Reading East MP, Rob Wilson, has welcomed news contained in a letter to Mr Wilson from Grant Shapps MP, Minister for Housing, that an extra care housing project for older people in South Reading has been given the green light by Government. Rob had written twice to Mr Shapps and met him to discuss the issue.

The accommodation, to be built on the former site of the Avenue School on the Basingstoke Road, "will provide a much needed opportunity for older people to live independently", Mr Wilson said.

The future of the housing project had been in doubt as the Coalition Government re-evaluated its financial priorities, but has now been given the go-ahead after Mr Wilson made representations to Housing Minister Grant Shapps MP stressing the importance of the development for the older residents of Reading. Cllr Daisy Benson, Lead Councillor for Housing, and Council Officers requested Mr Wilson to intervene to save the project.

Reading East MP, Rob Wilson, visited Caversham Children’s Centre last Friday to meet with the Head of the Centre, Ruth Parker. Situated on Amersham Road, Rob was given a tour of the new facilities and was able to see the centre in operation, meet with staff and share some lunch with the children.

Services being offered at the centre include parent and toddler groups, family support, parenting support, speech and language therapy, baby clinics, childminder drop-ins, family learning, and messy play.

Rob said, “I am pleased to be able to finally come and visit the fantastic facilities on offer at Caversham Children’s Centre. The centre does great work with the children and with the parents and I hope that it goes from strength to strength.”

Rob Wilson, MP for Reading East, visited Caversham Primary School last Friday to meet with the winners of the ‘Helping Hands’ project.

Helping Hands was a project which involved hundreds of children from nine Primary and Infant schools who were set the challenge of photographing an older person's hands in a way that showed something young and older people have in common.

Reading East MP, Rob Wilson, visited Reading Alzheimer’s Society’s stalls in Forbury Gardens last Thursday to support Dementia Awareness Week 2010.

Alzheimer’s Society is the UK's leading care and research charity for people with dementia.  With 750,000 people suffering from some form of dementia in the UK, Alzheimer’s Society is a membership organisation, which works to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.