The State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will take place next Monday (September 19^th) at Westminster Abbey, beginning at 11am.

As a mark of respect Hambledon Village Shop will be closed and the Merry Harriers will not open until the early evening.

For shop customers who pre-order their newspapers, these can be collected from outside the shop in the cabinet from 8.30am.

The day of the funeral has been declared a national Bank Holiday.

At 8pm on the evening before (Sunday 18th) there will a minute’s silence at which the public are invited to “come together to observe a national moment…to mourn and reflect on the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II”.

A small gathering of villagers took part in the tolling of the bell at St Peter’s Church at noon on Saturday, followed by a period of silence and then prayers in memory of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Dudley Hilton, Derek Miller and Arthur Blackman are photographed (below) alongside Rev Simon Willetts shortly before the three of them shared in the ringing of the bell 96 times, one for each year of the Queen’s life.

The bell at St Peter’s, our village church, will toll at midday today as a mark of solemn respect following the passing of HM The Queen yesterday afternoon

It will toll 96 times, once for every year of the Queen’s life. She reigned as our Monarch for 70 years, the longest in British history. Cathedrals and churches around the country will all be tolling bells at this time in tribute, including Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s and at Windsor Castle.

Buckingham Palace has announced that Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully this afternoon at her Balmoral residence.

The National Trust has announced that Oakhurst Cottage, the preserved 16th Century farm labourer’s cottage on the lower corner of Cricket Green, will be closed for the rest of the year with immediate effect.

Hambledon villagers have played a vital role in keeping the little timber-framed cottage open to the public by volunteering as guides to show pre-booked visitors around the house and cottage garden. Inside it fittings and furnishings reflect how a simple land-workers cottage would have looked in the mid-19th Century.

It is one of the NT’s smallest properties and is a popular and unique attraction. However, recently NT staff discovered cracks caused by subsidence and investigatory work has been undertaken. It was considered safe to remain open while an engineers’ report was prepared. It is thought that underpinning is required.

It was due to be open on Thursdays and on Heritage Days later this month, with free entry and no booking required. It was hoped that more volunteers would be recruited to enable the cottage to remain open to booked visitors into October, so it is disappointing that it has been closed at short notice. The NT states the closure is because of “emergency works”.

Hambledon Parish Council and villagers involved in volunteering will be seeking further information and reassurances concerning its future from the National Trust.

For more information please visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/oakhurst-cottage

A lorry – possibly taking a diversion due to the road closure referred to in the previous news item – has caused extensive damage as it passed through the village this lunchtime (Tues Sept 6th), ripping down phone lines and tree branches and leaving a trail of debris behind.

The lorry photographed below was seen driving through the village at this time and a resident caught it on camera, apparently colliding with branches and overhead cables.

Hambledon’s Ward county councillor Kevin Deanus has sent the following to the village community Facebook board relating to the current road closure at Lane End to allow for emergency water main repairs.

Kevin regularly updates us with pre-planned road works and, when notified, of emergency works as well. The Facebook link to the community board can be found on this website and it is worth checking in with it for latest news concerning our village.

Thank you to Kevin, and his posting is repeated here:

There is special service taking place at Hambledon Church this coming Sunday evening (4^th September) at 6pm.  “Hymns and Pimm’s” is a little like Songs of Praise, but with the added incentive of a glass of Pimm’s before it all starts!  On arrival, the congregation get to nominate their favourite hymn – then enjoy the (free) Pimm’s and sit down and listen out to see if your personal favourite hymn makes the shortlist to be sung during the service.  The Pimm’s will start flowing at 6pm on Sunday with the service starting soon after; further details can be found on the attached flyer.  All welcome, this service is for everyone whether you’re a regular at church or not – just come along and enjoy singing some of the best-loved hymns you’ll remember from your childhood. 

Please note Hymns and Pimm’s replaces the 10am Morning Service on 4th September.  The single morning service at 10am resumes 11 Sep – less the Pimm’s, but with tea and coffee after.  Messy Church in the Village Hall is back on 18 Sep at 4pm.

