This Month's Film

Chiddingfold Village Hall, Coxcombe Lane

Thursday September 2nd at 7.30pm

Tickets on the door only: £5

Licensed Bar and Refreshments available.

This month's film: The Ghost

 Take Pierce Brosnan, add a hint of Ewan MacGregor mix with the magic of Roman Polanski and you have the director's latest award winning film, “The Ghost” (cert 15).  Based on the novel by Robert Harris, this political thriller about a former British prime minister accused of war crimes opens the Chiddingfold Cinema 2010 Film season on Thursday 2nd September.

Jane Caie, one of Hambledon's seven parish councillors, has resigned, creating a vacancy which can be filled by co-opting a new member.

Applications are invited to fill the position and any villager interested in joining the council should get in touch with the parish clerk Jane Woolley.

Being a parish councillor is, of course, a voluntary post but it involves interesting and rewarding work in an active and caring community that was recently praised for its many achievements when it won the title of Surrey Village of the Year for 2008-2009.  The council meets once a month on a Tuesday evening at the village hall. The Parish Council has various responsibilities and is vital to a thriving community, spearheading local initiatives and making sure its voice is heard at Waverley and Surrey councils.

No specialist knowledge is required and all parish councillors are considered independent and do not represent any political affiliation. It is the grassroots of local democracy.

Jane Caie is standing down after five years service and has been thanked for her work for the village. Local government elections are not until May next year and, rather than hold an by-election, the council has the power to co-opt a new member.  The council is keen to hear from interested individuals. It may be that other current councillors will consider standing down next May so finding volunteers to replace them is important.

Contact details for the clerk, and details of the other members, can be found on this website under Clubs and Organisations.

The recent issue is now online, and for those of you who may have missed past issues, we have put some of the back issues on this website. 

The Magazine Editors, have also put out an appeal for any budding writers who'd like to contribute ideas or stories for the next issue - get in touch with John Hindley    This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  or Philip Ryland This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jeremy Hunt, the re-elected MP for South West Surrey, has been appointed as Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport in a newly-created department in the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government.

Mr Hunt, whose constituency includes Hambledon, has been given the task of overseeing the London 2012 Olympics combined with the responsibilites he had as a shadow cabinet member in Opposition.

He was appointed to the post on Wednesday (May 12th) at a meeting with the new Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street.

Mr Hunt was elected as Member of Parliament for South West Surrey in May 2005. He increased his Conservative majority at the General Election on May 6th, 2010.

Mr Hunt, 43, and his wife Lucia live in Farnham. He grew up in Surrey, attending Charterhouse School, before graduating with a first class honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford. He runs his own educational publishing business having earlier worked as a management consultant and teaching in Japan.

His constituency office can be contacted by clicking here http://www.jeremyhunt.org/

Jeremy Hunt held the Surrey South West constituency, which includes Hambledon, with a big increase in his majority over the Liberal Democrats.

He polled 33,605 votes compared to 17,287 for Mike Simpson, an 8.6 per cent swing in favour of the Conservative Party. The result of the ballot was declared shortly before 3am.

Surrey County Council has no money available for major resurfacing of Hambledon's damaged roads, but it will ensure repairs are carried out to a higher standard.

This was the promise given by Dr Andrew Povey, who is both Hambledon's county councillor and SCC leader.

Dr Povey faced tough questioning by villagers at the annual parish assembly where he was guest speaker. Many raised concerns about the appalling state of local roads and the poor quality of repairs.

Dr Povey said the problem of potholes had been made worse by the severe weather and that repairs to the county's road were underway. He was told by members of the audience that potholes had been a menace and a danger long before this last winter and that the state of the roads was a consequence of SCC's faiure to carry out adequate maintenace in recent years.

He was also told repairs to potholes were "botched" and that the holes reappeared at the same locations within weeks of being filled in.

Hambledon villagers took the opportunity to question their Surrey County Councillor at the annual Parish Assembly which was held at the village hall on Friday night (April 23rd).

Dr Andrew Povey (pictured right), who is the county representative for the area and also leader of the council, was the guest speaker and took questions from the audience.

