council

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Local Council Elections on May 2nd. Do you want to be a councillor?

Local council elections will be held on Thursday May 2nd, and anyone who wishes to stand as a councillor must register to do so with Waverley Borough Council.

The elections are for borough, town and parish councils and potential candidates can register from this Friday March 22nd until 4pm on Wednesday April 3rd.

Nomination papers are available from Waverley Borough Council and, when completed, must be returned to the council by hand at a booked appointment time.

Full details can be found at https://www.waverley.gov.uk/elections2019 By following the links you can download a registration document and read more about what is involved.

A news item can be found here https://www.waverley.gov.uk/news/article/474/nominations_open_for_2_may_council_elections

 

 

 

 

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NEW APPLICATION TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOMES AT ORCHARD FARM

A revised planning application to build affordable and market price homes at Orchard Farm has been submitted to Waverley Borough Council by the English Rural Housing Association.

The new application is seeking approval for a scaled-down development of seven affordable homes together with two bungalows to be sold on the open market.

The previous ERHA application, submitted in 2016, was for 17 homes – 12 affordable and five open market. This was rejected by Waverley councillors in May 2017.

The ERHA went to appeal but this was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate in June 2018.

The new application was made public on the Waverley Borough Council website on Monday (March 4th, 2019). A deadline of March 29th has been set for comments.

The new development, if approved, would occupy the area of previously developed land at Orchard Farm, Wormley Lane, where various outbuildings currently stand. Five of the new properties would be for affordable rent and two for shared ownership.

Under the revised scheme the original farmhouse, which was to have been demolished, will be retained, renovated and sold on the open market. This does not form a part of the new application.

Paddock land, which was to have been gifted to the village as open space under the previous scheme, is now excluded from the application and is not a part of the latest proposal.

Orchard Farm is within the Green Belt and the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the ERHA application will need to demonstrate that the land may be considered as a rural exception site.

The application can be found here:

http://planning360.waverley.gov.uk/planning/search-applications?civica.query.FullTextSearch=Orchard%20Farm%20Hambledon#VIEW?RefType=GFPlanning&KeyNo=332587&KeyText=Subject

Hambledon Parish Council, which held its monthly meeting the day after the application was published, had no opportunity to consider the application in detail. Its next meeting is April 2nd, after the comment deadline.

Therefore, the parish council resolved to request an extension to the comment period in order to examine the proposal in detail and to hear any comments from villagers before responding to Waverley Borough Council.

People with connections to Hambledon and who fulfill ERHA criteria will have the opportunity to apply to be considered for the affordable homes if approval is given to the development. The parish council can comment on the application, but it is for Waverley Borough Council to approve or reject the proposal.

The ERHA website can be found here:https://englishrural.org.uk/

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Parish Council Holds Talks Over Village Speeding Concerns

Hambledon Parish Council has held talks with Surrey County Council highways engineers and Surrey Police road safety officers in order to press home its case for measures to reduce the speed of traffic through the village.

At the same time, it also raised concerns about road safety at the Hydestile Crossroads and along the narrow Salt Lane and Marwick Lane, already a rat-run and likely to become even more of a danger if and when the approved new homes are built at Dunsfold Aerodrome.

It emerged that Hambledon is unlikely to get a 20mph speed limit through its centre – which some villagers have been asking for – as neither Surrey County Council or Surrey Police have any evidence that speeding is a problem. And they do not have data to indicate injury accidents have occurred with any frequency.

Nevertheless, the parish council stated that there was anecdotal evidence to indicate speeding was an issue. The outcome of the meeting was that speed data recorders will be temporarily installed at key locations along Hambledon Road to measure traffic speed.

However, the council was warned that this exercise may demonstrate that there is no significant speeding in the village, despite perceptions. And severe budget restraints may limit or exclude any steps that could be taken to implement traffic calming.

It was also suggested that Hambledon could consider implementing its own community speed watch. Police would provide villagers with approved speed detection devices. Drivers of vehicles caught speeding are sent warning letters.

The council has been investigating whether a 20mph speed limit could be introduced in the centre of the village, and in particular in the narrow section outside the Merry Harriers pub and the village nursery school, both of which have expressed support for traffic calming measures.

Parish councillors Mary Grove and Stewart Payne secured a meeting with Surrey County Council and Surrey Police.  Only SCC has the authority to approve road changes and reduce speed limits, and only Surrey Police can enforce the limits.

