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Merry Harriers – Hellos and Goodbyes

The Merry Harriers is undergoing refurbishment under its new ownership, beginning with a striking new sandy-coloured forecourt surface already labelled by locals as “the beach”.

International businessman and entrepreneur Peter de Savary and his family acquired the pub a month ago from previous owners Colin and Julie Stoneley. Regulars at the 16th Century freehouse said a fond farewell to Colin and Julie, who ran the pub for nine years, taking over from the Beasley family, who had been in residence for the previous 40.

 

In a Facebook posting as they prepared to depart the Stoneleys wrote: “We hand over the Merry Harriers to the next “caretakers”. It has been an absolute pleasure to be a part of its 427 year history and to have worked with, met and served so many fabulous people. Thank you for your support…and keep supporting your village pub for many years to come.”

Their final weekend on May 20th and 21st was celebrated with live bands and the Stoneleys said that they were proud of the variety and quality of the music sessions staged during their time at the helm.

Colin and Julie Stoneley

The de Savary family, who recently moved into the area, have ambitious plans for the Harriers and Peter de Savary is expected to attend a forthcoming meeting of the parish council to outline his proposals. In the meantime a great deal of work has been undertaken, including the new surface, a sprucing up of paintwork and signs, new benches, landscaping and kitchen equipment.

 

 

 

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MUSIC LINE-UP FOR DOMFEST 1 JULY CONFIRMED!

Appearing live on The Music Works’ stage:

1.30 The Blues Jamm Project (www.bluesjammproject.com) (Influenced by soul, blues, classic rock and funk)

2.30 Malcolm – Maths Teacher by Day, Saxophonist by weekend – will be playing Jazz/Blues on the sax

3.00 Phoenix Rising – St Dominic’s staff and pupil band – not to be missed

3.30 Surrey Ukeaholics (http://www.ukeaholics.com/) will be playing a variety of music you might not have heard played on the ukulele before!

4.00 A Night on Broadway – Andy Hart and others from The Music Works will be singing some old favourites from classic musicals

4.15 John Clifton – performs a selection of well known songs by ‘The Rat Pack’ with a big band backing track

4.30 The Unwanted – a teenage band playing covers of popular songs

Please come and support the school and enjoy the fete, stay and listen to the live music on offer, visit our BBQ and Tea/Cake Stand, and quench your thirst at our Pimms and Beer Tent (Soft drinks will also be available)!

Entrance Tickets have been designed by our pupils and students and will cost £1 per person (under 3s and dogs go free), with one lucky  ticket winning a £10 Amazon voucher.

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St Dominic’s School Fete/DomFest – Raffle

We have some great prizes for our raffle, including:

  • iPad
  • £100 cash
  • ‘Recording Studio’ Party for 10 children in The Music Works’ Music Bus (http://themusicworks.co)
  • Jewellery by Annie Haak (anniehaakdesigns.co.uk)
  • £50 Amazon Voucher
  • ‘Share a Shettie (Shetland pony)’ experience at Mane Chance Horse Sanctuary manechancesanctuary.org/
  • £50 Boden Voucher
  • Rugby ball signed by, amongst others, former England RU player, Austin Healey

Tickets are available to buy in the Village Shop: £1 a ticket / £5 a book.

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Community Befriending Network

Busbridge and Hambledon Church run a Community Befriending Network; linking up those who might be feeling lonely or isolated with others who can visit, chat, drink tea or coffee….!

There is a real need for more befriending volunteers in or near Hambledon, so if you could spare one or two hours a month to visit someone, then do please get in touch with Penny Naylor on 01483 421267, or at penny.naylor@bhcgodalming.org, for more details. There is training and support available for all our volunteers and no requirement to be a member of any church.

Many thanks.

 

 

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Primary School School Places

The Parish Council has for some time been concerned that families living in Hambledon find it difficult to get their children into primary schools within reasonable distance of the village.  It has raised the problem with the Surrey County Council, the local education authority;  and it has become clear that,  if it is to make any headway, it needs more information about actual, as opposed to perceived, needs.