A few tickets are still available for the Hambledon Village Shop BBQ on Saturday (starting at 4:30pm) (more details can be found by clicking here). Tickets can be purchased in person at the Shop or online at hambledonfestival.co.uk.

The Village Show is also taking place on Saturday (more details here), the organisers of the Village Show have now decided there will be no charge for items put in the Village Show this year (so please ignore the 20p per item set out in the Class List).

Despite the very dry Summer the Village Show will go ahead on 27 August as planned. No doubt some categories will be thin or non-existent, but do come along with what you have got. Entries from 9.30 to 11.30 on the morning as usual.

More information about the show can be found here: hambledonvillageshow.co.uk

The Hambledon Village Shop BBQ will take place on Saturday 27th August, from 4:30pm – 7:30pm at the shop.

Included in the ticket price for both adults (£12.50) & children (£5 for under 16s) are …
 
Your choice of burger: Beef or Halloumi or Vegan (with or without a bun)
PLUS a sausage (with or without a bun)
PLUS any/all toppings (cheese, onions, rocket)
PLUS any/all salads (Potato, Bean, Greek with vegan versions available)
PLUS any/all sauces (ketchup, brown, mustard, sweet chilli)
PLUS your choice of ice-cream (e.g. Magnum, Cornetto etc.) 
 
As well as the food, there will be live music and licensed bars. Tickets for the BBQ can be purchased by clicking here.

Bring deck chairs, picnic blankets and water bottles (free safe drinking water is available from the outside tap).

Hambledon CC will host a special cricket match against Witley CC on Sunday, in honour of well-known local, Jack Pusey.

Hambledon CC committee member Andy Abbott:

Jack passed away on 14 June and his funeral was held on 28 July. He epitomised club cricket and was a genuine legend in the local area. He was involved in the game for years, with a talent and passion that clearly rubbed off on his grandchildren, each of whom have played with distinction for Hambledon and Witley. He kept wicket – fairly tidily by all accounts – well into his 70s. He was a regular umpire at Hambledon and Witley. In fact, just the week before he died, he umpired an 85 over league match. Many in Hambledon will recall him sitting on what was arguably ‘his’ bench outside Stephen Dean’s house watching us play on a Sunday afternoon. 

 It is only fitting that Hambledon and Witley should mark Jack’s life with a celebration. The game will start at 12.30 with a mix of players from both clubs. Jack’s grandsons, Chase and Wes, will each captain a side. There will be a bbq and a bar for spectators with proceeds to be split between the clubs. If you are able to come down and offer your support please register your interest here  so we can manage the catering

This year the shop is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a village-owned and volunteer-run enterprise. A very special 22-page souvenir brochure has been compiled, packed with full-colour photos detailing the history of the shop since 1908 and the story of how the shop came into community-ownership.

It’ll be on sale in the shop from Monday 22nd August at £3.

A special thank you to Jane Woolley for all her hard work on this project.

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.

Contrary to as reported in this month’s Parish Magazine, Hambledon Village Ball 2024 is not sold out. An innocent mistake by the festival webbers led to a misunderstanding. The date is set, Saturday 22nd June 2024, but tables aren’t available yet, they will be available to reserve sometime in winter 2023.

In the meantime, tickets can be booked for the Hambledon Village Shop BBQ on Saturday 27th August. This summer’s BBQ is special as it’s a celebration of 30 years of the shop being community owned and run. 

Tickets can be purchased here: https://hambledonfestival.co.uk

Hydestile Resident Animals were called out on Wednesday evening to help rescue an injured deer at the junction of the A283 (Petworth Road) and Lane End. Unfortunately the animal had to be put down.

Based on the injured deer’s condition it is highly likely that there is a fawn somewhere in the local vicinity. Please keep a look out and if you see any sign of the fawn please contact Graham or Lyn at Hydestile Resident Animals on 01483 860313.