Bracknell Nostalgia - What was going on in January 2004?

Well, nearly 18 years ago saw the actress Joanna Lumley attend Ascot’s Racecourse annual charity event.

The Ab Fab star was one of many people who took part in the bucket shake to raise funds for the Prince’s Trust.

On the day, Joanna met with Lord Hartington, Her Majesty’s Representative and Chairman at Ascot.

The actress was present at the event as she was an ambassador for the trust.

Joanna Lumley was in Berkshire back in January 2004

Speaking at the time, she said: “I love the Prince’s Trust.

“I love the foresight it has, knowing that every young person is special and different and if encouraged and supported, that person will give back tenfold and have a happier life.”

At around the same time of Mrs Lumley’s appearance in Berkshire, a new playground was officially opened.

January 2004 saw the play area in the Greenway open to the public for the first time, which boasted a roundabout, a climbing frame, a seesaw and an obstacle course for children to enjoy.

The playground, which was near the entrance to Branksome Hill Road, was installed to replace equipment which had become outdated.

The Greenway play area opened in January 2004

That same month also recognised the work of local resident, Wendy Smith, who was part of the Sandhurst Clean Team.

Wendy, who joined the Clean Team three years prior in 2001, had picked up an incredible 48,454 by 2004 littered bottles and tins across Sandhurst and Little Sandhurst, in a bid to try and keep her streets tidy from trash.

And to help her continue to clean up the town, she started using a specially made adult tricycle to remove any rubbish.

The Clean Team in January 2004

Speaking 17 years ago, she said: “I joined the Clean Team because I got so annoyed seeing litter all around the town when I was doing my shopping.

“This trike will make life a lot easier.

“I used to have a pull a trailer on my old bike but it kept falling over.”

The hi-tech trike was brought with the help of a £1,000 sponsorship deal with Beesley and Goodman Hair and Wig Centre in the High Street.

And in keeping with people who are doing their bit for changing things for the better, January 2004 also saw a then year nine pupil finish second in a national competition.

Will Rowley, who attended the Ranelagh School in Bracknell, designed a classroom for the future of what classrooms could look like in 2033, where he wrote a description of what the learning area would look like.

His gizmo-filled classroom would seat 22 pupils, with each student sharing a desk with a PC and plasma screen.

Will, who was 13 at the time, said: “A centre console would be able to control the programmes that were shown on the plasma screen for much easier viewing.”

Will Rowley was 13-years-old in January 2004

We still need to wait another 12 years to see if Will’s idea will come into play.

Staying with students, January of that year celebrated the work of what the pupils at Edgebarrow School had achieved over the previous the previous 12 months.

Some of the standout students were Kim Barnes-Dallas and Stephen O’Connell in Year 13, and Natalie Cole who was in Year 11.

Kim Barnes-Dallas and Stephen O’Connell in Year 13, and Natalie Cole who was in Year 11

The school’s headteacher, Robert Elsey, said: “This was a really proud moment for the school, and we all came together to celebrate the considerable achievements of our students.”

Moving over to the Harms Water School in Bracknell, the year three students in January 2004 worked on a project that combined drama, art and music.

The project was about the Chipko Indians and their campaign to save their environment from destruction.

The Year 3s learnt about the Chipko Indians

Teacher, Mary Walker, said the project gave the children in all the different Year 3 classes the chance to work together.

The only sour note was that Winkfield teenagers lose out on new social facilities after vandals attacked a new playground in the area.

It cost a fair bit of money to remove the grafitti

Teenagers left graffiti on the ground of the new play area, and with the money that was used to clean up the mess, that had been left aside for a new shelter for the youngsters to use.

Vandals hit the brand new park

A spokesperson from Winkfield Parish Council said: “The graffiti is actually worse than last time.

“We will clean it up again, but of course, it costs money.”