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.  Derek Miller, the Magazine Editor, has 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 Derek or  on the forum here.

A Mid-Summer Party will be held on the Cricket Green on the evening of Saturday June 19th, following the village fete.

This biennial event has been a great success in the past, so please book now if you wish to have a table.

The cost of an individual ticket is £25 and the organisers are hoping to sell ten tickets per table. All profit from the evening will go towards Hambledon Football Club in support of its fund raising for a new club house.

The dance will be held in the marquee erected for the village fete, which will have taken place in the afternoon.

Live music will be provided by Little Twist (the artists formerly known as Toxic Sausage), who were a great success at the last dance.

The event is also an opportunity to demonstrate resourcefulness in outside catering, as guests must bring their own food, drink, crockery and glasses. Friendly inter-table rivalry is anticipated!

So please get together with family, friends and neighbours and book a table. They will be allocated on a first come, first served basis and organisers report that interest is high, so do not delay as space is limited.

The party starts at 7.30pm and continues until 12 midnight. Please dress smartly for what is hoped will be a warm mid-summer's evening.

Tickets can be obtained from Vicki Hinde on 01428 682716 ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Tim Parker on 01483 860443 ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

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)

Hambledon Heritage Society
Annual General Meeting
7:30PM for 8:00PM
VILLAGE HALL
Wednesday, March 17th 2010

LOCAL CHURCHES:   An illustrated talk by Mr Alan Bott, Local Historian

The Village Scrapbook, The Jubilee Album, The War Memorial Album and our collection of other Hambledon items will be on display,Refreshments, Raffle, Everyone welcome

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)

Princess Alexandra met with dozens of villagers when she visited Hambledon to hear about the community work that led to it winning the Surrey Village of the Year competition for 2008/09.

The Princess, accompanied by Mrs Sarah Goad, the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, arrived at the village shop where she was met by Jane Woolley, clerk to Hambledon Parish Council, who was her escort for much of the visit.

SEE PHOTOS HERE

She was introduced to shop directors, staff and volunteers and George Pitt and Philip Underwood told her about how the shop was rescued from closure and reopened as a community-run venture.  Amanda Wright, the shop manager and Alison Wilson, Post Office Manager, showed her around and introduced her to volunteers John and Annie Tidmarsh, Judy Leeper and Cynthia Miller and Post Office clerk Alan Brien.

Hambledon has won the South East Region award for sustainability following its entry into the national Calor Village of the Year competition.  The village will be presented with its award, and a cheque for £500, when its hosts this year's Surrey Village of the Year judging ceremony at the village hall on Saturday July 25th, at 2pm.

Hambledon is the current Surrey Village of the Year, and in that capacity it hosts the finals of the 2009/10 county competition.   As Surrey winners for 2008/09 Hambledon entered the national competition. Although we know we have not made it to the final round of judging, the village has won the sustainability category for the region.  The judges were impressed by the village's efforts to preserve and protect its natural environment, in particular the conservation work of Stephen Dean. An active heritage society and the work of the volunteers who enable Oakhurst Cottage to open to the public on behalf of the National Trust also scored highly.  So did the initiatives of the parish council, including trying to resolve the menance of heavy goods vehicles on rural roads, and its support for local organisations, especially the community-run village shop, which impressed the judges with its policy of selling locally sourced produce.

If you want to see the submissions made by Hambledon Parish Council to the national judges, including our winning category, they can be found under "documents" on the parish council page on this website.

Dozens of villagers gathered for a party to mark the "retirement" of Judy Leeper as a village shop volunteer.  Judy has been a stalwart and it is people like her on whom the community-run shop depends.

She started volunteering in 1992 when the shop was reopened and has given sterling service ever since, including organising the rota of helpers. Last Saturday (June 20th) friends and colleagues presented Judy with gifts and toasted her future health and happiness.  Philip Underwood, shop manager, thanked her on behalf of the village for her hard work and dedication. Judy promised that the shop had not seen the last of her as she will continue to be a regular customer and will make the occasional appearance on the Sunday rota. "It has been a lot of fun and very rewarding", she said.

Although the shop has several paid staff it relies heavily on its volunteers and It could not survive without them. Philip has appealed for more villagers to come forward. "We are in need of more help", he said. The offer of a few hours a week or a month to bolster the current rota would be greatly appreciated. Contact details for the shop can be found on this website.

The Hambledon Heritage Society (AGM) was held in the village hall on Wednesday 25^th 2009. On completion of formal events  the air raid siren signalled the start of, “Villagers Personal  Memories of the 1940’s”.

This event was advertised  on the village website, in the village shop window and in this magazine as, “A NIGHT  TO REMEMBER” and it was!!

A 2.5 ton USA army truck stood as gate guardian for the evening at the village hall entrance.

The village hall was packed to capacity and the audience were privileged to hear the personal memories of a group of Villagers who had been living in or near Hambledon during the 1940’s.

The audience were taken through a roller coaster of emotions while learning about childhood activities, school, telegrams, rationing, bombers, fighters, V1’s, marriage, digging-in telegraph poles, compassion, love, life and death.

Report an incident here.

If you are concerned at the increasing inappropriate use of our narrow village lanes by heavy goods vehicles, there is now something you can do. Hambledon Parish Council is a member of a local campaign pressure group called LORD (Lorries off Rural Detours). LORD's aim is to lobby police, Surrey County Council and central government to remove the menace of HGVs on roads that cannot accommodate them. It is also seeking to influence data provided to the makers of satellite navigation systems and to have country lanes removed. To that end, parish counciils have provided LORD with roads they wish NOT to be included on satnavs, Hambledon has requested that Salt Lane, Station Lane and Hambledon Road be excluded.

Please visit the LORD website at www.lorryproblems.org.uk. You can find out how to report a lorry that you think is inappropriately using our lanes. Please make a note of time, date and place as well as registration number and ownership, if you can.

Let the parish council know your thoughts on this issue by using the website forum. Perhaps you can log incidents on the forum as well.

Bob Cartwright and Celia Webber, the two judges who visited Hambledon yesterday (April 1st) to assess its entry in the regional and national Calor Village of the Year competition, expressed their gratitude to villagers who turned out to meet them.

At the end of a two-hour visit, during which time they met with representatives from a host a community organisations, they thanked villagers for their hard work in making their visit informative and enjoyable.  They congratulated Hambledon on having already won the title of Surrey Village of the Year 2008-09 and said they were impressed by what they had seen.

Hambledon Nursery School is holding its annual Spring Fair this Saturday (March 28th) between 2pm and 4pm. A new attraction for this year will be llamas, making an appearance thanks to Colin and Julie Stoneley from the Merry Harriers, who keep them for treking expeditions in the local countryside.

The fair has toy stalls, a pets corner, raffle and refreshments and all money raised goes towards buying equipment for the school, which is managed by a charitable trust. Please come along and support the event, pick up a bargain, have a chat with friends over tea and cakes -  and rub shoulders with a friendly llama.

Hambledon Village Shop successfully applied for a grant of £10,000 to help up-grade its  freezers and chillers.   These have now been installed.  The main purchase is new chiller cabinets for the fruit and veg –to keep it fresh, to enable the range to be extended, to reduce wastage and to save on air conditioning costs.  An additional freezer has been bought for ready meals.   Storeroom freezers have been replaced, to extend capacity and reduce running costs. 

As a community, not-for-profit venture, Hambledon Village Shop generates a reasonable trading surplus and sensible reserves;  but these do not realise sufficient income to invest in capital projects. Finance for these has to be sought from grant-making agencies and fund-raising activities within the village.