Folk with young children say they love shopping in Bracknell as with Bentalls, Mothercare and the Early Learning Centre they can buy most of what they need.

We intend to stay here after retirement. It is such a vibrant area with so much going on; it keeps you young!

Where was this photo taken?

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The local facilities are incredible: The Look Out, Coral Reef, the Sports Centre, South Hill Park arts centre, several tennis centres, the race course, ice rink, ski slope, many golf courses, riding stables, 27 play parks, 80 open spaces, two cinemas, bowling alley - all in an excellent location.

Apparently Bracknell Charles Square is probably the largest town square in the south-east outside London. It is a shame that it will disappear in the regeneration. So much could be done with it.

It has been suggested by a Birch Hill resident that we start a 'Love where we Live' Campaign. She says that if everyone picked up a few pieces of litter, the whole Borough would look better. Her Close encourages neighbourliness by holding occasional 'Street Parties' which they all help to organise. They bring their own food, drink, guests - and games for the little ones.

You can cycle for miles in the Borough without hitting a main road.

In the north of the Borough in the Quelm Park area there are great wooden signposts along 'The Cut'. It would be good to have more signposts like this throughout Bracknell Forest. The footpath parallel to theBagshot Road from Brakenhale School to the Sports Centre makes you feel as if you are in Oxford! It is suggested it could be named the 'Oxford Walk'!

The Longhill RoadSkate Park is 'the best skate park in Berkshire'.

Edwardian Water Feature, Lily Hill Park

Just found the website - so nice to find something positive about Bracknell!

Would be good to have a section on famous connections ie. William Gladstone (Prime Minister) planting tree in South Hill Park, Oscar Wilde, Kings and Queen links right through to the link with Obama inAmerica.

Alan Cocks suggests that it would be lovely to have trams running around the Borough. They are an extremely environmentally friendly form of transport as they are very light, very cheap and they save fuel. www.parrypeoplemovers.com is the website of one of the companies that makes these trams. 

People come from miles around to shop at The Meadows. It has the third largest M&S in the world.

At Martins Heron Station

The new bridge over the A3095 has won a prestigious engineering design award.

We are so lucky to have so many quality garden centres in the area. People who move from the area really miss them.

The ground maintenance staff and local volunteers work so hard in the area. The floral displays in and around theBorough are excellent.

We hope the planned bus stops at the station will have plenty of seats.

We have so many trees and green open spaces. There are plenty of open areas to walk dogs.

South Hill Park 

Photo: © Ruari Cumming ARPS (Bracknell Camera Club) 

We chose to come to live in Bracknell because of the lovely countryside, the fields and the good shopping centre all pretty and bright with the flowers. We feel we are permanently on holiday.

Binfield C of E Primary School

We all absolutely love it here. There is such a great community. It is so easy to walk everywhere - we very rarely use the car. The area is so green - we love all the trees.

We need an Industrial Museum.

Charles Square, Bracknell

It would be great to have some running water in the Borough.

The cycle paths are great - so safe. It would be good if drink containers could be made of plastic, like the ones served at South Hill Park, to avoid the broken glass found in the underpasses.

At Longhill Skatepark anyone can decorate the walls and hoardings. Artists plan their work in great detail and come from as far as London to add their contributions. One of the Youth Team has a photographic record of all the art work.

The photo at the top was taken at Ivy Court, Harmans Water, with permission from the Guinness Trust. The residents were drawn around to get the silhouettes, which were then painted by the children.

 Why is the council attempting to build on green sites when they have so much empty office space that remains unused?

We need to have Bracknell market housed in a suitable area for the duration of the redevelopment. There are stalls there that offer goods that you cannot get anywhere else in the town. If we lose the market, then another bit of Bracknell will have died.

Bracknell shopping centre should be for the benefit of the people who live and work here.  When Bracknell started to lose its small, interesting shops, it started to lose its heart and purpose.

Personally having witnessed one destruction of the town centre I don't particularly want to watch another.

Wokingham, Maidenhead and Windsor are embracing the Transition Initiative idea and Olwen Fordham is keen that the Bracknell Forest Borough join in, too.  She suggests the motto should be:  'Uniting the people of the world for a better future'.  Totness, the first UK area to start this change have a website which explains the concept   www.transitioninitiative.org

Contact Olwen if you would like to be involved 01344 421 912

Where was this photo taken?

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It would be wonderful to have a large area of water like the one at Eton. The soil removed could be made into a large hill. Our area needs a hill for climbing and to get a good view.

When the walk into the new town centre from the station is through beautiful gardens, it will be so much better than the present walk through the bus station. 

The Goose Pub at Bracknell Station

It would be much better if there was greenery down the central reservations on the London Roadand the Bagshot Road. What could be there instead of the rusting railings?

The new town centre should have a community hall to hold 400 people. A town of this size should have a facility like this to keep the centre lively at night and to provide a suitable venue for the larger events in the area.　

Bracknell Railway Station

Enquiries are being made as to the possibility of improving travel on the Bracknell to Waterloo and Reading line. South West Trains have been asked to provide:

1. An earlier train to Reading to be able to catch the early train from Wokingham toGatwick Airport, for instance
2. A later train at night fromWaterlooto allow for late events in London
3. Extra rails for part of the journey to enable us to have a faster service

First Bus have been approached to provide a direct coach link from Bracknell Bus Station to Heathrow Airport along the M4.

Jason Batup manager of 'Point Bingo' says that although Bracknell is always getting knocked, it has almost everything. It is near enough to but far enough from London, near the coast and countryside, loads of good businesses, good schools, good sports facilities and when the town centre is regenerated, it will have it all!

The Point at the Peel Centre

The Mountain Biking area in Swinley Forest is the best in the south east.

The Look Out Discovery Centre is so interesting. The whole family really enjoyed it! The shop there gives really good value!

It would be good to have Bracknell Market in the centre of the town .

It's a brilliant area to live; it is really beautiful and practically litter free!

Bracknell Forest is just like a big village. Everyone knows everyone!

We have moved from London to Binfield with its lovely countryside and clear air. The quality of life is so much better with a good community spirit - the people are much more neighbourly.

The 150 delegates from the Borough who attended the '50 not out' Conference at the Grange Hotel agreed that Bracknell Forest is a 'wonderful place to live'.

We are in our fifth home in Bracknell and intend to stay after retirement.

What with the new College and all the work done at The Point - Peel Centre, Bracknell is looking quite smart!

We enjoy the cycling around Windsor Great Park and The Look Out.

Ron Taylor thinks Bracknell town centre should become a Retail Park like Bicester and Swindon. His idea came in response to the Keep Trade Local campaign launched by the Federation of Small Businesses.

We have everything we need in Bracknell. We don't have to go anywhere else for shopping or entertainment.

The Syrett Suite at Easthampstead Park Mansion is the best Registry Office around with very helpful staff and a wonderful location.

Can I add that our sport's club evening at the Bracknell Leisure Centre is frequently being cancelled because the hall is needed for another function. We seriously need another large hall in the area and it would be good to have it in Bracknelltown with all the parking already there.

Sandhurst Memorial Park Play Area

The photo at the top was taken from a mural to the right of Great Hollands Shops.