The meeting took place on Tuesday (February 26th) and was attended by Adrian Selby, senior SCC highways engineer, Graham Cannon from Surrey Police road safety traffic management office and PC Steve Milford, casualty reduction officer. Councillors Grove and Payne and Julie Fleney, parish clerk, showed them around the village and highlighted areas of specific concern.

Mr Selby had previously written to the parish council stating it was “extremely unlikely” that Hambledon would meet the criteria for lowering the current 30mph limit in the village centre. He also stated that SCC data did not indicate that any “particular safety problem exists” and that he was not able to recommend any engineering measures such as changes to road surfacing or road narrowing.

Despite this, Hambledon Parish Council has persisted and the meeting provided an opportunity to show SCC officers around the village and to discuss its concerns face-to-face. Continue reading →

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Two More Crashes at Hydestile Shut Salt Lane

For the second day running there has been a crash at the Hydestile Crossroads, and another collision just a few hundred yards away has completely blocked Salt Lane which is now closed to traffic.

Police closed Salt Lane at its junction with the crossroads to all traffic at around 9am today (Wednesday January 30th). It is closed along its entire length to Markwick Lane and beyond to Loxhill.

The crash at the crossroads itself involved two vehicles, and was relatively minor. The crossroads, and its approach down Salt Lane, is covered in ice and road conditions are treacherous.

The second accident was more serious as it has blocked the narrow, rural lane just above New Road. Two cars, traveling in opposite directions, have collided. Injuries appear to be minor. Police are in attendance.

As with the crossroads crash yesterday (see earlier news report), icy conditions are likely to have played a part. But it emphasises the need for Surrey County Council Highways Department to pay heed to the initiatives suggested by Hambledon Parish Council to tackle road safety in the village and its outlying rural lanes.

Salt Lane, on the Hambledon parish boundary is used by many as a cut-through between the A281 and the A3. With the likelihood of a major new housing development at Dunsfold, this narrow lane with passing places will inevitably become even more congested.

As for the crossroads at Hydestile, this has been regarded by locals as an accident black spot for many years and the parish council is in discussions with the highways authority and police to try to implement road safety measures along the length of Hambledon Road, from the Hydestile approach and though the village to Lane End.

 

 

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Serious Collision at Hydestile Crossroads

A collision between two cars at the Hydestile Crossroads today (Tuesday January 29th) resulted in one overturning and the other receiving extensive front-end damage. No one was hurt.

The accident occurred during the busy morning peak period when temperatures were below freezing.

The overturned vehicle came to rest on its roof on the Hambledon Road. The other was at the junction with the crossroads, in Salt Lane. The Bargate stone wall of Hydestile Farmhouse was partly demolished in the collision.

Police were swiftly on the scene, attending to the occupants of the cars and directing traffic. Although shocked, no one needed medical treatment.

The road remained open and the vehicles were recovered by 11am.

This is the latest of many accidents at the Hydestile Crossroads and comes at a time when Hambledon Parish Council is pressing police and Surrey County Council Highway Department to consider road safety measures along Hambledon Road, from Hydestile to Lane End.

 

 

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Julie Flenley Takes Up Post As Hambledon Parish Council Clerk

Julie Flenley, the newly-appointed clerk to Hambledon Parish Council, has attended her first meeting, having taken up her appointment on January 1.

She replaces Caroline White, who resigned after serving as clerk for a year following the retirement of her long-standing predecessor, Jane Woolley.

Julie brings a wealth of experience in the public sector to the job and said she was looking forward to working with the seven elected Hambledon parish councillors and for the benefit of the village.

Julie was born and raised in County Londonderry, in the north west of Northern Ireland. After school and college at Limavady she left Derry to study business at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, where she obtained a degree in travel and tourism management.

She then moved to Manchester where she worked for what was then the Countryside Agency (now Natural England), the statutory body with responsibility for the rural environment.

She went on to join English Heritage, a non-departmental government body responsible for the protection and management of more than 400 historic monuments, buildings and places.

Julie’s work included assessing grant applications and she had a particular involvement in managing funding in relation to secular historic buildings and places of worship. Her duties required her to make financial needs assessments and also brought her into regular contact with local authority planning departments. This experience should stand her in good stead as she takes up her role as clerk to Hambledon Parish Council.

