With no new Covid restrictions added – but with the variant still prevalent- Hambledonians will celebrate the arrival of 2022 with caution, but surely with optimism that the New Year will be better then the last.

Many will no doubt celebrate quietly at home or visit friends and neighbours. Others will meet at the Merry Harriers to see in the New Year where measures are in place to ensure that the evening can be enjoyed outside in the garden as well as inside.

Villagers have loaned fire pits and gazebos following an appeal from manager Mikey Coleman. These will supplement the pub’s own fire pits and marquee to add to the party atmosphere and to ensure that all may celebrate safely.

A small bar is being set up in the rear garden and a band will play by the doors leading from the dining area to the rear patio, so that music can be heard outside as well as in.

The garden is large, so there is plenty of space, and masks should be worn when entering the pub.

Our picture shows manager Mikey Coleman and Richard Payne taking a tea break from setting up.

The pub is open all evening until beyond midnight. The forecast is for a dry and mild night.

However and wherever you celebrate, we wish you all a Happy New Year.

The Christmas Eve Crib service at St Peter’s takes place today, outside in the church yard, at 4pm.

This reminder is to correct an error in yesterday’s news item, which erroneously stated it was to be held on New Year’s Eve.  Sorry about that, and the article has been corrected.

And to recap, the Midnight Communion service at Hambledon tonight has been cancelled but all are welcome to celebrate Christmas Day at the 10am service at St Peter’s tomorrow, which will be held outside. For full details on village activities over the Festive season please see the previous new item.

For the second year running Hambledon, as elsewhere, is facing a disrupted Christmas as a result of Covid-related restrictions. Nevertheless, our little village will do its best, and there is no reason not to wish everyone a Happy Christmas on behalf of the village website team.

Sadly, as you may have read in the previous post, the Church has made the difficult decision to cancel the traditional Christmas Eve 11pm service at St Peter’s. Given the late hour, this service was to have taken place inside the church but this was considered unwise in the current situation.

Happily, the Christmas Eve Crib Service will go ahead at 4pm, as will the Christmas Day family service and Communion at 10am. Both will be held outside so wrap up warm and remember to wear your protective face mask.

Fortunately the Carol Service did go ahead last Sunday in the church yard and our photograph shows some of the hardy souls, of all ages, who gathered under the glow of the Chancel windows to share carols, readings and some mulled wine and mince pies.

The village pub, the Merry Harriers, will be monitoring the situation throughout the Festive period, adapting to any new rules that the Government may announce over the coming days.

As things stand, the pub will be open until 11pm on Christmas Eve and between 11am and 6pm on Christmas Day. Manager Mikey Coleman has said he will have fire pits blazing away in the back garden for those who prefer to be outside. Boxing Day hours are 12 noon to 8pm, and curry meals are on offer until 6pm, including vegetarian.

A band is booked to play on New Year’s Eve and it is intended it will perform from the dining area and with space for dancing, but this is under constant review and there is an option for the band to play outside, with additional lighting and more fire pits.

The Village Shop is open today until 3pm and tomorrow, Christmas Eve, it opens at 8.30am and closes at 2pm. Sadly the shop carols singing, scheduled for noon tomorrow, has been cancelled.

After Christmas its hours are: 

The traditional Sunday before Christmas Carol Service at St Peter’s will now take place outside in the church yard due to current concerns over the new Covid-19 variant.

All else remains the same. The service will start at 7pm tomorrow (December 19th) with familiar carols, bible readings from villagers and a chance to share a special time with family and friends. All are very welcome… although we cannot promise a snowy scene like the one below, taken in December 2010.

The following is from Simon Willetts:

“Please be advised that due to the increased risk posed by the Omicron covid variant, the St. Peter’s Church Hambledon 7pm Carol Service tomorrow night (19^th December 2021) is now going to be held outside in the church yard. We are hoping to live stream it too – please follow this link 
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bhc+godalming

Please can you also remember to bring a mask, a torch and a chair if possible. Don’t forget to wrap up warm!

The nursery school car park is available for parking for this service.

Thank you in advance for your understanding 

Rev. Simon Willetts”

Hambledon Church COVID Update: Tonight’s (Thursday) Carols at the Pub will now be sung outdoors in the wonderful open air of the Merry Harriers beer garden!

The bar will of course be open to get drinks before and after, but please do join the band outside from 7.30pm for some favourite carols and one or two Christmas songs. Thanks to the Merry Harriers for hosting once again, and making arrangements for outside – it will be a great setting for this annual village tradition!

Also, for the traditional Candlelit Carol Service at church on Sunday 19 December at 7pm: face coverings are legally required during the service, and refreshments (mulled wine and mince pies) will be served outdoors in the churchyard afterwards. 

ADDITIONAL PARKING is available in the Hambledon Nursery School car park for all Christmas services, and recommended for those that can manage the short walk up the footpath between the pub and nursery carparks.  

For Christmas events and services, and any updates, see: www.bhcgodalming.org/christmas

The words above were spoken by the Rev Simon Taylor, Rector of St Peter’s Church, Hambledon, at the funeral of long-standing and much-loved village resident Edna Atkins.

However, he used them in a wider context, reflecting that Hambledon was witnessing the passing of several notable residents who have done so much to enrich life in our small village.

