Village residents joined with many others from across the Godalming, Busbridge and Hambledon Minster to say farewell to its rector, Rev Simon Taylor, as he and his family leave after almost 15 years.

At a packed service at Godalming Minster on Sunday (Jan 5^th), Simon spoke with great fondness of his time serving the local church community, while others spoke of his achievements and challenges. He was given a big round of applause, and cakes, coffees and sparkling wine were served. Among other pieces of music, the Minster Choir gave a rendition of Handel’s Zadok the Priest.

This winter, Hambledon has already experienced disruptive weather, and more is forecast.

Tomorrow (Saturday January 4th), a brief period of heavy snow is predicted for the late afternoon and evening, followed by heavy rain.

It is worth remembering that Hambledon Parish Council has an Emergency Plan in place in the event of severe disruption or health risk and details of this follow.

If you need help, other than that of the Emergency Services, please contact Stewart Payne, chair of the council and he and other volunteers will do their best to lend a hand where needed. Contact details are at the end of this article.

• Despite the problems snow can bring, it also creates beauty, as this photo of Church Lane taken in January 2010 shows.

Hambledon Parish Council has an Emergency Plan procedure in place in the event of harsh winter weather bringing disruption to the village.

However, there are many simple precautions villagers can take to make sure they can cope with cuts to power supplies and phone lines, a problem that has affected Hambledon in the recent past and usually caused by high winds or heavy snow.

(three letter acronyms)

Back in the summer three organisations – two from the village and one Surrey wide – got together to agree how to manage donations for the Hambledon Shop Roof Appeal in the most financially beneficial way.  This article also appears in the December edition of the Parish Magazine and provides a summary. 

HVT + HCF + CFS reach MOU for HVS roof appeal, as Debbie Calverley, chair of HCF (and TLA expert!) explains

A public consultation on the the first draft of Surrey County Council’s Rights of Way Improvement Plan has been published. Surrey County Council would love to hear from you. Back in February 2024, Surrey County Council first asked for input to the plan. The plan helps shape the way local highway authorities identify how to make the rights of way network more useful to the public and gives a strategic approach to managing public access. Many residents took part in the initial survey which will have been used to inform this new plan.

As listed on the Rights of Way website the plan is required to:

• Refer to other relevant plans and strategies that may affect use of the network, including structure plans; local plans; healthy living; leisure; tourism; transport and community strategies
• Assess where the existing rights of way network is considered to be deficient and where it could be changed to better reflect current needs
• Assess the extent to which the rights of way network is accessible to blind and partially sighted people and those with mobility problems
• Indicate how any identified deficiencies could be remedied

The first draft of the plan can be found here. Surrey County Council have asked for feedback via a survey which is available until Sunday 9th February 2025, so there is plenty of time to consider it:

Rights of Way Improvement Plan Statutory Consultation – Surrey County Council – Citizen Space

More information can be found on the main website here.

After many years of campaigning, the whole of Hambledon village is now within an HGV exclusion zone. This means that a driver/owner of a lorry over 7.5 t weight is breaking the law if it enters the zone, unless on a local delivery or operating from a base within the zone.

Emergency and public services vehicles are exempted.

The ban replaces the previous advisory notification, a blue sign largely ignored that simply stated a road was unsuitable for HGVs. Now, all roads at the entrance of the zone have signs with a red diagonal line.

Hambledon resident Paul Osborne, Surrey County Councillor Kevin Deanus and Hambledon Parish Council pressed for a ban repeatedly over the past few years. The exclusion zone required careful consideration to ensure that, in banning HGVs from Hambledon’s narrow lanes, other nearby villages were not blighted. There also had to be a public consultation.

The result is one of the largest HGV exclusion zones in the country and covers not just Hambledon but all adjacent parishes. First time offenders will receive an official warning but repeat offenders can be fined or prosecuted.

Many in Hambledon were greatly saddened to hear of the death of one of the village’s most popular and respected residents, Norman Gravestock.

Norman, who was still very much involved in community activities until well into his nineties, died a few weeks ago and his family have asked for his funeral details to be made public.