Julie said: “I think my background makes me suited to the job of clerk and I am looking forward to it very much”.

During her time in Manchester she met and married her husband Richard, who works in the legal profession. A move in his job resulted in them relocating to the south of England, with Julie taking a career break. They have lived on the outskirts of Chiddingfold for seven years. They have three sons, Joshua, William and Oliver, aged 12, eight and six who are, or were, educated at St Mary’s Primary School in Chiddingfold.

Julie and Richard are regular distance runners and frequently compete in local and national events. Julie said: “It would be wrong to call me an avid runner as I think I am a reluctant runner. But I am competitive and determined.

Last year she was part of a team of “mums from St Mary’s” who competed in the Three Peaks Challenge, which involved climbing the three highest peaks in England Wales and Scotland. Between them they raised funds for the school and a mental health charity.

“This year I will be taking part in eight half marathons and my husband will be undertaking two back-to-back full marathons.”

Her passion over many years has been horses and horse-riding. “My horse died last year so I am currently between horses, but it is something I love and will return to.”

Julie was welcomed to her first meeting as clerk on Wednesday (Jan 9th) at Hambledon Village Hall by chairman John Anderson and his councillor colleagues. Already very active in village and church life in Chiddingfold, Julie will now be closely associated with life an Hambledon as well.

  • The clerk is a salaried position, councillors are unpaid. Julie’s contact details, and those of councillors, can be found on the village website under “Organisations” and “Hambledon Parish Council”, and in the Parish Magazine on the “Useful Information and Telephone Numbers” page.

 

 

 

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CHRISTMAS GREETINGS – AND A SPECIAL HAMBLEDONIAN 90th BIRTHDAY

Hambledon residents  turned out in large numbers at noon on Christmas Eve to join in the community singing of carols and seasonal songs outside the village shop.

A big thank-you goes to the organisers, the shop choir and to David Kirby and his musician friends for a wonderful and harmonious festive gathering.

The day before, Mic Coleman, who for so many years has been a stalwart of village activities, celebrated his 90th birthday. He and Sylvia had a busy day as friends dropped by to pass on their best wishes before a large family gathering later in the day. Mic has worked tirelessly for the village football and cricket teams, becoming president of both. He has been involved in the running of the village hall, the village fete and the produce show. He is also a former chairman of Hambledon Parish Council.

In 2012 he was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honors “for services to sport and the community in Hambledon”. Mic has done so much for the good of the village and its residents and we all wish him the very best for the future.

And the Web Team sign off by sending its best wishes to all.

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VILLAGE HALL QUIZ – A GREAT NIGHT OUT

(Please also see news item below this, posted by Hambledon Village Hall Committee)

A packed Village Hall saw residents and friends pit their brains against each other as 14 tables, comprising 84 participants took part in a fund-raising quiz on Saturday (November 17th).

Thanks go to the Village Hall Committee and its team of volunteers who organised the evening, staffed a well-stocked bar, cooked and served home-made cottage pie and rounded-up an impressive selection of donated prizes for a raffle.

What was particularly rewarding was the cross section of villagers, old, young and everything in between, who took part and made the evening a great success. They included people from all aspects of life in Hambledon; the shop and its volunteers, Merry Harriers pub regulars, its Bridge team, the church, the cricket and football teams and, of course the Village Hall itself.

The questions were well set and divided into 10 themed rounds. The winning team,” Here, There and Everywhere”, comprised Christine and Ron Baker, Duncan Watson, Charlotte Gray, Mary Burrows and Stewart Payne.

However, it was a close-run contest and several teams just missed out on the top spot, having answered a few more questions correctly but not used their “multiplier” as effectively.

All profits from the evening go towards the upkeep of the Village Hall, which has recently been undergoing an extensive refurbishment with new chairs and curtains.

 

 

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HOW HAMBLEDON REMEMBERED – ARMISTICE EVENTS IN THE VILLAGE

At a special Armistice Day service in the parish church; at a community sing-along outside the village shop and at the memorial to two brothers who died in the First World War – Hambledon Remembered.

On Sunday November 11th, 2018 – the 100th anniversary of the ending of the First World War – villagers packed St Peter’s Church for a commemorative service during which the names of Hambledon’s fallen in both World Wars were read out and a two-minutes silence observed.

 

The service was led by David Mace, assistant vicar, with an address given by David Jenkins. There was time for quiet reflection as well as personal recollections from Sylvia Harrison who spoke of her grandfather’s gallantry in the First World War.