The county council has responsibility for highways and villagers were keen to ask him what his authority was doing about potholes and road maintenance and the menace of heavy goods vehicles using our narrow lanes, particularly at the Hydestile crossroads.

Issues relating to snow clearance following this winter's heavy snowfall were also raised.

Dr Povey was speaking after the meeting heard reports from representatives of village organisations, outlining activities and achievements during the past 12 months.

A full report of the meeting, including Dr Povey's responses to road maintenance, will be available here next week.

Highway maintenance will be the discussion topic at this year’s Assembly (Friday 23 April, in the Village Hall, starting at 20.00).  The guest speaker will be Dr Andrey Povey who, as well as being Hambledon’s local County Councillor, is also the Council Leader.

The full agenda for the Parish Assembly can be found in the Parish Council section of the web site and on the village notice boards. 

Milford in 1930's

Milford Hospital is soon to undergo a refurbishment, and part of the scheme is to create an exhibition about the history of the site.   Sarah Nicholson of the admin staff is very keen to hear from former patients or staff at Milford.  She'd like to hear your stories, and maybe include them in the exhibition.

Milford's most famous former patients, comedy writers Galton and Simpson, have already provided lots of information and mementos.   If you think you can help, please do contact Sarah on 01483 782553 or   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , she'd be delighted to hear from you.

The Hambledon Village Website photographic competition covering the autumn and winter period has now closed for judging.

The winning picture will be announced at the annual Parish Assembly, which takes place at the village hall on the evening of Friday April 23rd, starting at 8pm.  The result, and the wining picture, will appear on the website the following day.

The judging is carried out by the village web management team which will also select two runners-up.

The winner will receive a £20 voucher to spend in Hambledon Village Shop, gifted by the Village Trust. There will be a display of all the entries at the parish assembly.

A new photo competition forum has been opened, covering the spring and summer period 2010. Please register and click on "Forum" to find the competition to submit your entries. 

Your photographs must be taken in or around Hambledon and can be of people, places, events, flora or fauna

Thank you to all of you who have taken part in the autumn and winter competition, where there were some superb pictures of our village during the heavy snowfalls of this winter.

Entries can be seen by clicking here http://www.hambledonsurrey.co.uk/component/option,com_fireboard/func,view/id,460/catid,4/

The recently established community footpath across Tuesley Farm has been upgraded with new wooden signs and improvements to the surface.

The footpath was provided by the Hall Hunter Partnership, owners of Tuesley Farm, as a condition of planning permission for polytunnels.

Because it crosses a working soft fruit farm some areas had become churned up by agricultural vehicles.

Harry Hall, who runs the farm, has now provided a hard surface on these area and erected wooden signposts. The path, which is not a Surrey County Council public right of way but may be used by walkers and cyclists, runs from Station Lane, close to the Hydestile Crossroads, to Tuesley Lane where it links up with the roadside footpath to Milford Station, shops, Rodborough School and Milford Hospital.

It has not been possible to secure permission from adjacent landowners for the path to exit onto Hambledon Road, so walkers have to negotiate a short stretch of Station Lane., which has no verge or pavement.

However, it is a welcome addition to the local footpath network and provides an alternative to walking along the narrow Station Lane to reach Milford and the station.

* The Hall Hunter Partnership has been given planning permission to provide accommodation for seasonal workers on land at Tuesley Farm and for the conversion of an exisiting building for this purpose. It has also obtained permission to to install a winter storage reservoir in a field to the east of Tuesley Lane.

Hambledon Parish Council has agreed a one-off grant of £250 following a request for financial support by Waverley Hoppa Community Transport.

The Hoppa minibuses are a familiar sight on local roads, providing transport for those unable to use scheduled public services. Hoppa's fleet of vehicles offer accessible, door-to-door community transport for registered local people as well as hospital-related services.

However, Hoppa cannot survive on its revenue alone and requires the additional support of grant funding.

With its fleet of vehicles due for replacement, Hoppa has appealed for financial assistance.