The service will take place at St Peter’s Church at 11am on Monday 9th of December.

Norman will be remembered fondly, especially for his involvement with Oakhurst National Trust cottage and for his knowledge of all things Hambledon, brought to life with his presentations at the village hall. He remained active until the last, taking part in the weekly Bridge nights at the Merry Harriers until the week of his death.

Hambledon Cricket Club are hosting their annual dinner on Saturday 26th October at Hambledon Village Hall.

ALL are welcome – there will be live music, plenty of food and drink, as well as a raffle/auction to raise funds for the club. 

It would be fantastic to see as many villagers there as possible to support the club and the village, even for one drink and a dance!  

Tickets are £30 for adults, £15 for juniors (U14). Check out the link below for more details and to book your tickets now!

https://www.hambledonsurreycc.co.uk/end-of-season-spectacular-saturday-26th-october-2025-hambledon-village-hall

Twenty years ago, the Hambledon Village Trust purchased the shop and the attached Pendle Cottage. This was shortly after the shop had re-opened as a community venture; and the purchase has assured its long-term future.

The 18th century building is now in urgent need of a new roof. Tiles have been falling off, beams need to be strengthened, there is no underlay and what insulation there is has worn thin. The flat roof over the shop frontage, the deli roof and the garage roof also require attention. It is estimated that the work involved will cost in the region of £100,000. This sum is way beyond the financial means of the Trust. Its only income is from the rents charged to the shop and the cottage tenant.

A fund-raising appeal for the roof replacement was launched at the Village Fete in June, asking for donations to be made to a special ring-fenced fund that has been established, via the Hambledon Community Fund, within the Community Foundation for Surrey.

As the Hambledon Festival Committee announces a record amount raised for good causes over this year’s fete and ball weekend, it is timely to remember a very special village resident who helped start it all.

Many will have been deeply saddened to hear of the death of Sue Blackman who, along with husband Arthur (Ginge), has done so much for the benefit our village and its many activities. Her funeral service will be at St Peter’s Church next Tuesday (Sept 10^th) at 2pm.

It was Sue and Ginge who, in 2006, came up with the idea of making greater use of the fete marquee by organising the first-ever Hambledon Gala Ball, to take place in the evening once the biennial fete had been packed away.

Don’t forget it’s the annual Hambledon Village Show this Saturday 31st August.

On the day of the Show, please drop off entries from 9.30am-11.30am at the Village Hall. It is FREE to enter your items! At 11.30am the Hall Closes for judging. After judging, the Show will be open to all from 2.00pm-4.30pm. Best in Show and the Underwood Cup is announced at 4.00pm. Then it’s on to the Village Shop BBQ….

The full category list is as follows:

Section 1: Flowers

1.   1 Flowered rose, with own foliage

2.   3 flowered roses, of different varieties

3. 3 dahlias, medium or small, any type

4.   1 Sunflower

5. 3 stems Marigolds, any type

6.   6 stems Sweet Pea

7.   3 stems of any type of flower not mentioned in this section.

8.   3 stems of any type of berrying or flowering shrub, any variety

9.   6 Fuchsia Floret, of the same variety (a mirror tile will be provided to display your florets)

10.   6 Flower Heads of the same variety floating on water (provide your own bowl/dish)

11.   5 stems of Grasses or Sedges, of different varieties

Hambledon’s scheduled bus service comes to an end this Friday, with the final departure leaving Lane End at 9.15am. It will then take its route through the village – with stops at the hall, Woodlands Road, the Merry Harriers and Hydestile Crossroads – for the very last time.

It brings to end a service which, in various forms, has been in operation since before the Second World War. It will be replaced by an on-demand service beginning next Monday (Sept 2).

Up until the late 1970s the service was a mainstay for workers, shoppers and schoolchildren, an often-crowded bus travelling through the village eight times a day in each direction.

The axing of the 503 also brings to end a long campaign by Hambledon Parish Council to keep the route going. In recent years the service, operated by Stagecoach but heavily subsidised by Surrey County Council, was much reduced in frequency, just three times a week, twice in each direction. However, it was still used by villagers who didn’t drive or who had given up driving.