Advertiser review of the year: August

Debate stirred over a campaign which saw roundabouts across Maidenhead painted over with St George’s flags.

The increased prominence of national flags in the borough followed a nationwide social media campaign named Operation Raise Your Colours.

But some questioned the motives behind the movement and a newly formed group, Berkshire Against Hate, soon erected flags of the world to symbolise Maidenhead as a ‘diverse, inclusive community’.

Meanwhile, a new era beckoned for Maidenhead Foodshare as the charity finally moved into a permanent home in Reform Road.

The vital service had been operating from temporary locations over its 15-year history including a number of sites within the Nicholsons Centre.

But with the redevelopment of the ageing shopping complex looming, the charity needed a long-term solution.

Trustee Debbie Gee said she hoped the move to a new home would see the charity become ‘more than just a food bank’.

The uncertainty over the future of the town centre and the stalled Nicholsons redevelopment proved to be a factor in the closure of the popular Noodle Nation restaurant.

The independent eatery had been serving up its fusion of Asian flavours from its store in Grenfell Island for almost two decades.

But the company said it was being squeezed from every angle and the changing landscape of the town centre meant it was difficult to make ends meet.

August also saw GCSE and A-level students find out if months of hard work had paid off as they picked up their exam results.

Pupils picked up their exam results across the Royal Borough in August

Finally, a new plaque was unveiled at Maidenhead Railway Station to honour Sir Nicholas Winton – the man who saved hundreds of mostly Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia on the eve of the Second World War.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled the new plaque, which sits alongside the statue of the famed Maidenhead resident on platform 3.