The recent Hambledon Village Shop AGM at the Village Hall, reviewing 2021/2022, produced some interesting information and the highlights are reproduced here for a wider audience.

Moving out of Covid restrictions was more challenging than being under them. Emma Dunn, part of the management committee, said that shutting the shop in 2020 and only doing home deliveries was a hard decision for the heart, but in practical terms was relatively easy.

Managing risks coming out of lockdown, keeping customers, staff and volunteers safe, and adhering to ever-changing guidelines, was much more difficult.

A shop WhatsApp group proved useful to exchange information, from issues arising from a broken- down fridge to how many sausage rolls to order. It was not until April last year that the shop was able to serve “eat-in” food and drinks on the terrace, with QR codes and track and trace in operation.

“It is hard to remember just how difficult life was back then”, Emma said. In July 2021, when the shop featured in the TV programme “Escape to the Country”, customers were allowed back inside, and Carole Davies was the first customer. “For some of the more vulnerable, the shop was their first experience since lockdown of walking into a shop once again”.

Autumn 2021 saw restrictions re-introduced and, following a very successful scaled-down fete and BBQ, with the shop playing a central role, there was a return to mask wearing, limitations on gatherings, and the Christmas singalong was called off.

TWO fully-loaded articulated lorries brought Hambledon Road to a standstill this afternoon as they reversed at a snail’s pace back to the Hydestile Crossroads, unable to negotiate the turn into West Surrey Golf Course at Potters Hill.

The tractor and trailer units damaged trees and had to take great care to avoid overhead cables as they reversed under supervision. It took them approximately 45 minutes to undertake the manoeuvre, and no other traffic could pass while they did so.

The lorries were delivering piping to the course, which has a secondary entrance off the Hambledon Road leading to its maintenance yard as well as several private houses.

One roll of piping caught on branches and a section was bent back, lifting it above the previous load-level and making the operation of avoiding cables even more hazardous. (see photograph)

To reach the Hambledon Road the lorries would have passed advisory signs warning that the narrow lanes in and around the village are not appropriate for HGV use.

Several dozen motorists were caught up in the delays and expressed their frustration at the hold-up and anger that lorries of such size were attempting to use such unsuitable lanes.

Hambledon Parish Council contacted West Surrey Golf Course following the incident. Club secretary James Newman apologised for the inconvenience and said he would investigate the matter.

“We do have large deliveries from time-to-time that need to use the Potters Hill entrance. But our suppliers know this route well and it is up to them to ensure they use the appropriate size of vehicle. I expect them to make sure they have the correct lorry capable of delivering the load as well as negotiating the route”.

Among the vehicles held up was another HGV, which had already passed through the very narrow Malthouse Lane and which should not have been on Hambledon Road in the first place.

The incident highlights the continued concern of Hambledon residents that roads in the village are being used by HGVs as a cut-through, particularly across the Hydestile Crossroads, Salt Lane and Markwick Lane, a route that connects the A3 at Milford and the A281 near Cranleigh.

Hambledon Parish Council is currently engaged in measures to try and stop this menace and, along with affected residents and other local parishes, is trying to get Surrey Council Council’s highways engineers to introduce enforceable measures to force HGVs to use designated A and B roads.

* Hambledon Road will be closed, potentially for three days, from tomorrow (July 27th) between 8am until 6pm, between Clock Barn Lane and Home Farm Road, Busbridge, to enable the replacement of a decayed pole. The section of Hambledon Road through the village from Lane End to Hydestile Crossroads should remain open.

Hambledon has experienced severe traffic congestion this morning as a result of the A283 Petworth Road being closed from Skinners Lane, by the Winterton Arms, through to Lane End. 

The road closure is likely to remain for several days.

Hundreds of cars have been using the narrow Pockford Lane and Vann Lane as a diversion, leading to a jam forming in Hambledon on Cricket Green by the shop. Thanks to Martin Thompson taking on traffic management duties, some 150 grid-locked cars have now been able to make passage through the village. The Parish Council has informed police and traffic officers are to be sent.

The closure will have an impact on the many Hambledon villagers planning on attending the memorial service for John and Annie Tidmarsh, taking place at St Mary’s Church. Chiddingfold, at 3.30pm this afternoon. Please check on road condition before setting off, if you can, and allow for a longer journey time.

Perhaps the best way from Hambledon to the church is to cross the A283 at Lane End into New Road, turn left into Combe Lane by Witley Station approach, and follow the road through to Chiddingfold, via Ridgley Road and Coxcombe Lane to arrive on the green beside the church. (Although Combe Lane was due to be closed today due planned roadworks, this has not so far taken place)

Please remember, there is no parking at the church itself.

