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Scam phone calls

A few Hambledon residents have recently reported scam phone calls and suspicious emails.

Here are a few common ones and what to be wary of:

Suspicious phone calls:

1 “Your internet is about to be cut off” – you receive a call with an automated voice saying it is BT or your ISP (Internet Service Provider ) and that your connection has been compromised and they will be cutting you off.    They invite you to press a key on your phone to stop the action… which will then put a significant charge on your phone bill.

Solution: put the phone down and ignore.   UK ISPs do not act like this – it is a scam.

2 “Your computer is behaving badly and has malware or a virus” – this is known as the Indian Call Centre Scam and has been happening for 10 or so years.  A person with an Indian accent with a name like Mike or Sharon will say they are calling from Microsoft, Windows or BT and state they have evidence your computer is infected and behaving strangely (not an unusual observation).   They will then try to demonstrate how they know by directing you to a file on your Windows PC that looks strange.  So far everything they will have said is a lie but they are playing on fears that Windows PCs are vulnerable ( which they are ).   To remove this “dangerous” file they suggest one of two solutions (the scams).    Continue reading →

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Hambledon Village Hall Management Committee presents an hilarious evening of comedy, poetry and the creation of a mini-musical all about Hambledon!

Performed by poet, comedian and broadcaster Ian McMillan and composer and musician Luke Carver Goss.

For a fantastic evening and to create the musical, we need you there! Don’t worry, though, any audience participation will be entirely voluntary!

Friday, April 5th  7pm for 7.30,  Hambledon Village Hall

Ian McMillan ‘the Bard of Barnsley’ has his own show, The Verb, every Friday night on Radio 3, celebrating the spoken and written word. His many television and radio appearances include:

* Being a castaway on Desert Island Discs   

* Have I Got News for You     * Countryfile

* Pointless Celebrities            * Pick of the Week   

* Regular appearances on many other Radio 4 programmes and BBC breakfast.

Luke Carver Goss is an accordionist and composer. His music includes commissions for symphony orchestras, rock bands, musicals and theatres.

Tickets will go quickly as they have a big following but as the show will be largely about Hambledon we’re hoping to fill the hall with as many Hambledonians as possible.

Tickets £12.50 available at the village shop or online through Eventbrite. Simply Google ‘Hambledon, Ian McMillan’. Online tickets incur a £1.50 booking fee per ticket.

The performance begins at 7.30. Doors and bar open from 7pm

 

 

 

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Hambledon Village Shop needs you!

Hambledon Village Shop (http://www.hambledonsurrey.co.uk/?page_id=5225) is a busy, community owned village store, café and delicatessen run and staffed by an enthusiastic team of professionals and volunteers. The Management Committee are looking for one or more individuals to take on the full-time job of managing the shop, possibly as a job share. Ideally you will have retail and/or voluntary sector experience. You will take responsibility -supported by the assistant manager – for staffing, managing staff and volunteers, stock purchase and control, health and safety generally and particularly food safety. All within a tight budget. You will be a computer literate, hands-on person with good communication skills and attention to detail. You will also be able to delegate, to contribute ideas and to engage with the Management Committee and village community. You will be willing to work some weekends. Salary negotiable depending on skills and experience. Start date as soon as possible.  Enquiries to the Management Committee Chair; nicholasmassey@hotmail.com

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Oakhurst Cottage needs you!

Do you fancy a different New Year’s resolution? If you’d like to help tell the story of this historic cottage, why not sign up to become a volunteer? We need volunteer guides to help open Oakhurst Cottage to visitors and give guided tours of the property.

Owned by the National Trust since 1954, Oakhurst Cottage was bequeathed to them by the local Allfrey sisters on condition that it was ‘not let to well-to-do people’! The last tenants, Mr and Mrs Jeffery, lived in the cottage until Ted Jeffery died in 1983. Although modernisation had been offered, they only had a cold running tap, a single plug socket, no bathroom and an outside privy. It was this lack of modernisation which makes the cottage a rarity and provides an opportunity to see how a family home for a farm labourer contrasts with that of the country mansions in the region. Opened to the public in 1984, it is furnished as it might have appeared in the mid-19th century and visitors are given guided tours using local volunteers. The cottage is located just beyond the cricket green in the edge of the woodland known as The Hurst.

To give you some idea of what it involves, the season runs from April to October and we open on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday afternoons from 2-5pm. It is run as guided tours by appointment, on the hour at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm (although we don’t run this last one in October as it is too dark). As it is such a small cottage, generally we show round a maximum of 6 people in each one – so we are giving a very personal tour. The Trust would like people to volunteer for several sessions a month and there is a simple online booking system to put your name down for sessions.

