Advertiser review of the year 2022: November

A Wooburn Green resident was identified as the suspected firebomber who attacked a Dover immigration processing centre in early November.

Andrew Leak, 66, was found dead in his car at a nearby petrol station following the attack in Kent, which detectives said at the time was likely to be ‘driven by hate’.

Some ‘crude incendiary devices’ were thrown and two members of staff reported sustaining minor injuries.

The Advertiser understands Leak lived in a flat at The Hawthornes retirement complex in Wooburn Green.

Following years of delays, Maidenhead was connected with central London via direct trains as the Elizabeth line link-up launched.

The £18.9billion scheme was meant to be completed back in 2018 to increase travel links into the heart of the capital.

Berkshire commuters no longer need to switch at Paddington after the line extended to central tunnels, in what railway chiefs described as a ‘genuinely historic change’.

Meanwhile, protesters were calling for change as the latest demonstration against the Borough Local Plan took place ahead of a council meeting.

This time, members of global protest group Extinction Rebellion were involved as campaigners made speeches ahead of a Royal Borough debate on air quality monitoring.

Members of the general public were encouraged to get their bodies moving later in November as fitness coach Joe Wicks attended Braywick Park.

The 37-year-old – best known for posting motivational exercise videos on social media during lockdown – was in Maidenhead as part of a charity appeal.

Joe invited families to walk with him around a parkrun route in aid of the BBC’s Children in Need ‘SPOTacular’ campaign.

The initiative helped raise funds for grassroots projects and charities which provide guidance for young people across the UK.

Crowds were drawn and hundreds of people gathered outside the Town Hall to honour those who fell in the First World War.

On Armistice Day, an act of remembrance was held at the war memorial – led by the mayor, Cllr Christine Bateson – with Maidenhead MP and former Prime Minister Theresa May among those in attendance.

Ceremonies also took place across the area on Remembrance Sunday as the nation paid its respects to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Finally, the Christmas season officially began as Maidenhead turned on its Christmas lights.