In Hambledon we have a "good neighbour" scheme which can usually help the elderly and infirm keep medical appointments and collect prescriptions. However, our scheduled bus service runs on just three days of the week and is loss-making.

The parish council considered that Hoppa provides a valuable service in rural communities such as ours and would become even more important to Hambledon if the village lost its bus service.

It agreed to provide a grant of £250 to help Hoppa maintain its non-emergency patient hospital service to local health facilities.

If you would like to find out more about Hoppa's service please click http://www.hoppa.org.uk/

Government inspectors have visited Hambledon Nursery School and judged it as "outstanding".

Nicola Collett, the head teacher, described the verdict of Ofsted (The Office for Standards in Education) as a "wonderful achievement" which reflected the high quality of staff and the level of community support.

The report states: "Children receive excellent care and learning opportunities" in a "well organised child care environment" where they have an extensive range of stimulating resources and play materials."

There is a high awareness of child safety issues by well trained staff and individual children's needs are considered at all times.

"Children arrive happily at the nursery and feel safe and relaxed about leaving their parents. They learn the importance of keeping themslves safe through discussion, activities and the very clear rules."

"They achieve well and enjoy their learning because of the wonderful support and guidance offered by staff." The report adds that all areas of learning are covered effectively.

The inspector observed that children were "very well behaved and polite" and were encouraged to be considerate and caring.

The school achieved the highest grade of "outstanding" - defined as provision of an exceptionally high quality - in every category.

The inspector praised staff and the support they receive from the trustees.

The nursery opened more than 20 years ago in what was once the village school. The Victorian property in its rural setting was saved for the benefit the local community following a campaign by villagers. It is a registered charity and is managed by local trustees.

It has 70 children on its roll aged between two and five.

Many villagers were angry at the disruption to power supplies and roads following the heavy snow falls in January.

The Parish Council asked for your comments on the forum on this website and wrote to Southern Electric and Surrey County Council Highways Department.

Jane Woolley, parish clerk, gives details of their replies below. It is likely that many will be disappointed by the response from Southern Electric.

Please continue to express your opinions on the forum dedicated to this matter found in the Forums section of this website.

Truck returning West towards Hydestile Crossroad

So the question is what can be done to avoid this?    The problem is the Highways Department signs.  At Hydestile it is far too late to telltrucks to turn around and return to Milford (there is no route for themto proceed down other than turn around). Currently the half-baked and confusing crossroads signs contradict each other.

Have you taken any pictures of Hambledon in the snow?  The village website photo competition is back, with the prize of a voucher to spend at the village shop for the winner. Judging will take place at the end of March.

If you have taken photographs in or around Hambledon, we would love to see them on the website. They do not need to be snow pictures, and there is still plenty of time to get snapping.

Some pictures have already been posted in the PHOTOS gallery. All new entries should be posted here in the Forum Photo Competition. Instructions on how to do so can be found on the "Help" section of the website on the top menu.

The photo accompanying this news item is of the the village shop and was taken by Helene O'Donnell.

Following the recent heavy snowfall, which led to lengthy power cuts, Hambledon Parish Council has written to Southern Electric (Scottish and Southern Energy) requesting it gives serious consideration to replacing overhead with underground cables and, in the meantime, trims back branches beside powerlines on a more regular basis.

Many residents have expressed their concern about the electricty supply as well as the failure by Surrey County Council to grit or clear village roads, all of which were unpassable for several days by anything other than four-wheel drive vehicles.

Several residents have asked what measures could we take as a community to prevent such lengthy disruption in the future.

It has been suggested there should by a village-wide campaign to urge Southern Electric to install underground cables as a matter of urgency. It has also been proposed that we recruit local contractors, ground workers and farmers to use their equipment to clear roads on our behalf. 

This, of course, raises issues of cost, practicality, insurance and liability.

The Parish Council, at its last meeting on January 12, 2010, resolved to consider establishing a village emergency plan and would like to hear the views of residents by promoting a debate on this website. What are your suggestions?

So what do you think? What were the problems and what could be done to minimise the disruption next time? Please post your comments here on the forum.

