Latest News

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Dunsfold Park Exhibition

Exhibition at Unit 217 Dunsfold Park

Dunsfold Park’s Garden Village Masterplan is being formed and the developers have staged an exhibition as part of their consultation process.  You are most welcome to visit. 

The exhibition runs on the 13th and 14th November at Business Unit 217 on the Dunsfold Business Park site, and moves on to Cranleigh Arts Centre ( Friday 15th ), Godalming Borough Hall ( Saturday 16th ) and then back at Unit 217 on the 17th and 18th. 

The developer’s team will be on hand for questions and answers on the design ideas, energy efficiencies, communal areas, support facilities, and the first stage – the new access road.   You can also ask them to explain how “encouraging” sustainable travel is meant to work.

The extensive detail of the exhibition display is replicated in their Masterplan brochure. (click to view)

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New Wildlife Project- please get involved!

The charity Butterfly Conservation have set up a 3 year project in your area to help one of the rarest butterflies in the UK.  The Wood White Leptidea sinapsis has just one remaining population in the South East, and this is found in a few locations around Chiddingfold, Dunsfold, Plaistow, Grayswood and Northchapel.  We will be working with Forestry England, the Woodland Trust, National Trust, Sussex Wildlife Trust and parish councils on sites in the area to create more suitable habitat for the butterfly and link up isolated small colonies.  If we manage to create enough ‘stepping stones’ of Wood White habitat in the landscape, we hope that small colonies can link up, start to spread and become less genetically isolated from each other.

Wood White on Ragged Robin – K. Warmington
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Training offered in Hambledon for use of life-saving defibrillators

Training in the use of defibrillators (AEDs) is being offered to residents following the installation of one inside the former telephone kiosk at the Hydestile Crossroads.

This takes the number of defibrillators in the village area to five; outside the village shop, on the exterior wall of the Merry Harriers, at St Peter’s Church, at Hambledon Football Club’s ground at Badger Park, and now at Hydestile.

Alison Martin, a Busbridge Parish councillor who helped arrange for the AED (automated external defibrillator) to be installed in the traditional red kiosk – which has also undergone renovation in the process – has arranged for a training session to be held in the meeting room at St Peter’s Church, Church Lane, Hambledon, on Saturday September 28th.

The training will be given by an expert from the London-based Barts City Life Saver organisation, a charity that teaches life saving skills and originated from St Bartholomew’s Hospital. The session begins at 11am with basic life saving training, then AED training at 2pm followed by baby and child resuscitation at 3pm. Participants can opt to attend the whole session, or part.

AED’s are used on people suffering from sudden cardiac arrest and, along with Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, can greatly increase survival rates.

Training will be free to the Hydestile volunteers on the Busbridge Parish Council-sponsored rota, but to all others there will be a nominal cost of £20 per person to cover the costs of the trainer travelling to and from London and a donation to the charity’s work.

Anyone in the village can register to attend. Please contact Alison Martin at email [email protected] or by phone on 01483 893619.

If you would like to know more about the work of the charity please visit www.bartscitylifesaver.org

 

 

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New chairs for the Village Hall – 15 still available for sponsorship

The Village Hall Committee had a very successful day at the fete on Saturday 23 June. Thank you to everyone who came to our stall and to those who generously sponsored a chair.

We have now reached the fantastic total of thirty five on our ‘chairometer’ shown here alongside Ruth Canham and Paul Vacher from the Village Hall Committee.  This leaves just fifteen to reach our goal of fifty new chairs.

If you would like to sponsor a chair for £50 then please contact Ruth Canham on 01428 685 729 or [email protected]. You can pay by cash, cheque (payable to Hambledon Village Hall) or bank transfer.

If we get to the happy situation of having more than fifty sponsors, we will use the money to start recovering our existing chairs to match the new ones; fifty pounds will pay to have two chairs recovered.

Thank you very much for your support.

