell, needs £80,000 for legal fees. The 40-year-old is also battling to win custody of her two sons, Laith, seven, and Ziad, four, who are now with their father, Ihab El-Labban, in Dubai. Mr Pearce has a weekly agonising wait for phone calls from lawyers updating him on his sister's battle as family members cannot afford to fly out to support her. He said: "We are completely cut off, but the battle continues." He is having to rely on reports from a friend of Marnie's, who has been able to visit the former teaching assistant in her prison cell. Heartbroken Marnie has lost weight, is not eating properly and her health is poor. Friends have set up a website to help raise awareness of her plight and funds for her legal fees. Amnesty International has called for her immediate and unconditional release saying Marnie is a prisoner of conscience because she refused to give up her children in the face of being falsely accused of adultery, which is a crime in Dubai. It has also called for the rights of her two sons to be protected during the custody battle. Mr Pearce says the family will do all it can from this country to help Marnie and the boys and he is hoping that his new business, which will also be selling South African food as of next week, will boost donations. He said: "Our main aim is to get her and the children back here. We specifically opened up this business to bring more money in." Marnie was arrested in January last year, accused of having an affair with a colleague's brother-in-law, but the pair have strenuously denied the charges. She began her prison sentence on February 19. - Visit D&M Tackle in Denmark Street, Wokingham or visit www.costapages.com/savemarniesbabies/news.htm for more information on Marnie's appeal.

• Published: 12 Mar 2009 12:00

  Families split in schools lottery

  CALLS for brothers and sisters to be re-united have been made after a families were split up by the school selection process.

• Published: 12 Mar 2009 11:55

  Red noses to get ultra violet tweak

  TWO DJs and music promoters are hoping to bring a bit of UV light to their red noses. JD Sparxx and Mumbles, aka Dave Smith and Steve Child, will host a dance night at Angels tomorrow (Friday) - with a Red Nose Day theme. The pair regularly put on their dance nights, The Beat Addiction Presents, and last month launched the first of a new venture which will take place every four weeks at Angels in Skimped Hill Lane, Bracknell. To raise cash for Comic Relief, being celebrated tomorrow (Friday), the pair will donate 50p from each ticket sold and they have bought lots of red noses which they will paint with UV (ultra violet) to encourage more people to donate. Dave said: "We set these nights up a couple of years ago to try and revive Bracknell's night life. We thought we would do something different this time because it falls on Comic Relief." Over 160 people attended last month's dance night and it's hoped even more will be there this month. Tickets cost £5 in advance by calling 07528 022840 or £7 on the night. The Beat Addiction Presents...Euphoria runs from 9pm-3am. l The 'doing something funny for money' theme will be played out by staff at Bracknell Forest Council. Tomorrow Nick Ireland, head of learning disabilities services will do a sponsored run in fancy dress from 10.15am. The run will start at Waymead, St Anthonys Close, go through the town centre and then to the council depot and leisure centre ending at Eastern Road. l At the Bandstand in Bracknell town centre there will be an X-Factor wannabe contest. The stage will be set and microphone turned up for shoppers to help raise money for Comic Relief. Participants can either pay someone to sing, do it themselves, or pay people to stop singing. The fun lasts from 9.30am-4.30pm. l At 7.30pm tomorrow there will be a once in a lifetime performance by the Committed Blues Band, a council staff group especially formed for Comic Relief day. The performance will take place at 7.30pm at the Forest Suite at Bracknell Leisure Centre. Tickets cost £5 from 01344 351506. To donate to Bracknell Forest Council's efforts for Comic Relief visit www.myrednoseday.com/bracknell2009 - In Bracknell town centre, hairdressers Headlines will be doing jazzy haircuts in the window of Oxfam from 9.30am-12.30pm. Staff and children at the Teepee Day Nursery in Hanworth will be dressing up and doing funny games for the day. And the dressing up will continue at Owlsmoor Primary School and Our Lady's Prep School in Crowthorne. - If you do something for Comic Relief, send in your photos and details of the fundraising to Richard Crowe at rcrowe@berksmedia.co.uk

• Published: 6 Mar 2009 08:00

  After 50 years, we are due South

  IT is one of the grandest and most spectacular buildings in the Bracknell area and now South Hill Park is home to the Bracknell News.

• Last updated: 3 Mar 2009 11:27

  Win a Wedding!

  THE wedding season is fast approaching and happy couples from across Bracknell Forest are preparing for their big day.

• Published: 18 Feb 2009 12:00

  Funding problem for bereavement charity

  BEREAVEMENT charity Cruse may be forced to cut down its services due to a lack of funding.

• Published: 15 Feb 2009 09:00

  Blaze at thatched cottage

  FIRE crews from Bracknell Fire Station were among 70 firefighters tackling a blaze at a thatched cottage.

• Published: 14 Feb 2009 12:00

  Appeal for missing man

  POLICE have launched an appeal to help trace a missing man.

• Published: 14 Feb 2009 12:00

  All ingredients for a flipping fantastic race

  THE search is on for traders and schoolchildren to take part in a flipping fantastic race.

• Published: 13 Feb 2009 15:55

  Raise funds for Seb's Trust

  RUNNERS are needed to help raise vital funds for seriously ill children and their families.

• Last updated: 17 Feb 2009 08:54

  Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

  READERS have been busy snapping away capturing the recent snowfalls on film.

• Published: 11 Feb 2009 12:00

  Flipping pancakes!

  THE woes of financial strains and weather worries will be tossed aside during the eighth annual Pancake Race.

• Last updated: 2 Feb 2009 10:20

  Heavy snow closes schools

  SCHOOLS have been closed due to the heavy snow falls and severe weather.

• Published: 21 Jan 2009 03:55

  Shining a light on 'invisible' children

  A CAMPAIGN has been launched to highlight the need for councils to know the whereabouts of children cared for under private fostering.

• Published: 6 Jan 2009 18:00

  Warning to avoid frozen ponds

  CHILDREN and young people were being warned to stay off frozen ponds and lakes as the cold snap hit the area.

• Last updated: 6 Feb 2009 12:27

  'Bracknell people are so friendly'

  JIM Finnie moved to Bracknell 39 years ago and has been a councillor for 35 years - and a fond friend of News reporters over that time.

• Last updated: 6 Feb 2009 11:28

  Celebrating 50 years of the News

  On Thursday, February 5 1959 the Bracknell News was founded to serve the town, its businesses and families. Over the years the newspaper has gone through many different owners.

• Published: 14 Dec 2008 07:45

  The perfect present for the woman in your life

  FOR years a woman hears of the blooming time when she will carry her child for nine months before giving birth - the most amazing and unforgettable experience, according to mums who have gone through it and forgotten the bad stuff.

• Published: 7 Dec 2008 11:55

  Counting cost of adapting house

  THE parents of a wheelchair-bound teenager say they feel let down and disappointed after being told they need to find £70,000 to fund renovations to their council house.

• Published: 6 Dec 2008 15:55

  Improved adult social care rating welcomed

  THE way adults are treated by a council's social care team has improved, according to a report.

• Published: 27 Nov 2008 08:00

  Students are driving force as travel scheme launched

  HOW many students can you fit into a Volvo?

• Published: 27 Nov 2008 07:55

  Taggers are targeted in crackdown on graffiti

  VANDALS tagging walls and fences are to be targeted in a police and council crackdown.

• Published: 26 Nov 2008 11:55

  Asian teachers learn about online tools

  PRIMARY school children will be opening up their learning techniques to children from the far east.

• Published: 11 Nov 2008 08:05

  Firework fun despite a wet and wild night

  THE rain may have poured down but crowds braved the weather to watch a charity firework display.