HAPPY CHRISTMAS HAMBLEDON, from the village website team.

Throughout this extraordinary year, the website has kept our community informed and alerted. It has done so with the help of many village organisations and individuals.

In particular, the website was the platform for the Sunday Reflections, a series of observations on our changed lives as our little village went into the prolonged Spring and Summer Coronavirus lock-down. We thank all our contributors

At the end of August, we concluded the Reflections on a cautious note. We acknowledged how residents and village organisations had pulled together to see us all through a challenging time and that restrictions were easing. But we added: “We all know that the virus is still at large”.

Since then, we have had encouraging news of vaccinations. However, we have also witnessed a second wave of infections. Now Hambledon – in common with many others parts of the country – is about to enter Tier 4 restrictions as further measures have become necessary to try to combat the spread of Covid-19.

We are still in difficult and worrying times. But the spirit of our community is undiminished and we can look forward to resourceful 2021 as we, once again, rise to the challenge.

And it is in this spirit that we send our best wishes for the new year ahead, and look forward to playing our role in helping keep our community connected and focused.

The Village Web Team

The Church is asking for help from across the village to decorate roadside gardens, trees and verges with stars or in the theme of a Christmas carol.

In addition, it is planned to create a walking trail from the village shop to St Peter’s Church along footpaths decorated in the Christmas theme. Then, on the morning of Christmas Eve, villagers can follow the path for two nativity services at the church.

More details and information on how to enlist as a volunteer can be found on the two posters reproduced below. And, at the end of this article, please see some words from Jacqui Rook, pastoral assistant at the village church. Continue reading →

Hambledon Parish Magazine has traditionally been paid for in cash, usually left in a box at the village shop.

But times have changed, and the Coronavirus pandemic has drastically altered the shop’s operation. We are currently in another lock-down and the future shop procedures cannot be predicted with any certainty.

The exchange of cash for products and services has declined and the magazine’s editors have had to think seriously about alternative methods of payment.

First, the good news:  the price of the magazine will remain unchanged in 2021.  That means 70p per copy and £7.50 for an annual subscription (plus £18.00 if you want your magazine posted to you). 

When lock-down was introduced last March, a successful appeal for additional deliverers meant that, from then on, the monthly magazine was hand-delivered (or, in a very few cases, posted) to every subscriber.

Additional copies, plus a cash box, will remain available in the Church and at the Village Shop for those who need to purchase a one-off copy. But all regular readers are asked to pay up-front.

First of all, please consider if you could pay your subscription on-line.   This applies to all current subscribers and anyone else who would like to take out a subscription for 2021.  Payment details are as follows:

Sort Code 60-09-04, Account no. 62028499, Account Name Hambledon Parish Magazine.

Reference: your full name please.

For those of you who do not wish to use online banking, please make out a cheque for £7.50 (plus the cost of postage, see above, if applicable) payable to Hambledon Parish Magazine.  Put your cheque into an envelope with your full name/address/telephone number on it and leave it at Hambledon Village Shop (ask for it to be put into the Parish Magazine tin under the till counter).  If you are self-isolating and need your cheque collected, please telephone magazine co-editor Jane Woolley on 01428 684213.

Please take these steps now to ensure your magazine arrives at your doorstep next year.

Unfortunately The Merry Harriers has once again had to close its doors to customers as we go into lockdown. They will however be offering takeaway meals for collection on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Orders should be placed by phone on 01428 682883 on the same day you wish to collect your order and payment made by card at the time you place your order

The village website’s “Sunday Reflections”, a popular feature that appeared throughout the Coronavirus lock-down period and beyond, are now available in print as a lasting account of life in our small village under extraordinary circumstances.

The Reflections have been collected together and reproduced in a booklet which is available from Hambledon Village Shop from Monday (October 11^th). This includes contributions reflecting almost all aspects of village life during the pandemic, and with a foreword provided by local MP and village resident Jeremy Hunt.

A few local artists are participating in an open studio event taking place across Surrey. Surrey Artists Open Studios is a fantastic opportunity to meet Surrey based artists and makers, to find out more about their work, and buy directly from talented artists, continuing to support them at this challenging time.

More information can be found by clicking here.

The annual Cricket Club v Village Shop match took place on Saturday 22 August with each team playing for what is now the Mary Caroe Cup. Mary was passionate about Hambledon. She was also a well-loved figure in the village, a shop volunteer, and a tough but fair competitor. It is entirely fitting that this fixture should be named in her memory. Andrew Dunn reports on the match. Many thanks to Ged Hockridge and  Tom Powell for permission to use their photos.

Continue reading →

From the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Hambledon Village Website has played a key role in keeping residents informed. The final Sunday Reflection comes from the web team.

With the arrival of Coronavirus all our lives changed dramatically. New rules, regulations and instructions were being issued on an almost daily basis and only the website could react, almost instantly, keeping villagers abreast as we went into lock-down.

At the beginning the website posted an update every day, alerting people to what was happening around the village and providing emergency contact details.

On March 29^th, just after the introduction of lock-down, it ran a short article entitled A Sunday Reflection. It began with these words:  “It is an extraordinary time when families and friends cannot gather together over Sunday lunch, when our little church up on the hill cannot be open for Sunday worship, when our village pub cannot open for convivial drinks and conversation, and even our remarkable community shop has to take a short break…

Yet, just as extraordinary, has been the response of the people in our village and its immediate neighbourhood, and today we say “thank you” to all those who have made sure vital things happen when so little can happen.”