David Jenkins, assistant vicar with responsibility for Hambledon, spoke of the sacrifices made by many during both World Wars, on the field of battle and elsewhere. They served their country. He suggested that today we could all consider how we may also serve by becoming involved in charity and voluntary work to benefit others.

Continue reading →

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Hambledon Road Closure at Rock Hill

A section of Hambledon Road at Rock Hill, between Church Lane and Woodlands Road, will be closed to daytime traffic from Monday (November 12th) until Friday (November 16th)

This is to allow carriageway excavation by engineers on behalf of British Telecom. This involves clearing blockages in existing underground infrastructure. Access to local properties and the emergency services will be maintained.

A diversion will be in place requiring traffic to use Station Lane, Milford and the A283 Petworth Road, or the reverse.  Full details of the works and diversion can be found on the earlier news item on this website. https://www.hambledonsurrey.co.uk/?p=10306

However, the road remained open until late morning on Monday as no work had started. This may have  been because of torrential rain earlier in the morning and localised flooding, particularly in Station Lane. In addition, Salt Lane, at the junction with the Hydestile Crossroads, was also closed for a time on Monday morning to allow for the removal of a fallen tree which came down in winds and rain yesterday afternoon.

Work did start later in the day and the closure was enforced.

However, there may be periods during the day when the road will be passable, but this should not be be taken for granted. The road was expected to be open in the evenings when work finishes for the day.

Heavy rain showers followed by bright sunshine throughout Monday may have led to difficult road conditions – but it also created a beautiful rainbow seen here from the Greensand Way by Hambledon Church, looking across the fields towards Hydon’s Ball.

 

 

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ADVANCE NOTICE OF ROAD CLOSURE AND DIVERSION IN CENTRAL HAMBLEDON

ADVANCE NOTICE OF ROAD CLOSURE

NOTICE: THE SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL, ROCK HILL (C31) HAMBLEDON, TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC ORDER 2018

SURREY COUNTY COUNCIL propose to make the above mentioned Temporary Order under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the effect of which will be to temporarily prohibit vehicles from entering or proceeding in that length of Rock Hill (C31) Hambledon which extends from its junction with Church Lane (D168) to its junction with Public Bridleway No. 181 (Hambledon). Vehicular traffic will be diverted via Hambledon Road, Station Lane, Church Road, Petworth Road, Lane End and Malthouse Lane or this route in reverse order.

This Order is required because works are being or are proposed to be executed on or near the said, namely works in relation to clearing blockages on the existing underground structure, to be carried out by BT. These works are anticipated to be completed within five days, between 08.00hrs and 18.00hrs, during the three-month period of operation of this Order which commences on 12 November 2018. Advanced warning signs will be displayed and the temporary closure will only operate when the relevant traffic signs are displayed. Access to premises within the affected length of Rock Hill, including access by emergency vehicles to these properties, will be maintained at all times as will access for pedestrians, equestrians and pedal cyclists.

https://www.hambledonsurrey.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Rock-Hill-Diversion-Route-P2.pdf

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Farewell to Nicola Collett As She Departs As Nursery School Head Teacher

Staff, trustees, parents and children have bid a fond farewell to Nicola Collett, who has stood down as head teacher at Hambledon Nursery School after ten highly-successful years.

Nicola’s final day was the last day of the summer term (July 20th). At the end of the leavers service for children moving on to primary school, tributes were paid and gifts were presented.

Nicola was unsure if she could deliver a departing speech without becoming tearful so her two children, Lydia and Lawrence, stepped up to speak on her behalf. Kate Walford, the new head, teachers and parents all warmly thanked Nicola and spoke of their high regard for her. Our pictures shows Kate Walford (left)  and Tracey Jimmison, deputy head (centre), at the presentation to Nicola,

Nicola joined the teaching staff in 2001 and was appointed head teacher and manager in 2008.

The school was once the village state primary. It was reopened as a nursery school in 1984 after a village-led initiative secured the lovely Victorian schoolhouse and playground in its beautiful rural setting as a place of learning.

It has thrived and since Nicola took over it has twice been judged “outstanding” in Ofsted inspections.

David Evans, chair of trustees, said: “Nicola has made a quite exceptional contribution, and the school today bears her stamp in so many ways.

