by

HAVE YOUR SAY ON HAMBLEDON’S THREATENED BUS SERVICE

Surrey County Council has arranged a public walk-in session in Godalming to discuss the proposed changes to local bus services, including its intention to axe the 503, Hambledon’s only bus service.

It will take place next Friday (February 26) at the Crown Court car park where representatives of SCC and the operators Stagecoach will be in attendance on a bus. Residents can drop in at anytime between 10 am and 12 noon to discuss the proposed changes and to express their views.

SCC, faced with budget cuts, is looking to further reduce the subsidy it pays to bus operators to keep rural routes operating.  Some areas will see alterations or reductions but Hambledon will be hit hard because it is proposed to withdraw the 503 altogether.

A final decision will be made after the current period of consultation ends on March 14.  Hambledon Parish Council is opposing the scrapping of the 503, which it regards as a vital link for many, especially the elderly, to reach shops, banks and surgeries.

Residents who wish the service to continue are urged to make their views known. They can do so online at www.surreycc.gov.uk/transportreview or by phoning 0300 200 1003 to request a copy of the questionnaire to be sent to their home. Copies can also be obtained from libraries and council offices.

  • If you know of someone who will be affected by the withdrawal of the 503 who is unlikely to read this online story, please contact them and pass on details of the drop-in session and the public consultation.

scan0012

by

Possible Roadworks in Hambledon Road/Clockbarn from 15th Feb

As part of the resident-funded installation of broadband to Hydestile, Openreach and their contractors have been working hard this week in Home Farm Road, Busbridge, at the Crossroads and at Hydon Heath.
Technically there have been some challenges in Hambledon Road and an underground duct will need replacing – we are told there will be roadworks next week, and a possibility of emergency road closure of Hambledon Road (north of Clockbarn Lane).  This is because of the very narrow parts of Hambledon Road which prevent safe working.  The closure will be short notice and hopefully for a short time.   We have leveraged our good relationship with Surrey CC Highways to expedite matters and have been negotiating to reduce the inconvenience but safety trumps most arguments.  So please be understanding if you should encounter a Road Closed sign – it will be for a very valid reason.

More detail at www.GU8Superfast.co.uk

by

Planning for Hambledon’s future – Latest

In 2003 Hambledon produced a Parish Plan to help shape its future.  Since then the Parish Council has examined various other formal frameworks to ensure the village’s ambitions for the years ahead are taken into account by Waverley Borough Council and other authorities.

These have included producing a Village Design Statement and Neighbourhood Plan, a route which some villagers had asked the council to consider.

After seeking professional advice – and taking into account the cost and resources necessary for such measures – it was decided that there were insufficient benefits to justify the time and money involved.

Instead it considered producing a Community Plan, which is smaller in scope that a Neighbourhood Plan and arguably more relevant to a little rural village.

Whichever method the parish council adopted for drawing up a blueprint for the future, it would require financial assistance and community volunteers. In the event neither was forthcoming.

It was hoped that funding for a Community Plan would be awarded by the Big Lottery Fund and that sufficient villagers would volunteer to participate in its preparation.

However, The Big Lottery, which distributes National Lottery money for community causes, turned down the request. The application had been carefully prepared with professional help. But Big Lottery experts could not see why a Community Plan was required to address the needs and issues set out in the application.  (This point had also been raised in previous advice given to the Parish Council, including from Waverley Borough Council.)

The second set back was that one month after an appeal for volunteers appeared in the Parish Magazine and on the village website only six responses had been received.

So it’s back to the drawing board.

scan0012

Although there have been changes since Hambledon produced its Parish Plan in 2003, it would be difficult to improve on its objectives.  The Parish Council has therefore decided to continue using it as a base document but to up-date it and re-issue it, either in its existing form or in a new format and perhaps with a more appropriate title.

Village organisations and individuals are therefore being asked what would make Hambledon a better place for them and their activities.

The responses will be incorporated in a discussion paper which will be made widely available early in April.  The paper will then be discussed and questions arising from it addressed at the Parish Assembly on 16 April.  Funds for printing the completed plan have been included in the 2016-17 budget. It will also be available on the village web site.

So, in thanking those who did volunteer to help with a Community Plan, the Parish Council  now asks them and as many other villagers as possible to give some thought as to what they think would make Hambledon an even better place in which to live.

Examining the 2003 Parish Plan and its most recent up-date might be a good point from which to start. This can be found on this web site here: Parish Plan documents . Or you can ask the Clerk ( via email, or telephone 01428 684213) for a hard copy

Please make sure that comments are either posted by leaving a comment on this article, or sent to the Clerk by 15 March so that they can be included in the discussion document.

