Hambledon Village Trust has owned the freehold of the shop and attached cottage since 2003. During annual maintenance inspections it became very clear that a new roof was needed. The Trust’s only income is from the rent of the shop and cottage which meant that money needed to be secured before any work could start. Fundraising began at the village fete in June 2024, with an initial target of £100k.

By the end of last year we were nearly half way to the fundraising target, thanks to a sizable donation from the Hambledon Festival profits and many donations from individuals. Then in January this year we were delighted to be awarded a £20k Surrey County Council Your Fund Surrey grant, facilitated by our Ward County Councillor Kevin Deanus. With this, by the middle of March, we had reached nearly £90k, enough in the pot to start work. 

Hambledon Village Trust, landlord of the shop and Pendle Cottage, is delighted to announce that work has started on the new roof.  

Scaffolding for the main roof will be erected in the next few days. Then, dependent upon the presence of an ecologist to monitor bat movement, and fine weather, tiles can be removed and work begins in earnest.

This phase of the project will include the main roof and the roof over the deli. The garage roof and flat roof will be done later.

A big thank you for the many donations that have raised enough funds to make this possible.

Continue reading for some background…

Hambldeon Village Trust Trustees are delighted that Kevin Deanus, Surrey County Council Councillor for Waverley and Eastern Villages, has confirmed that we have been successful in a grant application for the new shop roof. A magnificent £20k has been allocated to our village project from the SCC Your Community Fund.

This has made a significant change to the fund-raising thermometer which now stands at approximately £75k. Work continues to finalise the tendering process.   

A very big thank you to Kevin Deanus and everyone who has donated so far. The shop is at the centre of our community and it will be splendid when it has a roof which is watertight and secure, whatever the weather.

Twenty years ago, the Hambledon Village Trust purchased the shop and the attached Pendle Cottage. This was shortly after the shop had re-opened as a community venture; and the purchase has assured its long-term future.

The 18th century building is now in urgent need of a new roof. Tiles have been falling off, beams need to be strengthened, there is no underlay and what insulation there is has worn thin. The flat roof over the shop frontage, the deli roof and the garage roof also require attention. It is estimated that the work involved will cost in the region of £100,000. This sum is way beyond the financial means of the Trust. Its only income is from the rents charged to the shop and the cottage tenant.

A fund-raising appeal for the roof replacement was launched at the Village Fete in June, asking for donations to be made to a special ring-fenced fund that has been established, via the Hambledon Community Fund, within the Community Foundation for Surrey.

It’s not just smooth snakes, slow worms and sand lizards that are returning as a result of Stephen Dean’s conservation work on Hambledon Common. The latest exciting arrival is the Silver-studded Blue butterfly.

On July 4th Harry Clarke, butterfly recorder for Surrey, visited Hambledon and Buss’s Commons. As well as the usual Meadow Brown and Large  Skipper, he found two Small Coppers and, best of all, two Silver-studded Blues. The Silver-studded Blue is a rare heathland butterfly, confined to small colonies in England and Wales. It owes its name to the male whose wings are blue with a dark border on the upper side and black, orange and green spots (“studs”) and flecks on the underside. The female is brown and, like the male, also has distinct metallic spots on her hind wings.  

Silver-studied Blues have declined substantially since the 1970s and are now of conservation concern; so finding them on Hambledon Common is especially good news. They are dependent on the Small Black Ant (Lasius niger) throughout their larval and pupal stages. The ants feed on the honeydew-like liquid secreted by the larvae. In return, the ants take the larvae down into their nests and protect them. The ants nest in bare un-shaded spots such as those parts of the Common where rabbits keep the vegetation short and expose areas of open ground. The butterflies emerge in June and feed on the nectar of the bell heather and crossleaved heath, which are in flower during their flight season.