All Hambledon residents are welcome to attend our AGM at the Village Hall this evening, Thursday, February 24th at 7.30pm

The Village Hall Committee are very pleased to announce the long-awaited return of the Village Quiz!

It’s on Saturday, November 27th, 7.30 for 8pm.

Due to Covid restrictions we aren’t providing a meal this year so do bring your own snacks. 
Cash bar and raffle available as always!

To enable distancing between tables we are selling much fewer tickets than usual. Tickets always sell out quickly so we expect them to be gone even more quickly than usual this year.

Tickets £8 from the Village Shop while they last!
Maximum team size 6.

The Village Hall is very pleased, once again, to be hosting the fantastic Black Box Theatre Company – this time bringing us Mike Leigh’s iconic 1970’s comedy, Abigail’s Party.

The performance is on Saturday, November 13th at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at the Village Shop and at ticketsource.co.uk (£14 for adults, £11.50 concessions and £40 for a family of four).

This is the first performance at the Hall since the start of the pandemic and, in order to maintain social distancing, we will be selling a reduced number of tickets so please do buy yours early to avoid missing out!

Please get in touch with Ruth Canham at [email protected] for information on Covid-safety at the hall.

Age 12 years and above

The last easing of lockdown restrictions in April, when pub gardens opened for customers, was greeted by unseasonably late snow.

The further lifting last week was heralded by periods of heavy rain which continued all week – “April showers” in mid-May  – so we can be grateful that we can now venture inside pubs, cafes and restaurants in groups of six or as two households, or meet inside other people’s homes in similar numbers.

At least the bluebells in and around the village have been splendid, and our photograph is taken near The Tolt on the edge of Hydon Ball

Last Monday’s easing of Covid-19 pandemic measures also saw the reopening of indoor entertainment such as museums, cinemas, theatres and concert halls, sports venues, hotels and guest houses, exercise classes and play areas.

We must still wait to see if the Government’s planned lifting of all social distancing measures can go ahead on June 21^st amid concern at the current rise in the Indian variant of the Covid virus in parts of north west England.

But it is to be hoped that summer will bring a welcome return to normality and here the Hambledon Village Website considers what we can look forward to locally, including a summer fete on the green and a Rejoice the Voice Music Festival.

But first we look back on the loss of a village stalwart, Judy Leeper, who was held in great affection by many Hambledon residents and will be especially remembered for her long-term involvement in the village shop, as a former chair of its committee and as a regular volunteer.

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Hambledon moved into the next phase of lockdown easing today – but who expected the day to dawn with snow showers!

On a day when people could sit outside in a pub garden for the first time in three months, the occasion was greeted by unseasonably cold and wintry weather.

This was the view across the fields looking towards the village from Hydestile at 8am this morning.

But the weather soon perked up and, although remaining chilly, the village shop was able to welcome back customers to its outside seating where they could enjoy drinks and food from the delicatessen counter.

The Village Hall Committee are holding their Annual General Meeting on Thursday, February 11th at 7.30pm.

Due to Covid restrictions, the meeting will not be at the hall but will be held remotely, via Zoom. All Hambledon residents are very welcome to attend. This is a change to the information given in February’s Parish Magazine article.

If you would like to attend the Zoom, please email Paul Vacher, the hall secretary, at [email protected] and you will be sent the link to the Zoom meeting and the agenda.

We look forward to seeing you on the 11th.

Every year in January, ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) who support and advise village halls, celebrate Village Halls’ Week.

This year they have invited village halls all over the country to sign their ‘Domesday Book’ by adding a photo of their hall and giving a little bit of history and telling people how they have been managing over the past year.

If you would like to see the entry for Hambledon and read about other villages’ halls then please click on the link below.

village-halls-domesday-book-2021

As the hall is currently closed we can’t, of course, hold any celebration for Village Halls’ Week this year but hope to be able to next year which will also be the hall’s 120th anniversary.

Hambledon Nursery School has met and resolved a host of challenges as it remains open during the latest lock-down to provide early-learning to local children, in accordance with Government policy.

With junior and senior schools all shut, head teacher Kate Walford and her team, assisted by the Trustees, have had to deal with a range of issues in recent months including anxiety among staff and parents, several cases of Covid-19, and the difficulties posed by teachers having to cope with providing home-schooling for their own children.

The school has had to close one of its two classroom, but continues to provide a safe and happy environment for those youngsters still in attendance.

The Trustees, the Parish Council, the Church and parents have each expressed their heartfelt appreciation to Kate and her colleagues for keeping going in such difficult times.

Here Kate provides the village with her latest report.

The start to 2021 is one where the phrase ‘things can only get better’ springs to mind.