 

 

by

Village Fete Meeting – HELP WANTED

The organisers of the Hambledon Village Fete – which takes place on the Cricket Green on Saturday June 18 – are holding a meeting on March 8 to help finalise arrangements. Please see the following from Philip Underwood.

HAMBLEDON VILLAGE FETE  

AN IMPORTANT PLANNING MEETING

A meeting will be held at 8pm on Tuesday 8th March in the Football Club pavilion. It is important that as many helpers as possible attend as we have to finalise details of the events, stallholders and the general running of the fete.

Village Fete and Dance June 21 2014 (5)We shall also be looking for donations of prizes for the raffle. If any local businesses would like to help with sponsorship in return for advertising, it would be appreciated.

Many people who have assisted in the past are no longer in the village, so we desperately need new helpers. If unable to come but wish to join in, please contact [email protected].

 

by

Too good to throw away?

jumble sale

The Management Committee of Hambledon Village Hall is organising a Traditional Jumble Sale to raise funds.

This will be held on April 16, more details to follow.

Do you have objects in your home that you have never used or things that have been used, are still in good condition but you don’t need anymore?

Please contact John Tidmarsh on 01428 682067 to see if they are suitable to be recycled at the jumble sale.

by

Dunsfold redevelopment consultation deadline 5th Feb

Screen Shot 2016-01-05 at 15.31.53As announced earlier on this site, the new planning application for a new town on the Dunsfold Aerodrome is currently being considered by Waverley Council.  The deadline for residents to make comments to the planners is 5th February.   More information here: http://www.dunsfoldvillage.co.uk

Click here to go to Waverley Planning site: Planning Application Documents

by

Hambledon 503 Bus service under threat… again

Surrey County Council is proposing to axe the 503, Hambledon’s only bus service.

Having won a reprieve in 2012, once again the county council is making further spending cuts including the subsidy that keeps the 503 operating.

This time the village faces a big battle to keep its bus, even though the need for the service remains as great as ever.

If you want to comment on the proposal then please complete the Surrey Council questionnaire online at www.surreycc.gov.uk/transportreview or fill in a paper version available in libraries and local council offices.  Or you can request a copy in the post by calling 0300 200 1003. The deadline is Monday March 14.

SCC will then consider responses to the consultation and final proposals will be debated on May 24. The outcome will be announced in June and changes will come into effect in September.

If you care about the future of Hambledon’s bus, which provides the only public service link to shops/banks/surgeries in Milford, Godalming and Guildford then please take part in the consultation. SCC is suggesting the bus could be replaced by a dial-a-ride service.

001 - Copy

Many older residents in the village rely on the 503, which currently operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, twice in each direction.

A handful of residents join the bus in Hambledon and others board as it stops the in Manor Fields and Chapel Lane estates in Milford.

Because of its importance to these passengers, the Stagecoach-operated service is subsidised by Surrey County Council to keep it running. But continuing cuts in funding to local authorities by Central Government are taking their toll.

And this at a time when the need for public transport, and the energy and environmental savings it brings, could not be more important.

Additionally, an affordable housing development at Orchard Farm is currently under consideration. The 503 starts on its doorstep at Lane End. The bus also travels close to the new 100-homes development off Tuesley Lane. Continue reading →

by

Hambledon Village Shop Christmas Party 2015

P1050114On a balmy evening in December around 40 guests – all involved in Hambledon Village Shop in some way – gathered at the village hall wearing Christmas decorations and looking very festive. It was lovely to get together to meet old friends, make some new ones and to thank everyone for contributing so much to the shop.

The team who’d organised the village party the previous weekend had beautifully decorated the village hall with ivy garlands and fairy lights all round the walls and an enormous Christmas tree twinkling away in the corner. In true Blue Peter fashion, the table decorations were made from recycled bottles and jam jars with a little hand-decorated ‘thank you’ token and raffle ticket on each place setting.

The evening kicked off with drinks and chat before tucking into beef and vegetable Malaysian-style curries with rice and breads made by our Chef du Jour, Jon Petersen, followed by chocolate torte and lemon cheesecake desserts from Cook (worth noting that if you’re running a community event they offer a discount of 30%, click here to find out more). Thanks go to the commis chefs who helped chop all that veg!

Continue reading →

by

Village Christmas Dance – a big success

Attendance at the annual Hambledon Village Christmas Dance was an all time high. A grand total of £1050 was raised, after expenses. This will be split between the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice and the Hambledon Community Pavilion at the football club’s Badger Park ground.

The dance, featuring live music, bar and buffet, was held on December 12 at the village hall. A big thank you to the team who made it happen and to everyone who attended.