• Update: The situation in Hambledon had improved by lunchtime today, thanks in part to our shop staff and volunteers taking measures to aid traffic flow. Vann Lane and Pockford Lane will no doubt remain busy but traffic is moving. According to the bus operator Stagecoach, the A283 is not expected to reopen for several days.

Two people who have given considerable public service to Hambledon over many years have died in the past few weeks – Anthony Wieler, 84, from Feathercombe, died on April 8^th and Jenny Sewell, 81, formerly of Rock Hill, died on April 19^th.

Both served as Hambledon Parish Councillors – Anthony from 1965 until 1976, becoming chairman in 1966, and Jenny from 1983 until 1995.

Jenny’s funeral will take place at Guildford Crematorium on Friday May 13^th at 2.15pm.

There has already been a private funeral service for Anthony, but all are welcome at a Memorial Service at St Peter’s Church, Hambledon on Friday May 20^th at 2.30pm.

Please read on for further information on these two notable village residents.

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A quiz in aid of the newly-established Hambledon Ukraine Appeal raised a remarkable £539.50, thanks to the generosity of a packed pub-full of contestants from the village and beyond.

Hosted by quiz-master Andy Hinde and music-master Jon Petersen, the event was a sell-out. The pub dished out curry and a free drink for a knock-down price and donated two bottles of champagne to the winning team. This enabled the entrance fee, together with generous cash and card donations, to go entirely to the Hambledon Ukraine Appeal.

Derek Miller has asked the village website team to share details of his wife Cynthia’s funeral, to which all are welcome.

Cynthia passed away on January 30th at the Royal Surrey County Hospital after spending several months at the Surrey Hills nursing home. She was 84. Her funeral will be held at St Peter’s Church, Hambledon, on Thursday 24^th February at 1pm.

Derek and Cynthia moved to Hambledon in connection with his work. They fully expected to return to their native Yorkshire on his retirement, but by then had fallen in love with the village, and the village with them. “We never planned to stay here but it is such a lovely place with such lovely people that we never left”, said Derek.

Both became active members of the community. Cynthia was one of the first volunteers at the village shop when it became a community venture. Her home-made carrot cakes were legendary and sold out almost as soon as they reached the shelves.

She remained a volunteer for many years and it was fitting that, on behalf of all the helpers, it was she that received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service when it was presented to the shop in 2015.

She was instrumental in running the Wednesday Afternoon Group (WAGs), described as “a friendly gathering of ladies” who met every third Thursday of the month for teas, talks and outings.

Both Cynthia and Derek were active members of the village church, where Cynthia was on the flower arranging rota. Derek was for many years a Hambledon Parish councillor, edited the parish magazine, and one of the original web team that helped set up and run this village website.

And, for a long while, a Friday night at the Merry Harriers was not complete unless Cynthia and Derek and their close friends Arthur and Sue Blackman, Ron and Ann Vickery and Mic and Sylvia Coleman, were not seated at the usual table near the fireplace.

We send our sympathy to Derek and his family and will remember Cynthia with great fondness and lasting respect for all that she has done for the village where they made their home.

The Christmas Eve Crib service at St Peter’s takes place today, outside in the church yard, at 4pm.

This reminder is to correct an error in yesterday’s news item, which erroneously stated it was to be held on New Year’s Eve.  Sorry about that, and the article has been corrected.

And to recap, the Midnight Communion service at Hambledon tonight has been cancelled but all are welcome to celebrate Christmas Day at the 10am service at St Peter’s tomorrow, which will be held outside. For full details on village activities over the Festive season please see the previous new item.

The words above were spoken by the Rev Simon Taylor, Rector of St Peter’s Church, Hambledon, at the funeral of long-standing and much-loved village resident Edna Atkins.

However, he used them in a wider context, reflecting that Hambledon was witnessing the passing of several notable residents who have done so much to enrich life in our small village.

The same church will soon see villagers pay their respects to another stalwart who leaves a substantial legacy across Hambledon. The funeral of Muriel Campbell will take place at 2.30pm on Thursday December 9^th.

Much that younger generations can take for granted is testament to Muriel’s love of Hambledon and its people. She has been active in many areas of village life, most notably in helping spearhead the campaign to keep the former Church of England village school as a place of learning after it closed as a State-run primary in July 1983.

She was central to the campaign to acquire the Victorian classrooms and playground at Rock Hill, rather than see it sold off as a private house or for development. Out of this initiative grew the flourishing Nursery School that is so popular today. It is run by a charitable trust and Muriel was one of the early trustees.

Muriel was also a member of Hambledon Parish Council between 1987 and 1995 and her husband Ion was, for many years, its chairman.

Muriel and Ion have also worked hard to maintain their family home at Feathercombe, which was built in 1910 for the celebrated author, journalist, broadcaster and naturalist Eric Parker. Muriel is his grand-daughter.