“We are fortunate to have such an attractive Victorian building, but Victorian buildings need love and care, and with Nicola over the years it has been very well maintained.  The extensive outdoor areas and outbuildings and play areas have also been carefully looked after and developed, with children’s gardens, and outdoor toys, and climbing frames and pathways and camps.

“Important as the physical environment is, much more important is our teaching staff.  Nicola has taken tremendous care over the staff team and has supported and imbued it with her passion and values.  It is a great team, who look after their small charges with endless care and dedication and give them the best start to their schooldays that they and their parents could hope for.

“Nicola has been the embodiment of “hands-on”.  She has maintained a teaching role throughout her time at the school, and has always been on-hand to advise and support those around her.  And as well as supporting her colleagues, and caring for the children, before a new term started she would invariably be found organising a tidy-up of the classrooms, or checking the grounds, or planning a new innovation in the children’s education.

“She can and should look back on her time at Hambledon Nursery School with great pride.  The gifts from staff and parents and trustees will be a small reminder of the very high regard in which she is held by all.  She is passing on the Headship to Kate Walford, presently a teacher at the school, and as ever has done an excellent job of supporting and handing over the reins to Kate.

“Nicola has a creativity that has been a hugely important part of what she has brought to the school, and now she plans to develop these talents further and in different directions.  We all wish her, with her husband Iain and her children Lydia and Lawrence, the very best.

“Nicola’s leaving gift to the school was the trunk of an oak tree.  This is now in the school grounds inscribed with a message from Nicola to the school.  In its first day it was a boat, a bus, a crocodile and a horse …”

Our pictures below show Nicola in the playground after she was presented with a flowers by children; with her daughter Lydia (centre) and teacher/afternoon supervisor Kelly Shaw; and the inscribed oak log which was her departing gift to the school.

 

 

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What Next For Orchard Farm?

The proposal to build affordable homes at Orchard Farm has been rejected on appeal and developers English Rural Housing Association must now decide whether to re-apply with a scaled-down application or sell the site on.

The ERHA had applied to demolish the existing farmhouse and outbuildings and build 12 affordable homes together with five larger market-price houses and provision of open space for village use.

After much local consultation, and with concerns expressed over the size of the proposed development and drainage issues, the application went before Waverley Borough Council in May last year where members voted to reject the scheme.

The nine-acre site between Petworth Road and Wormley Lane is within the Green Belt and the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Waverley councillors said that no special circumstances existed in the application to outweigh the harm to the Green Belt and the AONB.

After considering the outcome for several months, ERHA decided to lodge an appeal to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate. This appeal has now been considered and dismissed, upholding the original decision by Waverley Borough Councillors.

Sheila Holden, the inspector appointed by the Secretary of State to consider the appeal, said in her ruling: “Notwithstanding the continued need to provide affordable homes, the supply of housing land is not a factor weighing in this scheme’s favour”, adding that the proposal would be an “inappropriate development within the Green Belt”.

She accepted that there would be “very significant benefits arising from the provision of 12 units of affordable housing and limited benefits associated with the proposed public open space.”

But she concluded: “However, these benefits do not clearly outweigh the harm by reason of inappropriateness and the other harms I have identified.  The very special circumstances needed to justify the scheme do not, therefore, exist.”

The ERHA, which is a registered provider of social housing in rural areas, has not commented on what it will do next. It bought the site on the open market and had hoped that the provision of market-price houses in the scheme would help pay for the affordable homes, which would have been available for rent or shared ownership at below market costs.

It may return with a smaller scale development of affordable homes only as the inspector’s ruling seems to indicate that market price properties are unacceptable and do not meet the criteria for exempting the site from Green Belt and AONB restrictions.

Or it could consider putting the land, together with the existing farmhouse, back on the open market.

Hambledon Parish Council remains committed to attempting to find suitable sites for affordable housing in the village in accordance with wishes expressed by residents and contained within the published Parish Plan.

 

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A Glimpse Of Hambledon’s Past In Time For 2018 Fete Weekend

As Hambledon celebrates its 2018 Midsummer Festival with a weekend of events, here is a glimpse into the village’s past.

Hambledon Village Trust, landlord of the community-run shop, has received photographs almost certainly from the late 1960s and early 1970s showing the shop as it was then. The photographs were provided by the Ainsworth family who used to live in Pendle Cottage, which forms a part of the shop building. They were on a journey down memory lane when they called in last weekend.