As one of the many villages in the area which does not have its own primary school, Hambledon has to depend on its neighbours.  Two of these, Chiddingfold and Grayswood, are in charge of their own admission arrangements and would have to be asked direct if they could consider taking more children from Hambledon.

Admission arrangements for the primary schools in Witley, Busbridge and Milford are managed by Surrey which has categorically stated that it would not afford priority to children living in Hambledon.  This is not what the Parish Council is seeking – it just wants a level playing field for all children within a reasonable radius of these schools.

However, if the Parish Council is to ask for a rethink when admission arrangements come up for consultation in October, it needs to have a case.  So could all families who have children starting school in autumn 2018 and who would like them to go to a local primary school please get in touch with the Parish Clerk (Jane Woolley), if possible before everyone disappears for the summer holidays, so that, if appropriate, the battle can be continued.

 

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Hambledon Cricket Club Match Report

Following a late cancellation from Cranleigh on Saturday afternoon, the league side picked up 28 points without a ball being bowled. Good for points but disappointing not to play to be perfectly honest.

On the plus side, the Friendly side were short of 4 players so the difference was easily made up with the addition of few eager league players. We played a very enjoyable match at Bramley with Hambledon agreeing to bat first without the need to toss a coin.

This was a timed game so that Bramley had a chance to draw 😉 We put on 181 all out without runs coming freely from Ben Plant 45, Oli Bayne 40 and Mark Burton 24. It was clear that 150 was probably too much for Bramley as they lost early wickets and never looked liked getting close to our score. We managed to spread the bowling about generously so that the game lasted until the final over. (stats are on Play cricket website) Euan Pusey got 3 for 6, Joe Herman 2 for 5 and Lee Hacker 2 for 22. The final over was given to Chase Pusey for his first bowl of the day with about 6 slips in the cordon! He got the final wicket lbw with just 2 balls left in the match!

It was a very entertaining afternoon with plenty of beer, cider, pimms and wine on offer all afternoon as well as a fabulous BBQ. A good day was had by all which was continued by the hard core in the Jolly Farmer in Bramley!

Thanks to all and especially the organisers at Bramley.

Mark Burton

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Fund Raiser for Hambledon Village Hall

A company called “Travelling Trends” will be hosting a fashion show in the Village Hall on Wednesday 27 September, 7pm for 7.30pm start – High Street clothes at bargain prices. Come and see the season’s fashions, try on and buy on the night at greatly reduced prices to help raise funds for the Village Hall.

Something for all (well – ladies aged 25-95!). Refreshments and an excellent raffle (prizes to include a manicure). We will be looking for some local ladies to model too – contact Mary Grove 01483 415815 if you would like to try the catwalk!

Tickets will be available shortly at £6. In the meantime make a note in your diary!

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General Election Result – Surrey South West

Jeremy Hunt, Conservative, held the Surrey South West Parliamentary Constituency which includes Hambledon, but with a reduced majority and in the face of a big swing to Louise Irvine of the National Health Action Party, who stood against Hunt and his record as Health Secretary.

The result, declared earlier this morning, was as follows:

Jeremy Hunt (Conservative) – 33,683

Louise Irvine (National Health Action) – 12,093

David Black (Labour) – 7,606

Ollie Purkiss (Liberal Democrat) – 5,967

Mark Webber (UKIP) – 1,083

On a turnout of 77.4 per cent, the Conservative majority was 21,590 with 55.7 per cent share of the vote. The Conservative vote was down -4.1 per cent and the vote for the National Health Action Party was up by 11.5 per cent. The Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates recorded increases of 3.1 and 3.6 per cent. The UKIP candidate was down -8.1.

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Power Line Partially Down on Hambledon Road – UPDATE

UPDATE to news item below: SSE engineers were able to carry out repairs without any significant disruption to the traffic.