Muriel’s funeral is expected to be well attended as she had a large extended family as well as a great many friends. Village mourners are requested to walk or share a lift to the church if possible. There will be a reception afterwards at Feathercombe.

Hambledon sends its sympathy to Ion and the Campbell family.

• A fuller tribute to Muriel and her contribution to Hambledon is expected to appear in the January issue of the Hambledon Parish Magazine.

Village resident Cathy Coleman has set herself a target of raising £500 for a cancer charity that makes wigs for young children who have lost their hair during treatment. To do so, she is cutting 14 inches off her hair to donate to the Little Princess Trust.

It is a great cause, and Cathy is asking for help from villagers to help her meet her target. For details of how to donate, please read on.

Hello Everyone,

I am cutting 14 inches off my hair and donating it to the Little Princess Trust. This incredible charity creates wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment and other illnesses. The charity aims to give them a little more confidence and a sense of normality when their whole world has been completely changed.

Along with everyone else I was unable to get my hair cut throughout the pandemic. I wanted to create something positive out of a pretty horrible couple of years. The Little Princess Trust do a brilliant job of supporting young people through a troubling time in their lives, and the charity also funds vital research into cancer treatments.

I am asking for donations to help me raise £500, which is how much it costs to create and fit a wig. The link for my fund-raising page is below, there is also a donation box at the Merry Harriers pub:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/cathys-fundraiser-for-the-little-princess-trust?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cf%20share-flow-1&fbclid=IwAR3KBoGdQB8JBbGHxX0uD2Z_U5cKZovrTNbGC3kLVg5Ap6VTiYUNRT19lQg

For more information on what the Little Princess Trust does please visit its website (https://www.littleprincesses.org.uk) where you can also find details on how to donate your own hair if you want to support a great cause.

Thank you in advance for any donation you can give.

Cathy Coleman

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 30^th 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. 

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If you spot Karen Barbato and Martin Thompson, a familiar face at the village shop, wandering around the village over the next few weeks, they are not just out for an idle stroll.

There is a good cause behind their new daily routine and one that Hambledon residents may wish to support.

Many in Hambledon will wish to pay their last respects to John Tidmarsh but will be unable to attend his funeral because of the current Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

Instead, villagers may choose to wave him off as his funeral cortege travels from St Mary’s Church, Chiddingfold, passing the turn off to Lane End, Hambledon, close to his family home at Meadow Cottage. This will take place on Tuesday March 30th.

Rosie and Jo, John’s daughters, have shared their memories of their father, a respected and popular character who contributed so much to community life in Hambledon, particularly at the village shop.

John spent much of his childhood in Chiddingfold. He played cricket there for many years and worshiped at St Mary’s, the parish church. 

The hearse will leave the church at 12.45pm and travel along Petworth Road, passing Chiddingfold cricket ground, and on towards Hambledon where, at the junction with Lane End, it will turn left into New Road at approximately 12.50pm. It will then take the country lanes to Grayshott, for a service at the Heatherley Wood memorial ground.

Rosie said: “If you would like to pay your respects and wave John off, we invite you to safely position yourself somewhere on the side of the road, along the route of the hearse.”

She pointed out that the hearse will not be entering Hambledon, but can be seen as it reaches the Lane End junction with the A283. As for John’s send off, she said that those paying their respects can do so with “flag, daffodil, cricket bat or football scarf”, and that “waving and cheering is encouraged”.

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The Easter holidays are drawing close, and St Peter’s is marking this special time in the Church year with an egg hunt around the village.

Timed to coincide with the school break, families are invited to take part in The Great Hambledon Easter Egg Hunt, which will run from Saturday April 3^rd through to Sunday April 25^th. Continue reading →

Power has been restored to homes in the village following the heavy winds on Boxing Day night, but Hambledon Road remains blocked between Feathercombe and Hydestile because of a fallen tree.

Scottish and Southern Electricity, the power provider for the area, had to deal with a great many power failures across its southern region but reports that its engineers worked throughout yesterday to restore power to approximately 50,000 properties.

Storm Bella brought down trees and power lines across many part of Southern England. Some homes are still awaiting re-connection but SSE states that all in Hambledon are now back on supply.

However, Surrey Highways teams have had to deal with many blocked roads due to fallen trees and have not yet managed to clear the fallen beech lying across Hambledon Road, close to Potters Hill. Walkers can divert on to the path on the edge of West Surrey Golf Course but the road remains impassable to vehicles.

If any villager is still experiencing problems, useful contact numbers for emergency services and public utilities can be found on this website on the winter weather advice section or in the November parish magazine.  If in difficulty, please contact Stewart Payne, Hambledon Parish Council emergencies coordinator, on 07831 393561.