Volunteers are given training – when I first started I shadowed one of the experienced volunteers and then developed my own ‘script’ to deliver to the visitors using the information provided to suit my style. Each guide wears a National Trust volunteer badge. You usually show people round on your own but if there are sufficient guides you can sometimes pair up.

I am one of the volunteers at Oakhurst and I find it fun and rewarding. It is an opportunity to meet all sorts of people – last year one of the visitors was from Taiwan. You get to work in an amazing historic building, telling people all about its extraordinary history – and knowing that you’re helping a great cause! Plus, if you volunteer enough hours, you may be provided with a Volunteer Card which gives you free access to National Trust properties and discounts on purchases in their shops, restaurants and holiday bookings. For more information see www.nationaltrust.org.uk/volunteer
We have a small group of very keen volunteers but we really need more this year. So if you are interested please do get in touch with me – call 01428 687820 or email camilla.edmiston@btinternet.com.

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Two More Crashes at Hydestile Shut Salt Lane

For the second day running there has been a crash at the Hydestile Crossroads, and another collision just a few hundred yards away has completely blocked Salt Lane which is now closed to traffic.

Police closed Salt Lane at its junction with the crossroads to all traffic at around 9am today (Wednesday January 30th). It is closed along its entire length to Markwick Lane and beyond to Loxhill.

The crash at the crossroads itself involved two vehicles, and was relatively minor. The crossroads, and its approach down Salt Lane, is covered in ice and road conditions are treacherous.

The second accident was more serious as it has blocked the narrow, rural lane just above New Road. Two cars, traveling in opposite directions, have collided. Injuries appear to be minor. Police are in attendance.

As with the crossroads crash yesterday (see earlier news report), icy conditions are likely to have played a part. But it emphasises the need for Surrey County Council Highways Department to pay heed to the initiatives suggested by Hambledon Parish Council to tackle road safety in the village and its outlying rural lanes.

Salt Lane, on the Hambledon parish boundary is used by many as a cut-through between the A281 and the A3. With the likelihood of a major new housing development at Dunsfold, this narrow lane with passing places will inevitably become even more congested.

As for the crossroads at Hydestile, this has been regarded by locals as an accident black spot for many years and the parish council is in discussions with the highways authority and police to try to implement road safety measures along the length of Hambledon Road, from the Hydestile approach and though the village to Lane End.

 

 

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Serious Collision at Hydestile Crossroads

A collision between two cars at the Hydestile Crossroads today (Tuesday January 29th) resulted in one overturning and the other receiving extensive front-end damage. No one was hurt.

The accident occurred during the busy morning peak period when temperatures were below freezing.

The overturned vehicle came to rest on its roof on the Hambledon Road. The other was at the junction with the crossroads, in Salt Lane. The Bargate stone wall of Hydestile Farmhouse was partly demolished in the collision.

Police were swiftly on the scene, attending to the occupants of the cars and directing traffic. Although shocked, no one needed medical treatment.

The road remained open and the vehicles were recovered by 11am.

This is the latest of many accidents at the Hydestile Crossroads and comes at a time when Hambledon Parish Council is pressing police and Surrey County Council Highway Department to consider road safety measures along Hambledon Road, from Hydestile to Lane End.

 

 

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Village Hall Table-Top Sale

A few tables are still available at the village hall table-top sale on Saturday, February 2nd from 2 to 4pm

Sellers – Book a table for £20, bring along and sell all your unwanted items and keep the profit!

Buyers – Come and browse the stalls and pick up a bargain! 50p entrance charge.

Tea and cake will available to buy

To book a table and for all enquiries please ring Anthea on 01428 684 369

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Change at Hambledon Village Shop

At the end of this month (January) Gill will be stepping down as Shop Manager.

The reason is simply that Gill feels it’s time for a change of pace in her life but would like to convey that her commitment to the Shop and village life remains as strong as ever.

Although we will be sorry to lose Gill in her current position, we are very pleased that she will continue to be seen working in the shop at the Post Office counter and as one of our highly valued volunteers without whom our Village shop would not survive let alone thrive!

We are extremely grateful for the continued and incredible support given to the shop by its volunteers, shareholders, paid staff and customers, thank you!!

We are fortunate to have an expanding core of experienced volunteers and a strong professional team which together will provide continuity through this change.

Both Martin, in his continuing role as Assistant Manager, and Gill have made it clear that they are keen to support whoever maybe appointed to the Manager role and make the handover as smooth as possible.

We would like to thank Gill for her contribution over the past three years and for her continuing commitment and professionalism in supporting the Village and Shop Management Committee through this change.