John Anderson, long-standing Hambledon resident and chairman of its parish council, has been awarded an OBE in recognition of his contribution to the renovation of St Martin-in-the Fields, London.

John is chairman of the St Martin-in-the Fields Building Renewal Project, which has overseen the restoration of the landmark church in Trafalgar Square and the provision of new facilities for the homeless in its area.

His OBE also recognises his services to the construction industry, in which he works in project management.

In January 2006 St Martin's embarked on a £36 million building project to restore and transform the church and surrounding buildings by creating what has been described as "a new sequence of beautiful, practical and inspirational spaces to serve the community, visitors and those in need."

The church, designed by James Gibbs and completed in 1726, also serves the nearby Chinese community from London's Chinatown and is used for concerts, broadcasts and other events.

John said it was a "privilege" to be asked to chair the renewal project, which had given him great pleasure. He added: "I am very honoured by the recognition of the OBE".

You can find out more about the Renewal project at St Martin-in-the Fields by visiting its website here

John has served on Hambledon Parish Council for many years, becoming its chairman four years ago. He is chairman of the project board of the new Sammy Ofer Wing at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.

Locally he is an active supporter of Guildford Rugby Club, the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for the Disabled and The Lighthouse Club Construction Charity.

Congratulations, John, from your friends in Hambledon.

Nature can be cruel, particularly when it involves the struggle for survival in a harsh winter.

A young robin which became a familiar visitor to Hambledon Village Shop has died after it was attacked by a stronger bird of the same species.

The robin appeared last month and would fly out of the Christmas tree outside the shop to be fed breadcrumbs by staff. It became so tame that it would hop inside for a look around.

Philip Underwood, who oversees the community-run shop, said that the robin was attacked by another in what was probably a dispute over territory.

"We always recognised the shop robin because it was a young bird, smaller and fluffier than others," he said. 

"We have been feeding and looking after it over the last three weeks. It was so tame that it would come inside. It seemed to make a home in the shop Christmas tree."

"Suddenly this morning I watched its demise. A stronger and bolder robin suddenly appeared and pecked it several times in the neck, killing it.This bigger robin has now taken over its territory."

"But will we want to feed this one? This is a reminder of how cruel nature can be."

(Tuesday January 12th, 2010)

Severe weather conditions are continuing to create problems on Hambledon's roads.

A large pothole has opened up in the middle of the road at Lane End. It is so deep that nearby residents have had to fill it with bricks to reduce the danger of it shredding tyres. In addition, surface water turning to ice makes the road extremely hazardous at this location. Please approach with caution.

The pothole has been reported to Surrey County Council by Hambledon Parish Council. However, the length of time it took to speak to an operator on the emergency number suggests that SCC has been inundated with similar reports from across the county. Although details of the Lane End pothole have been passed to the Highway Department, SCC could not say when the road will be repaired.

There are, of course, other potholes throughout the parish. And with temperatures remaining below freezing point great care should be taken on all the village's roads.

Potholes and other highways issues can be reported to Surrey County Council here

THE annual Christmas Party at the Village Hall raised £1,183 for charity - the largest amount in the history of the event.

The money will be divided between the Phyllis Tuckwell and Chase hospices.

Mary Grove, on behalf of the organisers, said she was delighted that the party had broken its previous best and thanked all those who helped make the evening such a success.

Local band Toxic Sausage again proved immensely popular, had everyone dancing, and closed to rapturous applause and demands for an encore.

Thank you to all those who supported the event in many different ways and to those who put in the hard work  to make it a great evening.

The party, attended by almost 100 people, was held on Saturday (December 12th). A small selection of pictures taken during the night can be seen on the "photos" section of this website.  PHOTOS HERE

The Hambledon Heritage Society is proud to announce the publication of the first part of their Oral History Project:  video and audio recordings of villagers' stories recounting life in Hambledon during the 1940's.  Click on the banner to listen and view.

We are desperate for volunteers to assist on Tuesday afternoons after 1pm.   