The same church will soon see villagers pay their respects to another stalwart who leaves a substantial legacy across Hambledon. The funeral of Muriel Campbell will take place at 2.30pm on Thursday December 9^th.

Much that younger generations can take for granted is testament to Muriel’s love of Hambledon and its people. She has been active in many areas of village life, most notably in helping spearhead the campaign to keep the former Church of England village school as a place of learning after it closed as a State-run primary in July 1983.

She was central to the campaign to acquire the Victorian classrooms and playground at Rock Hill, rather than see it sold off as a private house or for development. Out of this initiative grew the flourishing Nursery School that is so popular today. It is run by a charitable trust and Muriel was one of the early trustees.

Muriel was also a member of Hambledon Parish Council between 1987 and 1995 and her husband Ion was, for many years, its chairman.

Muriel and Ion have also worked hard to maintain their family home at Feathercombe, which was built in 1910 for the celebrated author, journalist, broadcaster and naturalist Eric Parker. Muriel is his grand-daughter.

Muriel’s funeral is expected to be well attended as she had a large extended family as well as a great many friends. Village mourners are requested to walk or share a lift to the church if possible. There will be a reception afterwards at Feathercombe.

Hambledon sends its sympathy to Ion and the Campbell family.

• A fuller tribute to Muriel and her contribution to Hambledon is expected to appear in the January issue of the Hambledon Parish Magazine.

Caroline and family warmly welcome everyone to Edna’s funeral at St Peter’s Church on Thursday 25^th November at 11am and afterwards in the church rooms.

Wear something red!

Village resident Cathy Coleman has set herself a target of raising £500 for a cancer charity that makes wigs for young children who have lost their hair during treatment. To do so, she is cutting 14 inches off her hair to donate to the Little Princess Trust.

It is a great cause, and Cathy is asking for help from villagers to help her meet her target. For details of how to donate, please read on.

Hello Everyone,

I am cutting 14 inches off my hair and donating it to the Little Princess Trust. This incredible charity creates wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment and other illnesses. The charity aims to give them a little more confidence and a sense of normality when their whole world has been completely changed.

Along with everyone else I was unable to get my hair cut throughout the pandemic. I wanted to create something positive out of a pretty horrible couple of years. The Little Princess Trust do a brilliant job of supporting young people through a troubling time in their lives, and the charity also funds vital research into cancer treatments.

I am asking for donations to help me raise £500, which is how much it costs to create and fit a wig. The link for my fund-raising page is below, there is also a donation box at the Merry Harriers pub:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/cathys-fundraiser-for-the-little-princess-trust?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cf%20share-flow-1&fbclid=IwAR3KBoGdQB8JBbGHxX0uD2Z_U5cKZovrTNbGC3kLVg5Ap6VTiYUNRT19lQg

For more information on what the Little Princess Trust does please visit its website (https://www.littleprincesses.org.uk) where you can also find details on how to donate your own hair if you want to support a great cause.

Thank you in advance for any donation you can give.

Cathy Coleman

Hambledon Parish Council has prepared and submitted a detailed response to the proposal by South Western Railway to halve train services from Milford and Witley stations.

SWT has conducted a public consultation on the changes it wishes to bring into operation when it introduces a new timetable in December this year.

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/timetables/timetable-consultation-december-2022

The new timetable, if implemented, would see a significant reduction in peak time services from the two nearest stations to Hambledon – Milford and Witley – used by many residents to commute to work, to schools and for services not available in our village location, such as surgeries, hospitals and large shops and supermarkets.

The response, prepared by Councillor Robin McKeith, challenges the presentation of data by SWT, examines flaws in the process and points out that a significant reduction in services will cause over-crowding, force more cars on to the road and is not in line with Government policy to encourage train use.

Local MP Jeremy Hunt was sent a copy of the parish council response. He described it as “brilliant” and said he plans to quote from it in his weekly update of constituency matters.

The response can be found on the Document Library of the Parish Council on this website, or here:

Hambledon Parish Council has co-opted Jude Milan to join its ranks after a very close-run selection process that saw three excellent candidates put their names forward.

A vacancy occurred following the retirement of John Anderson, who was a councillor for 38 years, the last 17 as chairman.

As no scheduled elections are due until May 2023, and there was no formal call for a by-election, the parish council was authorised to fill the vacancy by co-option and duly advertised the process in the parish magazine, on this website and on parish noticeboards.

The three candidates wrote, as requested, a brief submission and these were considered by the council at its meeting on September 7^th. Councillors decided that all three were suited to the role and had excellent credentials. With little to choose between them, the council followed advice from the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), the body that represents the interests of town and parish councils, and conducted individual, face-to-face informal interviews.

One candidate withdrew at this stage, leaving Jude Milan, from Paddock Close, and Graeme Guthrie from Warren Lane. Both were interviewed at the village hall on September 14^th, and it was clear that both were keen to work in the best interest of the village and had previous experience in areas of life that ideally prepared them for the role.

The Cricket Club won the earlier fixture this season between these two teams, taking the Mary Caroe Cup by 1 run. On Sunday 12 Sept at 1pm the two teams meet again in what should be an entertaining match. Come along and watch, bring a picnic and a blanket, the club bar will be open and the Village Shop is open until 3pm with suitable refreshments available.