We are all aware that the new year brought with it further challenges as we weather the storm which comes with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

For Hambledon nursery school this signified an uncertain start to the spring term as the third national lockdown was declared. We have had to close our provision for the 2-3 year olds due to staff shortages at this very difficult time. However, we hope this closure will be short lived and that we will reopen the room for this age group after the February half term.

Adjusting to life in a lockdown can be very difficult and the cause of much anxiety.

I have heard it said that although we are all in the same storm, we do not all nave the same tools to ride the storm out. Some are fortunate to have access to strong boats with sturdy sails, others have but flimsy canoes to try to keep themselves afloat.

We find that at the nursery, though we may feel adrift in this storm, we are once again lucky enough to work in an environment that is an island of calm in the storm. Here the important business of play, joy, laughter and learning through having fun continues as it should and brings those of us fortunate to work here much hope for the future.

I think that spreading a little of that hope and joy within the community of Hambledon is most important. The nativity trail in December 2020 which ran into early January 2021 was met with many happy responses. The nursery received some wonderful feedback about the children’s many different crafts which represented different elements to the nativity story and how they had brought much enjoyment to those who walked past.

Following the success of this trail we certainly hope to make more in the future. At the end of this spring term our usual Easter service will perhaps not be possible and so I would hope once again to make an Easter trail to spread the message of hope and of new life that comes with that time of year.

I firmly believe by that stage we shall have many more reasons to be positive and hopeful in the form of the expanding vaccination programme, reduced rates of infection and the very gradual but very tangible return to normality for us all.

Those who read the parish magazine will already know that the Village Hall Committee have been planning on replacing all the existing single-glazed windows at the hall with double glazed ones.

This is in order to reduce heat loss to make the hall warmer, less damp and reduce our carbon footprint. We hope that it will also mean a reduction in heating expenses.

We have looked at various options and have decided that replacing them with wood-effect UPVC is best. The main consideration is the reduction in the need for upkeep in the future with UPVC. Wooden windows need repainting every few years and the committee feels that it is important to reduce annual costs as much as possible now and for future committees and Hambledon residents.

The windows will be in the same style as they currently are, which is casement for the entrance hall, store rooms and toilets and sash windows for the main hall. The kitchen window has already been replaced with UVPC and we are very pleased with that. It is now draught-free and looks almost the same as the original.

We are in the process of applying for a grant for the cost of the work.

Please note that the village hall is now closed to all groups and bookings until further notice.

We hope that it is not too long before we can welcome you all back.

With best wishes from the Village Hall Committee.

Don’t forget to get your tickets for Hambledon Film Night’s showing of Downton Abbey, this Saturday, Feb 29th at the Village Hall.

Those who have already seen it say that it is just as enjoyable for people who have never seen the TV series as it is for those who have watched every episode. What better way to spend a rainy February evening than meeting up with friends over a drink and watching a great film!

Tickets are £5  from the village shop. Doors open at 7.30 and the film starts at 8pm.

Licenced bar, tea, coffee and cake all avaliable.

Tickets for our showing of ‘Yesterday’ will be avaliable on the door tonight at £5 each. Doors and licenced bar open at 7.30 with film beginning at 8pm.

We have the very exciting news that from January 2020 a Cub Scout pack will be meeting in the Village Hall every Friday evening during term time.

Busbridge and Godalming Cubs have been very oversubscribed for a while and are now pleased to be starting a new pack in Hambledon. Whilst a lot of places will be taken up with children from their existing waiting list, there are currently still places available. It is open to girls and boys aged from seven and a half to ten years old.

This is fantastic news for a village without a school where opportunities for children to get together are, naturally, limited. Of course Cubs and Brownies did used to meet regularly at the village hall and there are ex Cubs and Brownies amongst us. However, no one  seems to know exactly how long it is since Cubs have met at the Hall  so we would be very grateful to hear from anyone who knows!

For all enquiries and to put younger children on the waiting list, please email Busbridge Scouts here.

Accused of a murder he didn’t commit, Richard Hannay is on the run. Following clues left to him in a little black book by a mysterious American gentleman, he must uncover the secrets of the 39 Steps, prove his innocence and save Britain from the forces of evil!!

And, if there weren’t enough twists in the tale, BlackBox present this story of daring do as a live radio drama.

It’s November 1962 and with just ten minutes to go before the show is broadcast live to the nation, half the cast haven’t turned up, there’s no one to do the sound effects and they’ve just run out of Bourbon biscuits!! What could possibly go wrong?

The 39 Steps : A Live Radio Drama is an irreverent and affectionate take on one of our best loved stories. Full of thrills and spills, it’ll keep you on the edge of your seats and crying with laughter.

Tickets £12.50 (£10 concessions) from the Village Shop

Doors open 7pm, performance starts 7.30. Licenced bar available.