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Volunteers needed for Oakhurst Cottage

Oakhurst Cottage – National Trust

We are currently recruiting for Oakhurst Cottage guides to join our friendly team of volunteers. Help us to tell the story of this historic cottage and give engaging tours to visitors from all over the world. This is a brilliant opportunity to make friends and learn all about a cottage with a history spanning over 400 years. We’re open to the public on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons between April and October and we ask that you are available at least once a fortnight to lend a hand. Applications are now open  and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via [email protected]/

Telephone 01483 208936

 

 

 

 

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NEW TEACHER REQUIRED AS ROSEMARY KILEY PREPARES TO RETIRE AFTER 27 YEARS

Hambledon Nursery School is looking for a new teacher following the decision by Rosemary Kiley to retire after 27 years.

Rosemary joined the school in January 1991, just after her own children finished at the nursery. She is a popular and respected member of staff. Head teacher Nicola Collett said Rosemary would be much missed when she leaves at the end of term.

In the meantime, she is seeking a new nursery practitioner to work four morning a week. Anyone who would like to apply should contact her at the school on 01428 684892 or by email on [email protected].

The nursery, at Rock Hill, Hambledon, occupies the buildings of the former Hambledon Church of England state primary which, like many small rural schools, closed in the 1980s. Residents were determined that it should remain a place of learning at the heart of the community and a campaign led to the acquisition of the Victorian schoolhouse and playground at Rock Hill.

It reopened as a nursery for children aged two to five and has gone on to be adjudged “outstanding” by the government’s inspection body Ofsted.

The nursery had not long been in business when Rosemary joined the teaching staff and she recalls that in those early days the admissions list was recorded on a piece of cardboard. With a small but dedicated teaching staff, a school secretary, and overseen by a locally-appointed Board of Trustees, it has gone from strength-to-strength and is sought after by parents from the village and further afield.

Nicola said: “A happy working environment is reflected in the longevity of service of Rosemary and, indeed, other nursery practitioners”.

In retirement Rosemary (pictured) plans to focus on her flower arranging and will be holding a small sale of her creations at the nursery school on Saturday December 9 at 10am. Recently she supplied arrangements for the current BBC television adaptation of the E.M Forster novel Howards End, much of which has been filmed in Hambledon.

Anyone interested in the new teaching position can find out more about the school by looking at

www.hambledonnurseryschool.co.uk

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Merry Harriers – Hellos and Goodbyes

The Merry Harriers is undergoing refurbishment under its new ownership, beginning with a striking new sandy-coloured forecourt surface already labelled by locals as “the beach”.

International businessman and entrepreneur Peter de Savary and his family acquired the pub a month ago from previous owners Colin and Julie Stoneley. Regulars at the 16th Century freehouse said a fond farewell to Colin and Julie, who ran the pub for nine years, taking over from the Beasley family, who had been in residence for the previous 40.

 

In a Facebook posting as they prepared to depart the Stoneleys wrote: “We hand over the Merry Harriers to the next “caretakers”. It has been an absolute pleasure to be a part of its 427 year history and to have worked with, met and served so many fabulous people. Thank you for your support…and keep supporting your village pub for many years to come.”

Their final weekend on May 20th and 21st was celebrated with live bands and the Stoneleys said that they were proud of the variety and quality of the music sessions staged during their time at the helm.

Colin and Julie Stoneley

The de Savary family, who recently moved into the area, have ambitious plans for the Harriers and Peter de Savary is expected to attend a forthcoming meeting of the parish council to outline his proposals. In the meantime a great deal of work has been undertaken, including the new surface, a sprucing up of paintwork and signs, new benches, landscaping and kitchen equipment.

 

 

 

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Orchard Farm Planning Application Refused

Waverley Borough councillors have rejected a planning application to build 17 houses – 12 of them designated as “affordable” – at Orchard Farm, Hambledon.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the council’s Central Area Planning Committee on Wednesday evening (May 17).

