Hambledon will go to the polls next month and residents have an opportunity to vote for their parish councillors.

This vital role for our village and its administration requires seven members. Two current councillors are standing down and five are standing again.

Two more candidates are needed for the parish council to be at full strength, and at least three if there is to be a contested election.

Nominations close at 4pm on Tuesday (April 4th) when signed and witnessed forms must be submitted by appointment at Waverley council officers.

This is the final call for people to come forward. All details and assistance can be provided by Hambledon Parish Clerk Catherine Russell at [email protected]

Our own National Trust gem is soon to re-open. Volunteers are also sought for the coming season to guide visitors around the property. If you’d like to volunteer contact by email [email protected] or call 01428 687820.

The forthcoming Coronation of Charles III casts a spotlight on the huge contribution made by volunteers to community life in the United Kingdom, with the additional Bank Holiday on May 8^th labelled as “The Big Help Out”.

This event will be celebrated in Hambledon where volunteers have, for many years, underpinned activities and organisations that are so much part of the fabric of village life that it would be easy to take them for granted.

We would do so at our peril. The community-run village shop is in urgent need of new volunteers to keep going. And the parish council, as elections approach, is asking for people to consider putting themselves forward  as candidates now for this vital role in the grass-roots democratic process.

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The 1953 ‘timeless, exuberant classic’ with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck set against the beautiful backdrop of Rome.

On Tuesday, March 21st. Bar opens at 7pm and film starts at 7.30pm.

Tickets available at the shop £5 each. 

Hambledon’s First Film Festival is well under way, having begun on Sunday night with Casablanca. It was wonderful to see it as it should be seen – on the big screen – and it captivated even those who had seen it multiple times. Liv Coleman created the perfect atmosphere with 40s music playing as we went in, fairylights twinkling, her fascinating written critical description of the film to hand out to the audience and, of course, gin at the bar.

Don’t miss out on the experience! ‘The Third Man’ is showing tonight, Tuesday 14th. Bar opens at 7pm and the film starts at 7.30.

Tickets (£5 each) are available from the shop where you can also buy your tickets for Roman Holiday, showing on Tuesday March 21st, and Rear Window on Saturday 25th.

The roadworks affecting the Parish of Hambledon in the coming 3 months are as follows:

6th March – 5th May: Road closure of Water Lane; Thames Water.

20th – 31st March : Traffic lights at Lane End near Petworth Road; SGN Gas repairs.

2nd May – 2nd June Traffic lights on Petworth Road outside Orchard Farm; Surrey County Council

Further updates, maps and diversionary routes can be found at https://one.network/ 

Hambledon’s First Film Festival is now just under two weeks away. Please see below for details of the films showing and how to buy your tickets.

Sunday, March 12th, Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

Tuesday, March 14th, The Third Man, starring Orson Welles.

Tuesday, March 21st, Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

Saturday, March 25th, Rear Window, Hitchcock’s classic starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly.

Doors/Bar open at 7pm and films start at 7.30pm.

Tickets are available for all four films at the village shop for £5 each. Please be sure to specify which film/films you are buying tickets for.

Tickets are also available online at Eventbrite (for £6.13 including Eventbrite’s booking fee). Just Google Eventbrite Hambledon Film Festival then click on ‘tickets’ for details of all films available. Apologies for no link!

11am tomorrow, 24 February there will be a national moment of silence to mark one year of Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

See https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-moment-of-silence-to-mark-one-year-of-russian-invasion-of-ukraine 

The Hambledon Church bell will toll to mark the start and finish of the minute. 

Camilla Edmiston, village coordinator for Oakhurst Cottage, writes: “Good news! Oakhurst Cottage is reopening for the new season on Thursday 13^th April 2023″.

This small cottage, owned by the National Trust and run by local volunteer guides, could be described as our Hambledon hidden gem – a cottage in the oak wood – hurst being a Saxon word for wood. It is situated on the edge of Hambledon cricket green. Perhaps you’ve walked past the cottage and wondered about its history.

For those of you who have not had the opportunity to visit this cottage, it was built in the late 16^th to early 17^th century. In Victorian times it was lived in by a local agricultural labourer and his family. In the 1950s it was bequeathed to the National Trust with sitting tenants. Then in the 1980’s, after the last tenants passed away, it was realised that, as it was unmodernised, it might be of interest to the visiting public. After negotiation, including with the Parish Council, it was agreed to open as a museum to showcase what it was like to live here in the 19^th century for the ordinary working people. It also has an interesting story about young child evacuees from London staying here during World War II.

Following the last couple of tumultuous years, first with the Covid pandemic and then with the structural problems identified in the property last year, it is great that we will have the cottage open for a full season. However, there are a few changes from previous arrangements. Currently, the plan is to open on Thursdays and Saturdays for two tours each afternoon at 2pm and 3.30pm, bookable in advance. These are guided tours for a maximum of 6 people – so a very intimate experience in this small timber-framed property – giving an insight into domestic life here. The cottage will open from April to October.

We are always looking for more volunteers to help with the guided tours. If you think this may interest you, and you would like an informal chat, please contact Camilla Edmiston (email [email protected]). She can talk you through what it involves and explain a little more about the fascinating history. You would work in pairs for each afternoon session. If you would like to volunteer, there is a National Trust application form to complete and then an induction.

To find out more, visit for the first time or just because your last visit was years ago, please book a visit online https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/oakhurst-cottage. Tickets will be on sale from mid-March. We look forward to greeting some of you at the cottage and enlightening you about this little local gem. Come visit!

A reminder that the Hambledon Cricket Club Annual General Meeting will take place this evening (Tuesday 21 February) starting at 8pm in the pavilion.

This is a great opportunity to have a say in how the club is run and I would encourage you come along. If you plan on doing so, please let us know via [email protected] so that we can make sure there are sufficient drinks and snacks! 

Regards,

Siôn 

Secretary, HCC