Reading Crematorium

Cemetery will close at 15.00hrs on Friday 23^rd & 30^th December.

Saturday 24^th-Tuesday 27^th December Closed

Saturday 31^st – Monday 2^nd January Closed

West Berkshire Crematorium

Saturday 24^th-Tuesday 27^th December Closed

Wednesday 28^th – Friday 30^th Dec Open as normal

Saturday 31^st – Monday 2^nd January Closed

Easthampstead Park Crematorium

Saturday 24^th-Tuesday 27^th December Closed

Saturday 31^st – Monday 2^nd January Closed

We would like to invite you to celebrate with us the life of someone who was very dear to you at 6.30pm on Friday, 2nd December 2011 at our annual Light Up a Life service.

For further details, please visit the Duchess of Kent website.

The whole team would like to wish Michael very many Happy Returns!

Renovation work has started at our new Thatcham branch and is progressing well. More photos to follow.

A. B. Walker & Son Limited have been awarded the bronze Investors in People recognition.  This is a big achievement for the team at A B Walker!

The aim is to continue to improve on what we currently do and to aim towards silver for the next review.

A B Walker and Sons Limited are very pleased to announce that our Funeral Operative, Mark Stewart, has successfully passed his BRAMM Exam, please join us in offering him our congratulations

The A B Walker K2 Canoe was dusted off and put in to action on Sunday 2^nd October at the  55th National Hasler Final Canoe Marathon Racing Championships held at Bedford. The A B Walker boat which was used in the 2010 Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race to raise money for Help For Heroes was again crewed by Reading Canoe Club paddlers Matthew Walker and Lee Atkins, who made a credible 5^th place in their divisional race.  Both Matt and Lee opted for the reassuring stability of the A B Walker boat to meet the predicted choppy conditions which proved the right call.

The Natural Death Centre is a social entrepreneurial, educational charity that gives advice on all aspects of dying, bereavement and consumer rights in this area. They offer support on family-organised and environmentally-friendly funerals and run the Association Natural Burial Grounds. Although green, they promote choice and education not just environmental issues.

The pair are hoping to raise £10,000 for the chairty, and with your help we hope to get that figure even higher. Please check out their web site if you wish to sponsor them. http://runacrossamerica.co.uk/index.php.

James Leedham of Native Woodland Limited and Julian Walker of A B Walker and Son Limited teamed up to run a stall at the Henley Show to promote natural burials, this event took place in Hambledon, near Henley-on-Thames on Saturday 10th September 2011.

Native Woodland Limited have a natural burial ground based in Rotherfield Greys, near Henley and work closely with A B Walker's Henley Office. A natural burial ground is a place where mourners can have more time, more privacy and more space in which to remember their loved one. The area is surrounded by trees, grass, wild flowers and wildlife rather than rows of head stones, which keeps things simple and less traditional.

Although a natural burial site may take some years to become established, the beauty of it is that the meadows will be grazed just as they have always been and will continue to be long after burials cease; new tree planting will develop within 10 years to become new native woodland and the mature woodland burial grounds are managed to regenerate old and fallen trees.

Aimed at the over 50s, companies exhibiting at this event will include mobility services, care/nursing agencies, retirement homes, overseas properties, residential homes, hearing aids and pre-paid funeral plans.

This is an open air ceremony, aimed at remembering those who have passed away during the last year.  The service will comprise hymns, a humanist section, readings from local Ministers, plus a Choir and the Salvation Army Band will also be performing.  Afterwards refreshments will be served to raise money for the Mayor’s Charity.

A B Walker and Son Limited were sad to say goodbye to one of their Funeral Operatives, Phil Young, who left our employment on Friday 12th August. Phil and his partner Lauren are moving to Lincolnshire to start a new life, where Phil has managed to find employment with another Funeral Director - our loss, their gain, but we wish them all the very best for the future.

Cynthia Townley and Heidi Nightingale, of A B Walker & Son Limited, joined the Town Mayor, Peter Lucey for the judging of "Wokingham in Flower Competition" which is sponsored by A. B. Walker & Son every year.

The winner in the Container section was "The Hope & Anchor", followed closely by "Waitrose".  Winner in the Garden section was "The Crispin", followed by "The Doll’s House".

Trophies and certificates are to be presented at The Town Hall on Wednesday 14^th September 2011, and in the meantime may A B Walker & Son Limited take this opportunity of congratulating everyone who took part, our thanks go out to you for all your effort and hard work - well done!