The application had been submitted by the English Rural Housing Association (ERHA) which had proposed a mixed development of 12 affordable homes, together with five market-price properties to help finance the project.

This followed ERHA’s purchase of the nine-acre Orchard Farm site between Wormley Lane and Petworth Road, Hambledon, in 2014.
Orchard Farm name

Hambledon Parish Council has a long-standing commitment to provide more affordable housing for local people. However, the proposed development, on land within the Green Belt and the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty raised many issues. Drainage and its proximity to Listed Lutyens buildings were among other concerns.

The parish council initiated widespread consultation including public meetings. Although there was general support from the wider village there were many concerns expressed by those living close to the site.

The decision on whether to approve or reject the application is the responsibility of the local planning authority, Waverley Borough Council. Its officers had recommended approval of the scheme, subject to a raft of conditions.

However, after listening to officers and several other presentations, councillors decided overwhelmingly to reject the recommendation. They resolved that permission be refused for the following reasons, as published on the Waverley council website:

  1. No very special circumstances exist to outweigh the harm to the Green Belt, contrary to Policy C1 of the Waverley Borough Local Plan.
  1. No very special circumstances exist to outweigh the harm to the AONB, contrary to Policy C3 of the Waverley Borough Local Plan.
  1. The less than substantial harm to the setting of the Grade I Listed Building is not outweighed by public benefits. Therefore the proposal would conflict with Policy HE3 of the Waverley Borough Local Plan, and guidance contained in the NPPF.
  1. The applicant has failed to enter into a legal agreement to secure the provision of affordable housing within the meaning of the NPPF, appropriate to meet Waverley Borough Council’s housing need. The proposal would therefore fail to create a sustainable, inclusive and mixed community, contrary to the requirements of paragraph 50 of the NPPF. The applicant has also failed to enter into a s.278 agreement.

 

 

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DomFest at St Dominic’s – Saturday, 1st July 2017, 12 noon til 6.00pm

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Our bi-annual summer event, DomFest, is fast approaching and the planning is underway to ensure it is a great success!

We are pleased to announce that we will again this year be supported by The Music Works (http://themusicworks.co/), so in addition to the usual summer fete and fun activities we will again be providing an afternoon of live music to suit all tastes, from opera to choral, pop and rock and everything in between. We will also be running music workshops.

There will be a beer tent, PIMMS tent, BBQ, cream teas, ice creams and other refreshments available all afternoon.

Many of you ask how you can help us and support our wonderful school; and involvement in DomFest is one way that you can actively help and support us. Please buy a ticket or volunteer to organise or help with an activity and encourage family and friends to join you for an enjoyable and worthwhile afternoon of music and family fun.

We will shortly be posting information on how to obtain tickets.

Hopefully everyone who came to DomFest 2015 will remember what a fantastic afternoon it was and will spread the word to others and come again this year.

All proceeds from DomFest 2017 will go towards equipment for our new Performing Arts Centre, so please come and support the school and make this an even bigger and better event that the last one.

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Hambledon Cricket Club’s youngsters to act as Mascots at the ‘World Cup’ Final!

Screen Shot 2017-05-02 at 15.28.14I am delighted to announce that our village cricket club has been asked to play a starring role in one of the biggest international cricket matches of the entire Summer. This is a very big day for the club, and one of which the whole village can be proud.

You have probably all enjoyed seeing our village youngsters cavorting about the cricket green on a Saturday morning, some of them as young as 6 years old! It is surely one of the happiest sights of the whole Summer. Well, suddenly these youngsters have come of age. On June 18th, at the Oval, 30 of our young cricketers will walk out arm-in-arm with 22 of the world’s best international players, as the teams and umpires take to the hallowed turf to commence battle in the ICC Champions Trophy final. A far cry from the village green indeed!

The International Cricket (ICC) Champions trophy is, in effect, a kind of mini world cup. The worlds best teams such as England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies and India will all be competing for a place in the final match and our lucky 30 will be acting as mascots and flag-bearers during the pre-match announcements and the playing of the National Anthems.

