For the first time in a while Hambledon has a host of activities to look forward to during the Christmas period. In addition to the Church activities, there are a number of other events planned. We’ve made a list and we’ve checked it twice.

Saturday 3rd December – Hambledon Nursery School Christmas Fair – details to follow.

Saturday 10th December – Christmas Special at the Coal Yard – details to follow.

Thursday 15th December – Carols around The Christmas Tree at The Merry Harriers – Mulled wine and festive treats. Hosted in the garden with firepits and by candlelight around the tree. From 7pm.

Saturday 17th December – Hambledon Village Christmas Dance at the Village Hall –details to follow. Tickets available here: https://ti.to/hambledon-festival/christmas-dance-2022

Tuesday 20th December – The Merry Harriers Christmas Quiz. Call the Harriers for bookings it’ll be busy and loud. 7pm start. It’s not really about the quiz…

Saturday 24th December – Christmas Carols at the Village Shop. Back after a 2 year hiatus, the ever popular Carols at the Shop; midday Christmas Eve with the Hambledon Shop Village Choir, mulled wine and mince pies.

The Hambledon Community Fund was established in 2008 to provide a permanent and sustainable fund for the benefit of individuals, groups and organisations in our village.

Please take a look at the Autumn newsletter to find out about recently awarded grants.

More information about the fund can be found here: HCF

The industrial action affecting bin collections has ended. Waverley have commented ‘we are delighted that Biffa and their staff have ended their dispute and that all services are now running.’

Normal services are expected across Waverley from today and all bins will be collected according to the usual schedule.

You can check your normal collection days here:

Waverley Borough Council – Rubbish and recycling collections

UPDATE 6/11/2022

Please follow this link to see the latest advice from Waverley Borough Council regarding industrial action being taken by refuse collectors.

https://www.waverley.gov.uk/Services/Bins-and-recycling/Bin-collection-strike-action

Waverley Borough have released further information regarding the talks between Biffa and the GMB: 

“Following an improved pay offer from our contractor Biffa to their staff, a further ballot was held by the GMB this morning. Whilst the offer was rejected, most of the staff elected to continue to work in the spirit of goodwill, we are grateful that they have decided not to disrupt services whilst continuing to negotiate on terms with their employer.”

There will be partial disruption expected as some staff have chosen to withdraw their labour.

Please put bins out according to the regular schedule. If the bins are not emptied, leave them out as there may be delays – they may be collected in afternoons and through to Saturday.

More information will be released via the Waverley website.

GMB union members working for Biffa, the council’s waste contractor, have voted for industrial action. This strike action is expected to occur between Thursday 3 November and Wednesday 23 November. It will affect all bin collections and street cleansing services across Waverley. The discussions between GMB and Biffa are ongoing and so may still be averted.

Waverley Borough Council have provided additional advice about what to do with your waste and recycling during the industrial action and answers to common questions can be found by visiting www.waverley.gov.uk/binstrike(opens in new tab). More information will be released as it becomes available.

An open letter on behalf of horse owners in Hambledon

Dear Hambledon residents, 

We are writing to ask for your help ahead of Guy Fawkes night and the associated fireworks. Last year several of us were subjected to localised fireworks that caused severe distress and injury. In the worst example, an injured horse at Hydon Farm had to be repeatedly sedated by a vet and in one other, sustained a serious injury. For those of us trying to calm them and prevent injury, it was truly awful to witness. 

Whilst we understand people like to celebrate, and at organised events support that, it is a very stressful time for those of us with animals, particularly horses. 

Mary Grove, deputy chair of Hambledon Parish Council, helps administer and maintain the various defibrillators available for public use in the village.

Having the knowledge of how to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) greatly increases the chances of someone surviving cardiac arrest. Mary has arranged for free training sessions on the evenings of November 2^nd and 9^th. Please consider taking part and help save lives. To register please contact Mary on 01483 415815 or email Sarah Stuckey at [email protected].

Mary also runs the village Community Speedwatch and campaigns on behalf of the council for speed restrictions.

New volunteers for the speedwatch are urgently required. This involves villagers being equipped with speed monitoring equipment to record the speed of vehicles driving through our village, which has a limit of 30mph in the centre and 40mph on the approaches. Speedwatch does not impose fines but offenders are sent a cautionary letter and evidence suggests that the existence of visible monitoring does encourage drivers to slow down.

The local group is at risk of folding unless new recruits can be found. Please contact Mary or Sarah using the contact details above.

Finally, many villagers are asking if a 20mph limit could be introduced in the centre of Hambledon and if you support this idea please sign a petition available at the village shop.

As you may have read in this month’s Parish Magazine, local MP Jeremy Hunt and his brother will be running the London Marathon on October 2nd to raise money for Sarcoma UK and the new Royal Surrey Cancer Centre.

Unfortunately the link given for the Just Giving page in the Parish Magazine article was incorrect. The correct link is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thehuntbrothers.

Hambledon residents paid their final communal respects in memory of HM Queen Elizabeth II on the eve of her State Funeral, which took place amid great ceremony yesterday (Sept 19^th).

In fast fading light and with a dramatic sunset turning the western sky a deep purple, villagers gathered at the top of Church Lane to observe a Minute’s Silence on Sunday at 8pm.

A country-wide National Moment of Reflection has been announced by the Government and it will take place at 8pm this Sunday (September 18^th), the eve of HM The Queen’s State Funeral.

It will be observed by a one-minute silence. All are encouraged to participate to mourn the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

This is a secular event not a religious ceremony. The Government’s website said it will be a communal gathering at a suitable location, either a meeting of friends or neighbours or at a locally-arranged event.

CPR  is a life-saving medical procedure which is given to someone who is in cardiac arrest and can double the chance of survival.  It is something almost anyone can do whilst waiting for a defibrillator or an ambulance to arrive.  

The village has now been offered the following dates for training sessions by local First Responders:   Wednesday 2nd November and/or Wednesday 9th November, during the evening (precise time to be confirmed).    The training is FREE – please contact Sarah Stuckey on [email protected] or Mary Grove on 01483 415815 to book your place.

The Hambledon Church Messy team are looking forward to welcoming everyone back and meeting new friends at Messy this Sunday – 4pm in the Village Hall. Each month this term will be about Jesus’s miracles, starting this Sunday with some of his GENEROUS miracles: water into wine and feeding the 5k. All welcome, including children!

For those that missed last Sunday’s church service for the Queen, the national anthem, a minute silence, prayers and appropriate hymns will be included at the 10am service at church again this week. The Hambledon church bell will be rung at 8pm to join in with the national tolling of church bells.