We can hang on until Christmas, but after that we will have to close on Tuesday afternoons unless some kind villagers step forward to help. 

P.U. 

Una Hedley

Both were highly-respected villagers and will be much missed, not just by their families but by the community as a whole.

Una, from Hambledon House, died at her second home in Cape Town on November 28th, 2009, just a few months short of her centenary.

She had lived in Hambledon since her marriage to Oliver Hedley in 1946. She retained a remarkable vitality for life and was a familiar figure around the village until very recently. Her family have posted a notice about her death at the village shop and have said that a memorial to her life will be held next spring, around the time of what would have been her 100th birthday.

Tom Waring

 Tom Waring, who worked  tirelessly for the area as a county councillor over many years, died peacefully at home, also on November 28th. In addition to being a councillor he took on many other community roles. He moved to Chiddingfold from Kent with his first wife Priscilla and family in 1959. After becoming widowed he moved to Hambledon and played an active role in village life. He proposed to Elizabeth Maclay, who was chairman of Hambledon Parish Council, under "any other business" at the end of a meeting in the village hall and they married in St Peter's Church in 1991. His funeral was due to take place on Thursday at St Mary's, Chiddingfold, at 2pm on Thursday (December 10th).

Hambledon sends its sympathy to both families and remembers with gratitude all that Una and Tom did for our community.

THE deep pothole on Rock Hill, about which we warned last week, has been filled in.

However, recent heavy rain and the abundance of surface water running down the sides of the village's lanes has resulted in new ones appearing. Watch out for a nasty one on Hambledon Road heading into the village from Hydestile near the Hydestile Cottages.

As always, the repairs are just a fill in with Tarmac and are a quick fix and do not last. Hambledon Road, Salt Lane and Station Lane are now in appalling conditions and need complete and thorough resurfacing, not just a bodge.

But Surrey County Council will state that it does not have the money for such undertakings.

If you discover new potholes please report them to SCC. Report the dangers

Hambledon Parish Council has repeatedly expressed its concern to SCC about the appalling state of the road surfaces in Hambledon. The parish council has no authority and no budget to take remedial action itself and the responsibility rests entirely with Surrey's highways department..

Vote in the Left Hand column on the recent changes:    Contractors have mounted essential road signs on wooden posts throughout Hambledon, in keeping with the rural character of the village.  At the same time signs regarded as superfluous have been removed as part of an initiative to "declutter" villages within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  The work was carried out on behalf of Surrey County Council and follows a lead taken by Hambledon Parish Council, which contributed £1,000 to the cost of the project.

John Anderson, Parish Council Chairman

“As winner of the Surrey Village of the Year award in September 2008, we entered the Southern Regional section of the national Village of the Year competition 2009-9 where we competed against winning villages from the counties of Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, East Sussex and West Sussex.

“Although we were not the overall Regional winners, we did win the Sustainability Award.  This is a great achievement and, as you will see, the judges’ feedback could not have been more glowing.

“The award is a great credit to all those in Hambledon who have achieved so much over many years. It is thanks to everyone’s efforts, interests, concerns and, not least, hard work for the village that we have been awarded this accolade. 

“Congratulations. The plaque will hang in the Village Hall and the winner’s cheque for £500 has been given to the Hambledon Village Community Fund.” 

Hambledon has handed over its crown as Surrey Village of the Year to Ewhurst, voted the winner of the 2009-10 competition.  In the final act as 2008-9 champions, Hambledon hosted the ceremony at the village hall on Saturday (July 25th).  

The contest, sponsored by Calor and organised by Surrey Community Action, saw stiff competition between villages from across the county. Ewhurst was voted the overall winner by a team of judges that included Hambledon Parish councillor Derek Miller. Chobham took the runners-up place.   During the ceremony Hambledon received its certificate and a cheque for £500 for winning the sustainability category in the regional Village of the Year awards.

This is on top of the £500 prize money the village received for winning the county title last year.   The presentation was made by Jason Whitwell of Calor to John Anderson, parish council chairman, and Stewart Payne, the parish councillor who coordinated the village entry. (See picture on right)