This is to let everyone know that a cycling event will be passing through the village tomorrow morning and stopping for refreshments at the village hall car park.
There will be 180 cyclists in groups of six leaving from Cranleigh at organised intervals between 9am and 11am riding through the village.
Hambledon will see a further easing of lockdown rules this week after the Government confirmed changes that allow pubs and restaurants to serve customers indoors, as long as there are no more than six in each group, or they are from two separate households.
This same condition applies to indoor visits to other people’s homes, where overnight stays will be allowed. People in groups of up to 30 can meet outdoors.
These, and a number of other relaxations to Covid-19 rules, take place on Monday (May 17th). Please see here for full details: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
The country now faces an anxious wait to see if the worrying increase of the Indian variant in parts of the UK, will delay the planned lifting of all distancing restrictions in England on June 21st.
Here in Hambledon, the latest lifting means that customers can be served inside the Merry Harriers instead of just outside in the garden. As a result, the pub has announced an extension to its opening hours.
The pub opening times are: Tuesday to Saturday, 11am until 11pm and Sunday 11am to 8pm.
Food service times are: Tuesday to Saturday, 12 noon to 3pm and 6pm to 9pm and Sunday 12 noon to 3pm.
The pub is closed on Mondays. More details here: https://merryharriers.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/merryharriershambledon/
For the time being, the village shop hours remain unchanged, but it is planned to allow shoppers back inside from June 21st, as long as restrictions are lifted that day. Its home delivery service ceases on Friday May 28th, and full details of all the changes can be found here: http://www.hambledonsurrey.co.uk/?p=14866
At St Peter’s Church, worshipper may assemble inside, subject to certain restrictions, and services remain available by Zoom. Details can be found here:
https://www.bhcgodalming.org/sunday-services
The Reserves are one point away from winning the league. And welcome Lightwater to Badger Park this Saturday for a 2pm KO. Their last game of the season. If they fail to win, there will be a nervous wait to see if Hersham win their last two games.
Come and help cheer the lads home at Badger Park. The Bar will be open and serving outside.
Come On You Dons
Last month Karen Barbato and Martin Thompson were regularly spotted around the village, taking part in a charity challenge to raise funds for the Guildford branch of the bereavement charity SoBS.
They undertook to walk from their home each day to total 30 miles in 30 days as part of a fund-raising campaign to mark the 30th anniversary of SoBs – Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide.
Many of their Hambledon friends will know that Karen lost her son Ben in very sad circumstances two years ago. Martin is a familiar face at the village shop. Villagers took the cause to their hearts and gave to the Just Giving link that appeared on this website to publicise their endeavour.
At the last count the appeal had raised £3.323, far exceeding the target figure of £1,000. With Gift Aid added in, the total comes close to £4,000. And although money came from across the greater Guildford area, it is clear that Martin and Karen played a significant role in attracting donations.
They said: “We have been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of our friends, neighbours and colleagues in and around Hambledon.
John Anderson has stepped down as chairman of Hambledon Parish Council and will leave at the end of the month. He has been a member for 38 years and has chaired the council for the last 17.
This makes him the third longest serving member since the council was formed in 1884, overtaking Ron Vickery who retired in 2011 after 35 years.
John will be replaced by Stewart Payne, his current deputy, with Mary Grove taking on the deputy role. He congratulated them both and said he was confident they will do a good job. But they have a tough act to follow!
John made his announcement at the council’s AGM last night (May 4th) when the election of chairman and vice chairman for 2021/22 was considered as the first item on the agenda.
John told his colleagues: “My year as Chairman comes to an end today, May 4th 2021. I have decided to resign from the Parish Council as a Councillor, effective May 31st 2021.
It is time for a change, and, somehow, I am getting even busier at home and in business.
Julie Llewelyn is stepping down from her role as co-ordinator of the Hambledon Community Fund to become High Sheriff of Surrey for 2021-22.
Her installation ceremony takes place tomorrow (Thurs April 29th), when she becomes the legal representative of Her Majesty the Queen in Surrey for the next 12 months. In this capacity, Julie will have a busy calendar of events, attending a range of functions and supporting charitable causes throughout the county.
Under normal circumstances the ceremony would have taken place at Guildford Cathedral, but current Coronavirus restrictions prevent such a gathering. Instead, her installation will be streamed at 7pm tomorrow evening on the High Sheriff of Surrey website and will be shown live and remain available to be watched later.
A link to this can be found on the opening page: https://www.highsheriffofsurrey.com/
