Advertiser review of the year 2025: May

May saw street parties and celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day).

Residents across the Royal Borough decked out their streets with tables and joined their neighbours to share food, games and music to mark the anniversary.

While many were remembering the efforts of the past, plans for the future of the town were ramping up.

Developer Areli officially submitted revised plans to the Royal Borough for the sprawling re-development of the Nicholsons shopping centre.

The plans looked to build hundreds of flats, a new multi-storey car park, shops, restaurants and offices at the town centre site.

Inside the Nicholsons Centre, an exhibition highlighting the rich and varied lives of older men in the Royal Borough opened its doors.

The exhibition, entitled Lives Well Lived – Older Men in Focus, showcased portraits of members of Men’s Matters, taken by freelance photographer Ian Longthorne.

Later in the month, the family of Maidenhead man Thomas Reeve, who was shot dead in Texas in 2009, were sharing hopes of improved support for those affected by murders abroad, following an adjournment debate in the House of Commons by the town’s MP Josh Reynolds.

A major fire at Bicester Motion automotive centre in Oxfordshire claimed the lives of three people in May.

Among them was ‘born firefighter’ Martyn Sadler – an ex-Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue (RBFRS) serviceman, who spent more than 15 years working in Maidenhead, Slough and Langley, until 2022.

In a statement in tribute to Martyn, his family called him ‘the true definition of a hero’.

Elsewhere, it was announced that from the beginning of June, lockable phone pouches were being introduced at Furze Platt Senior School in Maidenhead and Charters School in Ascot, to crack down on the use of smartphones during school hours.

Michelin-starred chefs raised a pint with friends as they celebrated the ‘best of British pub culture’ at Marlow’s highly anticipated annual food and music festival Pub in the Park.

With the weather warming, the Advertiser again joined forces with Leisure Focus and other partners to deliver a vital ‘don’t be a hero’ message on river safety.

Leisure Focus launched its latest water safety campaign in partnership with the Maidenhead Advertiser