Filmed on Sunday 24th July 2011 at the Palmer Park Bowling Club. - The 'Spider' was the first event of the PPBC Gala Day, sponsored by A.B.Walker & Son Ltd

A B Walker and Son Limited have donated a second memorial stone for Reading Football Club Memorial Park at the Madejski Stadium in memory of players and management, cementing our affliliation with the club and supporters.

As stalwart Reading fans, we all wish them well in the new season and hope to see Premiership football back in Berkshire in 2012 - come on you R's!!

Palmer Park Bowling Club held their Gala Day yesterday - Sunday 24^th July 2011 - which A B Walker & Son Limited were very proud to sponsor.

This is the  10^th year ABW have sponsored PPBC’s Gala day, with 20 teams competing in glorious sunshine. PPBC President John Hall with Matthew Walker and Tony Grimshaw were there to present the trophies to;

Winners:                                   Three Mile Cross B (pictured above)

Runners Up:                              Woodley

Semi-Finalist:                            Island Bohemians A

Semi-Finalist:                            Trenthams

Winner of the £100 Raffle:         Gordon Gunns (pictured above)

Winner of the ‘Spider’:               Theresa Slark

Well done to all those who attended and a special thank you to all the Palmer Park Bowling Club members who made the day relaxed as ever.

All the luck in the world and our very best good wishes go to our Receptionist Sue Stacey whose last day with us is on Friday 22nd July 2011, we will all miss you very much Sue, and our good wishes go with you in your new career

Caring Debbie Friel’s friendly face and sympathetic ear have offered comfort at a time of grief for many families and they have now earned her a nomination for a Pride of Reading award.

Wokingham Register Office

Civic Offices

Shute End

Wokingham

Berkshire

RG40 1WH

Tel: 0118 974 6554  (New Number)

Fax: 0118 974 6255

Palmer Park Bowls Club opened their doors to A B Walker staff and their families for an evening of bowls followed by a buffet kindly supplied by PPBC, a thank you to A B Walker & Son Limited for sponsoring their Gala Day.

Despite heavy rainfall a good time was had by all, even those who had never played bowls before in their lives! Unfortuantely beacause of the weather, all but the die-hards were forced to retire to the club house a little earlier than planned, but a most delicious buffet and a few drinks ensued which more than made up for the poor weather! A massive thank you to PPBC for their wonderful hospitality!

The Women of Achievement Awards help to recognise and celebrate the successes of women; in business, the community, the creative world and in sport. Sue Ryder Nettlebed Hospice looks forward to welcoming back some previous winners and nominees and introducing this year's WOAA Category Champions.

The Awards Ceremony will be held at the Hilton Hotel, Reading on 13th October 2011. Please feel free to nominate the heroine in your life!

A B Walker & Son Limited are proud to be sponsoring Henley Bowls Club Gala Day this Sunday 26th June 2011, Julian Walker will attend to present the prize to the winning team - good luck to everyone who is taking part!

Simon who has worked in the family firm for nearly seven years has decided that his time at AB Walker has come to an end and he hopes to continue to utilise his monumental masonry skills as well as learn some new skills.  Simon intends to move in the Basingstoke direction, where he has a large concentration of friends.  Many of his colleagues gathered on his last day in February to wish him well and send him off in style.

John, a very popular member of our ABW team, has decided to move to Liverpool to be with his beloved, Laura.  We are all extremely excited for him - not least his mother, Sue, our monumental masonry administrator!  We sent him on his way northwards with a Reading FC top to remind him of his heritage!  Good luck John!

We have been informed that AB Walker & Son have won a regional award for pre-paid funeral planning with Golden Charter, the leading independent prepaid funeral provider in the UK - this award is to be announced at the national conference of the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors to be held at Brands Hatch in March.  Pictures and details to follow!

2010 has been confirmed as having the lowest death rate in England and Wales for the past 55 years. Despite health concerns surrounding rising levels of obesity and alcohol use, death rates for both men and women fell by about 5% in 2009 from 2008. In 2010, there were under half a million deaths registered - the last time the figure fell this low was in the mid-1950s, when the population was 10m smaller. The life expectancy for adults continues to increase with men closing the gap on women – who still live significantly longer.

We have concluded an in depth review of our memorial operations and will spend 2011 bringing in a more client focused approach to the creation of memorials and hope to bring down the 12 week order time significantly.

Our ‘new girl’ Caroline Cassells officially takes the helm at our Henley branch during January after a three month training programme. Caroline is local to Henley and has a breadth of experience in customer care.

Some of the chaps have been putting themselves forward to loose a few pounds in a drive to make themselves more healthy in 2011. The company tailor has been readied to adjust tails and waistbands…