The reflection captured the mood of the moment and it was well-received. The web team decided to offer a weekly opportunity for others to ponder on their changed circumstances. Since then, individuals and organisations have stepped forward to provide a fascinating insight into how one small rural village adapted and coped in extraordinary times.

The village shop, its volunteers, the church, the pub, the parish council, nursery school, football and cricket clubs, the village hall, ramblers, cyclists, parish magazine, and many others, have contributed Sunday Reflections and they will stand as a testament to the resolve and fortitude of our resilient community.

The Reflections gave a contrast to the necessary factual information that the website has provided since lock-down – a chance to draw breath and take stock, gather our thoughts and, very often, count our blessings.

We lost a remarkable village lady, Mary Caroe, to the virus. Other were afflicted by it. Some of us had to isolate. It was a challenging time for us all.

Now lock-down has been lifted, restrictions have been eased, and a semblance of normality has returned. Deaths and infection rates have dropped. But we all know that the virus is still at large and we must hope and pray it will not return on the scale we witnessed this Spring and early summer.

The Sunday Reflection has given a weekly window on life in Hambledon at the most unusual of times. It has done its job and run its course. We hope you have enjoyed reading them.

The Village Web team – Paul Osborne, Jon Petersen, Mary Burrows and Stewart Payne

OPEN TO ALL, YOUNG AND YOUNG AT HEART!

Here is something you can do to help the village and keep those young (and older) minds creative and busy for a while! 

As many of you may know, a group of volunteers have set up a speed watch in Hambledon. The intention is to make drivers more aware of their speed and generally slow the traffic through the narrow lanes of the village. But it only works when we are out there in our high vis jackets… 

..And that’s where you, your children and grandchildren come  in.  We are launching a Speedwatch Scarecrow Competition. The idea is to make a scarecrow, dressed and decorated in whatever way you like, with a sign attached to it imploring drivers, in a friendly way, to slow down. Then attach this to a pole, fence panel, hedge, wooden stake, gate post, deck chair etc on your land but visible from the road. If you don’t live near the main roads through Hambledon then get in touch and we can arrange somewhere visible. 

This initiative will be a more constant reminder to drivers to check their speed, as well as alerting them to the presence of children on the lanes in the village. We intend to get The Surrey Advertiser down to cover the story so that the speeding problem gets more coverage and have asked a local police officer to judge the competition!

The deadline for displaying your Scarecrow is October 1st. The scarecrows will be judged and the winning design will be awarded with a special prize …to be announced! 

Below are a couple of links to help you make a basic scarecrow and then – get creative. Maybe you want to make the classic Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz or Worzel Gummidge, a well known cartoon character, a (flattering) likeness of someone in the village, or perhaps someone with a high vis jacket, speed gun, or zimmer frame is more your style, or a character with a well known slogan, or perhaps local racing driver Damon Hill ..the choice is yours – the more eye-catching the better!

Please get in touch on [email protected]  if you have any questions and to let me know where your Scarecrow will be so we don’t miss any. If I can’t answer then I’ll enlist the help of Mary Grove head of all things speed watch and a Parish Councillor. 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/gardening-children-schools/family-activities/Activities/activities/make-a-scarecrow

https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Scarecrow   

http://www.thekidsgarden.co.uk/makeasillyscarecrow.html

We look forward to seeing your creations!

The Hambledon Speed Watch Team 

The Merry Harriers, Hambledon’s 16^th Century village pub, reopened just over a month ago as lock-down restrictions eased. This involved a great deal of hard work and planning to ensure it could keep locals, visiting guests and staff safe. In this week’s Reflection, general manager Jake Andreou looks back on how things have gone.

One month on from re- opening, and I thought it might be time to write a little reflection on how the pub has handled the changing circumstances post-lock-down.

Our customers will have noticed the many differences in how we serve at the Harriers, but the changes go far deeper than what you see.

The most notable thing for me is how much our busy hours have changed. It used to be a certain bet that Sunday would be the busiest day of the week, but now it is almost impossible to predict just how busy we’ll be on a day-to-day basis.

For example, some Tuesdays have been busier than a peak summertime Sunday would have been last year! As a result, it is difficult to manage the rota to ensure we have enough staff on duty from our small (but dedicated) team.

I would like to say “thank you” to everyone who has visited us in the last month for how understanding you have been with my staff. It really does make a difference and it keeps their heads held high on otherwise challenging shifts.

It has also been great to see how many of you have come down and supported us in an ever-changing world. When I arrived last autumn, I seldom saw the front ‘beach’ as busy as it is now, with tables full of people laughing and enjoying each other’s company…at a safe distance of course.

In terms of an advert for the business I’m proud to be running, I could not ask for more.

We are very fortunate to have the outdoor space and seating that we do, and I’m hopeful that the weather remains favourable for as much of summer as possible!

How things will change when winter arrives – bringing colder and wetter weather – will be next in a long line of challenges since the Covid pandemic arrived. But that is something we must plan for when the time draws nearer. At the moment I have enough to concern me, trying to keep enough barrels of Shere Drop in our cellar and bottles of rose wine in our fridges!

For me, lock-down was difficult at times with only the ever-patient Nick Ash, the sous chef, to keep me company for long stretches.  Together with Jake the dog, of course.

So, I just wanted to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of you who have checked in on me and the pub, not just as customers but as friends, and I look forward to seeing you in the days and weeks to come.