Overnight high winds and torrential rain have dislodged a power line causing it to sag where it crosses Hambledon Road beside the football ground.

Scottish and Southern Electricity has been informed and a police officer is in attendance to ensure high-sided vehicles do not make contact with the live cable. Cars and vans are able to pass underneath but the road may be closed when SSE attend to make repairs.

With 28 power cuts reported across the SSE region following the stormy weather – although none in Hambledon – it is unlikely that engineers will be on site until lunchtime at the earliest. In the meantime the police officer will remain in attendance to supervise traffic.

The power line crosses the Hambledon Road from Hydon Farm Cottages to the field opposite, just before the entrance to the Badger Park Football Ground. If a diversion is necessary it will involve motorists using Station Lane, Rake Lane and Petworth Road.

 

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Date for your Diary – Hambledon Village Fete 2018

The date has been set for next year’s Hambledon Village Fete and it will be Saturday 23rd June 2018. As in previous years the Village Summer Ball will be held on the evening of the same day. In addition a more informal, family-oriented, entertainment event is being planned for the evening of Friday 22nd June.

Planning has started and we’ll keep you informed, here on the web site and in the Parish Magazine, as those plans develop. Or you can follow @hamblefest on twitter.

Please don’t forget that St Dominic’s School Summer Fete and DomFest are being held at the school this year on Saturday 1st July.

 

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Earthworm – Unabridged

Earthworm’s article in June’s Parish Magazine was unfortunately published in a truncated form so we’re republishing the complete article here.

Cogitating About Politics

A funny month was May muses Earthworm from his heap, not growing with its usual speed as May has been so dry thee is not so much to take off the lawns and not too much weeding can be done because the ground is just so dry! There has been very little rain throughout the month, and such as has come of late has not really made much impression…yet thinks Earthworm with a glow of unusual optimism that more may follow!

But the hedgerows are giving great pleasure, the cow parsley in full flower, wonderful bluebells everywhere, and with the trees now almost all in leaf they are a picture.

One can now see the damage that the night frost of 27 April wreaked. Very strange thinks Earthworm that the same plant in two place can be affected or not. There are signs now of recovery. Nature is astonishingly resilient and able to effect “repair”

Earthworm muses on the present affairs of state. The local elections finished with really no surprises in view of the country’s disenchantment with some politicians, the Labour Party’s losses, and UKIP nearly wiped off the map, and the Lib Dems not exactly making the come-back they might have hoped for. Now the General Election looms that probably will not make things much different as the UK and Prime minister struggle with Brexit. Will her election gamble pay off he wonders? Would thinks Earthworm, that a Brexit result could have been explained in better terms to the electorate as a whole. Perhaps he adds dreamily it will all end well and we will be better off our own masters and “out”?

There is anxiety about things “across the pond” with Trump peremptorily sacking his FBI chief.  Will it be proved that Russia and Putin in particular skewed the presidential vote? Perhaps a ”Russia gate” looms, Earthworm wonders?

Vann Lane has once again seen an increase in traffic and even disruption not this time caused by road closures for a burst main or road repair. There were lorries and vans, mini buses and taxis all trundling along the lane from early morning until late evening apparently due to the filming of another episode of Howard’s End at Vann.  Earthworm expectantly awaits the transmission of the episodes somewhere about Christmas he has been told. It seems even the Paparazzi got hold of the news of the location, though they only said “near Godalming”, and crept along the lane. A picture was published in the Surrey Ad but it seems that did not even name the actors photographed correctly!

Earthworm will await too the result of the Dunsfold Aerodrome enquiry. It could change our lives in the village he thinks and probably not much for the better. Perhaps we should just all be thankful that we have had such undisturbed peace for so long.