We will be seeking to fill the Manager role and will be advertising the opportunity locally.

If you are a community minded person interested in applying for the vacancy, please write or email in the first instance:

for the personal attention of
Nick Massey
C/o Hambledon Village Shop,
The Cricket Green
Hambledon,
Surrey GU8 4HF.

Or

by email to nicholasmassey@hotmail.com

Hambledon Village Shop Management Committee

A Personal Message from Gill

I’d like to say a few words following the announcement from the Management Committee today.

As you will have read, I’m hanging up my pinny at the end of this month.

Managing our wonderful big-little Shop has been a fantastic experience; hugely challenging and fulfilling in equal measure.

Although Hambledon doesn’t have a centre as such, the Shop is most definitely its heart. It is a magnet for villagers and visitors alike who may come for bread, newspapers, coffee and lunch but they receive much more than that. I feel very privileged to have been the guardian of the Hambledon warm welcome that awaits anyone who treads a path to our village door.

I’m stepping down simply because I’d like a change of pace and to have time to do other things. I’m going to continue working on the Post Office counter and as a volunteer so I’m afraid you haven’t seen the last of me.

I think this is really good timing for the Shop, too. Things are going well, we have a dedicated and well-trained team of volunteers and professionals, lots of well-oiled systems and processes, a strong Management Committee and a highly capable and kind Assistant Manager in Martin. This firm foundation will give the next Manager the breathing space they need to establish themselves.

Martin and I are committed to supporting the new Manager and providing as much continuity as possible. So, with such a lot of goodwill and positivity behind them, I hope that the next person will enjoy the role as much as I have.

Goodwill is something I have received in abundance and I am so grateful for that. It’s been fantastic to work in the heart of our community and get to know you. Thank you a thousand times for all the support, kindness and appreciation you have shown me over the past three years.

Change can be uncomfortable but when you’ve been in business as long as the Shop, it is inevitable. I was fortunate enough to meet the originators last year, Denis and Brenda Jones. It was Denis who galvanised the village into action and re-opened the Shop as a community-run venture in 1992. On their visit they were delighted that the Shop was not only still going, but thriving. I am certain that this will continue and 26 years from now I fully expect to see the little Hambledonians who are currently spending their pocket money on five penny chews, swapping their weekday career hats for the barista’s apron for a few hours each month.

The Shop is more than the sum of its parts and the thing that makes it so is the warmth, dedication and sheer hard work of so many villagers.

Long may it continue!

With very best wishes and immense gratitude,

Gill.

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Julie Flenley Takes Up Post As Hambledon Parish Council Clerk

Julie Flenley, the newly-appointed clerk to Hambledon Parish Council, has attended her first meeting, having taken up her appointment on January 1.

She replaces Caroline White, who resigned after serving as clerk for a year following the retirement of her long-standing predecessor, Jane Woolley.

Julie brings a wealth of experience in the public sector to the job and said she was looking forward to working with the seven elected Hambledon parish councillors and for the benefit of the village.

Julie was born and raised in County Londonderry, in the north west of Northern Ireland. After school and college at Limavady she left Derry to study business at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, where she obtained a degree in travel and tourism management.

She then moved to Manchester where she worked for what was then the Countryside Agency (now Natural England), the statutory body with responsibility for the rural environment.

She went on to join English Heritage, a non-departmental government body responsible for the protection and management of more than 400 historic monuments, buildings and places.

Julie’s work included assessing grant applications and she had a particular involvement in managing funding in relation to secular historic buildings and places of worship. Her duties required her to make financial needs assessments and also brought her into regular contact with local authority planning departments. This experience should stand her in good stead as she takes up her role as clerk to Hambledon Parish Council.

Julie said: “I think my background makes me suited to the job of clerk and I am looking forward to it very much”.

During her time in Manchester she met and married her husband Richard, who works in the legal profession. A move in his job resulted in them relocating to the south of England, with Julie taking a career break. They have lived on the outskirts of Chiddingfold for seven years. They have three sons, Joshua, William and Oliver, aged 12, eight and six who are, or were, educated at St Mary’s Primary School in Chiddingfold.

Julie and Richard are regular distance runners and frequently compete in local and national events. Julie said: “It would be wrong to call me an avid runner as I think I am a reluctant runner. But I am competitive and determined.

Last year she was part of a team of “mums from St Mary’s” who competed in the Three Peaks Challenge, which involved climbing the three highest peaks in England Wales and Scotland. Between them they raised funds for the school and a mental health charity.

“This year I will be taking part in eight half marathons and my husband will be undertaking two back-to-back full marathons.”