The first, in black and white and probably dating back to the 1960s, shows a busy scene outside the shop with a farmer trundling by on his Nuffield tractor. Can anyone identify him?

The others, in colour, show the shop and pond, with a Rover saloon parked outside, possibly belonging to the family who lived in the cottage, which was then called Duck Cottage. It was renamed Pendle Cottage when Joan Hardy and her husband moved there in 1982.

It is hoped that old village photographs, and of fetes gone by, will be on display at the village website stand at the fete tomorrow, which opens at 12.30. Full details of fete events can be found on this website on the Latest News menu.

If anyone can shed any further light on the photographs please leave a message on this website.

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New Head Teacher For Hambledon Nursery School

Hambledon Nursery School will welcome Kate Walford as its new head teacher when she takes up the appointment after the summer break.

Not that Kate will be any stranger to staff, parents and returning children. She has worked at the school as an Early Years practitioner since January 2016 and is currently the afternoon supervisor in the Red Room classroom for three and four year olds.

Kate’s appointment follows the resignation of Nicola Collett, head teacher for the past ten years, who is leaving at the end of the summer term next month.

Kate, pictured below, was the unanimous choice of the nursery school Trustees who interviewed, with external professional support, three impressive candidates.

Kate, who is married with a young family and lives in Chiddingfold, has a degree in biology with qualified teacher status. She has worked in education throughout her professional life and brings 20-years’ experience to her new role. She taught in the West Country for a while before joining Kingfield Primary School in Woking in 2005, remaining there until her move to Hambledon Nursery School.

Nicola has welcomed the choice of her successor and the Trustees believe Kate will continue to build on the caring ethos and high standards set by her predecessor.

The Trustees said that Nicola herself has made a quite exceptional contribution to the nursery school and this will be acknowledged in a full appreciation that will appear on this website following her departure at the end of July.

Hambledon Nursery school, at Rock Hill, was formerly the village state primary school, closed by Surrey County Council in the early 1980s due to falling rolls. Villagers were determined that the Victorian schoolhouse and playground in its beautiful rural setting should remain a place of learning and, after campaigning and fund-raising, acquired the premises from the Church of England.

It reopened as a nursery school in 1984, run as a business with charitable status and locally-appointed Trustees. It has an “outstanding” Ofsted rating.

Further details about the school can be found on this website under “Organisations” in the top menu and at www.hambledonnurseryschool.co.uk

 

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Hambledon Nursery School Children And The Royal Wedding

Hambledon Nursery School children celebrated the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, by learning about marriage customs and staging their own ceremony at the village church.

In the two weeks before the Royal Wedding at Windsor Castle, children were encouraged to bring in family wedding photographs to enable them to make a personal connection to the ceremony. These were displayed in the two classrooms and in the reception area. They also prepared wedding invitations, made bunting and arranged floral displays.

Nicola Collett, head teacher, said this created a “real buzz of excitement” around the nursery school. Children enjoyed making their own plans and parents and teachers found themselves reminiscing about their own wedding day. Many reflected on how wedding dresses had changed over the years.

Several teachers brought in their wedding dresses and wore them in front of the children including Kate Walford who is pictured right. Another, who had recently celebrated her 30th wedding anniversary, brought along her photo album as well as her wedding dress.

Ceremonies in other cultures were also talked about and one parent brought in a beatutiful Indian wedding dress and jewellery while another showed pictures of a family Scottish wedding, with men dressed in kilts.

The school purchased a child’s wedding dress and prince’s outfit. Each day in the lead-up to the Windsor wedding, the children enacted a wedding ceremony. This culminated in them holding their own “wedding” service at St Peter’s Church.

Two children played “bride and grooom” and the rest were guests of honour. Dressed for the occasion – some chose Disney outfits – they walked through the woods from school to church where wedding music was played and a “service” held.

Then it was back to the school for the cutting of the cake. The children had made their own out of papier-mâché but, to their delight, Hambledon’s Crumby Bakery, made and delivered a large lemon and elderflower wedding cake. It was simply iced but with the addition of pre-cut paste shapes for children to decorate with edible pens.

The cake, pictured left, was then cut and portions were sold to parents to raise funds for additional resources for the nursery school.

Nicola said: “All of this led to a wonderful atmosphere at the school in the days leading up to the Royal Wedding.”