The youngsters will also be on the pitch during the tea break, demonstrating their cricketing skills in front of a sell out crowd of maybe 25,000. And a worldwide audience of many millions will be watching them on the television!

We feel very privileged to have been selected as the lead club for this event and we are very grateful to Surrey CCC and the International Cricket Comittee for offering us this opportunity.

The important thing to note is that we were selected, in the words of the competition’s organizers, as a tribute to all the hard work that has been done by club members and villagers, at the very grass roots level, to keep Hambledon CC operating at its current level and making us ready to receive our safeguarding certificate (known as ‘Clubmark’).

For this I really feel that we should put forward the names of Arthur Blackman and Tony Strudwick for our very special thanks. They have both devoted years of their lives to the club, and to the village… As a former player, I can state that were it not for the efforts of these two gentlemen, the club would be a very different place..and Hambledon’s young cricketers would never have been given this chance to experience a day that they will surely remember for the rest of their lives. Thank you Arthur, thank you Tony, from all of us.

Let’s pray for good weather on June 18th.

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Trustee Wanted For Hambledon Nursery School

Notice from the Trustees of Hambledon Nursery School

Hambledon Nursery School is an Outstanding-rated nursery school in the village. We are seeking a replacement for one of our Trustees who, due to other commitments, is planning to stand down.

Trustees are drawn from different areas of village life, and in this instance we are seeking one to fulfil the role of “village trustee”; someone living in or near the village, who is passionate about the success of the school, and its part in the village community.

Board members need to be able to commit to 6 evening meetings a year, where they bring their own experience and judgement to educational and management issues. They may in addition like to attend other nursery highlights – nativity/leaver’s service/‘fun’ events and so on.

If you would be interested, please would you let Stephanie Campbell (School Secretary) know at [email protected], and we will arrange the appropriate further conversations.

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Hambledon’s 503 bus reprieved

Hambledon’s only bus service, the 503, is set to be reprieved by Surrey County Council, reversing a decision to scrap the route as a cost-cutting measure.

This is a victory for the campaign mounted by Hambledon Parish Council and local residents to save the service.

Following the SCC Local Transport Review earlier this year, aimed at finding savings on council-subsidised rural routes, the 503 was one of a number of services to be scrapped, subject to public consultation.

The parish council vociferously opposed the proposal and many villagers raised objections during the consultation process.  SCC has listened, and at a meeting of its Cabinet on May 24th, members are expected to endorse the review team’s recommendation that the 503 continue.

The parish council argued that it was wrong to withdraw the only bus route serving the village, leaving residents without any public transport. The 503 is a lifeline for a number of elderly or infirm residents who rely on the bus to get to shops, supermarkets, banks and surgeries in Milford, Godalming and beyond.

village bus

Agenda documents for the May 24th meeting, available on the Surrey County Council website, state that the council recognises “the important role that bus services play for our residents”, adding: “To address some of the concerns expressed during the public consultation exercise it has proven possible to recommend some enhancements to the original proposals.”

These include reversing the decision to scrap the 503. The 523 Milford hospital service from Godalming has also been reprieved.

Currently the 503 operates on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, twice in each direction, beginning and ending at Lane End. The recommendation is for the service to continue on at least Wednesdays and Fridays and possibly on another day to be determined.

The parish council has asked to meet with SCC planners to discuss ways of increasing passenger numbers, perhaps re-routing the service to take in new areas of development. In the documents the council states that it is “working to stimulate patronage on bus services and reduce the need for council funding.”

The 503 is operated by Stagecoach but subsidised by Surrey County Council. The transport review examined services across the county. Faced with cuts in Central Government funding, SCC is looking save £2 million on its transport budget by next year.

The recommendation to be voted on on May 24th will enable SCC to achieve the required savings needed from the review, documents state.