Her passion over many years has been horses and horse-riding. “My horse died last year so I am currently between horses, but it is something I love and will return to.”

Julie was welcomed to her first meeting as clerk on Wednesday (Jan 9th) at Hambledon Village Hall by chairman John Anderson and his councillor colleagues. Already very active in village and church life in Chiddingfold, Julie will now be closely associated with life an Hambledon as well.

  • The clerk is a salaried position, councillors are unpaid. Julie’s contact details, and those of councillors, can be found on the village website under “Organisations” and “Hambledon Parish Council”, and in the Parish Magazine on the “Useful Information and Telephone Numbers” page.

 

 

 

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IMPORTANT ADVICE IF YOU USE CHIDDINGFOLD MEDICAL SURGERY

Hambledon residents who use Chiddingfold Surgery, which was destroyed by fire in the early hours of Monday morning (January 7th), should read the following advice.

It has been issued by the Guildford and Waverley Clinical Commissioning Group, and states: “Patients are advised that routine appointments will be re-arranged as soon as possible and they will be contacted directly by the Surgery. Anyone who needs to see a GP urgently should call NHS 111 and they will be offered appropriate medical treatment and advice. Those wishing to make a routine appointment can call NHS 111 to seek advice or use Chiddingfold Surgery’s usual telephone number.”

Further details can be found by following this link: http://www.guildfordandwaverleyccg.nhs.uk/info.aspx?p=3

The surgery, in Ridgley Road, Chiddingfold, serves approximately 4,700 patients across a wide area, many of them in Hambledon. Neighbouring surgeries are helping out. Further information will be provided on the above website and at

http://www.chiddsurg.co.uk/Home.aspx

In the meantime, The Friends of Chiddingfold Surgery, a registered charity, has set up an appeal for funds to help the surgery practice establish a full stand-in service as soon as possible. If you would like to donate please look for a collection box in Hambledon Village Shop or follow this link

https://friendsofchiddsurgery.org/donate/

Picture: Surrey Advertiser. For full story visit

https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/

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Peak District Village seeks Hambledon help in keeping red phone box

A small village on the edge of the Derbyshire Peak District has turned to Hambledon for help in keeping its traditional red telephone kiosk.

Villagers in Simmondley, near Glossop, contacted Hambledon Parish Council after reading about how it had succeeded in getting the red K6-type phone box outside the village shop and post office listed as Grade II by Historic England.

The council also objected to proposals by BT, back in 2008, to disconnect the box, arguing that it was the only one in the village and should be retained for emergency use.

The kiosk in Simmondley is on the village green and BT has proposed disconnecting it. In the day of mobile phones, few people use public call boxes anymore. Various attempts to secure its future met with no success, and so residents turned to Hambledon.

One wrote: “Our community group applied to Historic England for permission to list the kiosk as it is under threat of being decommissioned. However, we have been turned down. Would you be kind enough to share your application arguments for listing as clearly we have not put a very good case forward.”

Continue reading →

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Deadline Jan 4th for saving the Tips

You will be aware of Surrey CC’s consultation- they are considering closing Cranleigh and Farnham refuse / recycling tips. If they do close Cranleigh Tip then residents will be driving to Witley to use the amenity tip there. The risk of fly tipping will increase too.  This extra traffic will have impact on the road infrastructure between Cranleigh and Witley – and the rural roads are already under severe pressure from the extra traffic from new developments, and proposed new developments at Cranleigh, Dunsfold, and Milford Golf course.   Surrey CC are keen to hear your views on this so do post feedback here as soon as possible:

https://www.surreysays.co.uk/environment-and-infrastructure/crcs/

Surrey Advertiser article

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CHRISTMAS GREETINGS – AND A SPECIAL HAMBLEDONIAN 90th BIRTHDAY

Hambledon residents  turned out in large numbers at noon on Christmas Eve to join in the community singing of carols and seasonal songs outside the village shop.

A big thank-you goes to the organisers, the shop choir and to David Kirby and his musician friends for a wonderful and harmonious festive gathering.

The day before, Mic Coleman, who for so many years has been a stalwart of village activities, celebrated his 90th birthday. He and Sylvia had a busy day as friends dropped by to pass on their best wishes before a large family gathering later in the day. Mic has worked tirelessly for the village football and cricket teams, becoming president of both. He has been involved in the running of the village hall, the village fete and the produce show. He is also a former chairman of Hambledon Parish Council.

In 2012 he was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honors “for services to sport and the community in Hambledon”. Mic has done so much for the good of the village and its residents and we all wish him the very best for the future.

And the Web Team sign off by sending its best wishes to all.