Summer should we hope, soon be upon us with winter woollies put away hopefully out of the reach of moth which seem to have hit plague proportions

Holiday plans are being made and the young are embroiled in exams. Earthworm feels so glad that he is no longer “tested” on very much. But he did read with interest about the Act of Union more than 300 years ago, precipitated by years of war, economic depression, atrocious weather and climate change, (for which witches were blamed) refugee camps for the destitute and starving where  dysentery and typhus were rife, all that had brought Scotland to its knees. Earthworm wonders if history will not be repeating itself if Scotland elects once again to be independant?

 

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Hambledon Village Shop – Update May 2017

This is an amended version of the shop article in May’s Parish Magazine

Let Me Take You Down

There’s something very satisfying about sourcing produce form within a few miles of the shop. Berries from local Tuesley Farm’s strawberry fields  are now available at the shop at weekends. Hambledon based Crumby Bakery continue to delight with their creations (current personal favourites are the Lemon Drizzle Bakewell and the Cheese Scones). And you can’t get more local than the homemade sausage rolls, made in the shop and which have developed something of a local cult following (if you want one get to the shop before mid-day, they always sell out).

We also now stock wine made just six miles from the shop at Blackdown Ridge Winery. The winery’s first vines were planted in 2010 and the first wines were made in 2013. Their still white wine, “Chiaro”, is made from the Bacchus grape variety, ideally suited to the cool English climate, and won a bronze award in the 2015 International Decanter Awards. The red wine, “Carmine”, is made from the Triomphe grape variety, it has a bright, mid-cherry colour, with ripe cherry aromas and hints of spice and roasted red peppers.

Trading Update

A combination of good weather, bank holidays, cricket, film crews and blood sweat and tears resulted in a busy April with net sales of just over £26,000, this took the sales for the shop’s first quarter to £71,000 an increase of 40% over the same quarter last year (during which the shop refurb took place). At time of writing, it looks like net sales in May will be the highest monthly sales in the shops history and might just hit the £30,000 mark. Many thanks to all who provide blood, sweat, tears and custom.

 New Investments
The Shop’s healthy coffers have allowed for a few equipment upgrades. A new microwave and a commercial grade toastie maker are in place and a new commercial dishwasher is on the way. All will help to improve productivity in the cafe/deli, which now makes up 40% of the shop turnover. Hopefully there will also be a few less chafed hands in the village.

Good progress continues on the shop toilet, watch this space for news on the grand christening. Suggestions on a postcard please for which local personality should be the first to make their mark. Also, this month has seen the construction of an eco friendly child’s play area and a rustic bike rack.

Wines of the Month

June’s wines of the month will be a white and once again a rosé (in May the rosé wine of the month sold out halfway through the month, so we’re going to keep riding that pony).

The white is the Chateau Saint Cyrgues Blanc (£7.60), recently said by Forbes magazine to be one of the best white wines under $20. This Costieres de Nimes Blanc is a blend of Roussanne, Viognier and Grenache Blanc and is unoaked. A lemon-yellow in colour. Scents of rose petals, honeycomb, candied lemon and white pepper. Medium-bodied on the palate with notes of honey and sweet spice leading to a lingering and spicy finish.

The rosé this month is the De Martino Estate Cinsault Rosé (£9.80). The grapes are from vines grown in the cool climate area of Itata in the south of Chile and this dry and refreshing Provence style pink is packed with fresh summer red-berry flavours and makes for a great aperitif or accompaniment to fish and seafood. A delicate salmon pink in colour. Aromas of plums and strawberries. The palate is dry and intense with notes of cherry and raspberry leading to a refreshing finish. Make sure you have a spare in the fridge as the first one won’t last long.

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Football Club Win Two Awards

The Dons have scooped two awards off the pitch.

With Martyn Grove being award Surrey FA Groundsman of the Year and the club being awarded FA Charter Standard Club of the year. The club will now be put forward for the Regional McDonalds FA Charter Standard Club of the Year with the winners going through to the National awards.

This is an excellent achievement and recognition of the work that the club does off the pitch.

More details can be found on our website.

 

Hambledon FC Website

 

Martyn Grove