 

by

Superfast in Hambledon – What Next?

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to Hambledon’s superfast broadband survey and to Jon Petersen for analysing the results. For those of you who are interested, they can be found at https://www.hambledonsurrey.co.uk/superfastsurvey/. For what happens next, read on.

Peter Howell-Davies, the Hambledon Parish Clerk and Tim Forrest (representing Chiddingfold Parish Council) have met Peter Martin (Deputy Leader, Surrey County Council) and members of his Superfast Surrey team to discuss progress to date and the problems facing Hambledon and Chiddingfold. BT claim that 96 per cent of Surrey premises can now access speeds of at least 15 mbps but this is not borne out in practice. It takes no account of variations as between urban and rural areas – for example, the recent Hambledon survey of premises which get their broadband via Cabinet 6 shows that the superfast guarantee applies to only 61 per cent of them. Data issued by BT seem to bear little relation to what is happening on the ground as revealed by the actual experience of individual users, and might not therefore be the best basis from which to determine who should benefit from further Surrey Superfast intervention or BT up-grades. The results of the Hambledon survey are therefore being passed on to Superfast Surrey.

Once data produced by BT (and, we hope, others such as Hambledon Parish Council) has been analysed, intervention work to make good shortfalls in coverage has to be approved by the EU. Only when this has been done can Superfast Surrey and BT move on to recommending which premises should benefit from intervention. Proposals to this end then have to be submitted to one month’s public consultation before they can be signed off.

Whatever intervention package is proposed, it will have to show that it represents value for money and fairness. The latter criterion could prove particularly difficult in the case of what are currently estimated to be up to 20,000 disenfranchised rural premises across the county, given their location and, in some cases, the distances between them. Intervention may also be required in some urban areas.

Continue reading →

by

Hambledon Village Shop Refurbishment

shop_boardThe next stage of refurbishing the Village Shop will take place in February. There will be some disruption but most services will continue to be avaliable.

Between Monday 1st February and Monday 22nd February, some new shelving will be installed, the shop counter and Post Office counters will be relocated and new flooring will be installed. All work is planned to be completed by Monday 22nd February.

Throughout this period Newspapers will be available as normal as will bread and milk and some dried goods. The farm shop will operate as normal. The delicatessen and cafe will be operating from a catering van in the shop driveway.

During the week Monday 8th February to Sunday 14th February the Post Office will be closed for a period of 3 days while the new flooring is installed, exact days of the Post Office closure will be provided at a later date.

Jo, the shop staff and the shop volunteers will be doing everything they can to keep the shop running as close to normal as possible during this period, please reward them with your custom.

 

by

Save a Life in Hambledon

AEDMoney raised through St Peter’s Church and the Parish Council means we as a community now own 2 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).

These are based at the Village Shop and in the Porch of the Church. The AED at the Village Shop is currently hanging in the stock room so is only available during shop opening hours, following the forthcoming shop refurbishment it will be stored in an external cabinet.

AEDs are simple to use but can seem intimidating. Learn how to use them and help save a life in Hambledon!

Bart’s City Life Saver is a unique Charity that teaches life saving skills to people living or working in the City of London. Hambledon will be its first rural outpost. On Sunday 7th February 2016 at 2pm they will be providing training in Hambledon to enable you to learn/refresh your life saving skills and familiarise yourself with an AED.

The training will cost £20 per person and will be held in the Village Hall.

Please contact Dr Alison Martin (email: [email protected] or ‘phone: 01483 893619) to book or for more information.

by

Update on Missing Hydestile Resident

January 2nd:  From the Surrey Police web site.

A body has been found in the search for a missing man from the Godalming area. The body was found earlier today (2 January), in the Hambledon area.   Although the body has yet to be formally identified, it is believed to be that of George Walker.  The 63-year-old was last seen around 3pm on New Year’s Eve (31 December).  His next of kin have been made aware of the discovery of the body. At this time the death is being treated as unexplained.

Members of the public and the media are thanked for their assistance in searching and sharing appeals for information.

January 9th:  The Surrey Advertiser published tributes to George Walker:

Link to Surrey Advertiser Article

by

Is Your Broadband Being Slowed Down By Your Wi-Fi?

ofcom_appIn the process of carrying out the recent Hambledon Superfast Broadband Survey, it emerged that some properties in the village are not getting the Broadband speeds that would be expected based on their location. It’s possible this is because the wiring directly to the property is not in a good condition, however, it may also be because of the quality of the Wi-Fi signal within the property.

Ofcom, the independent regulator for the UK Communications industry, has recently developed an app which runs on smartphones and tablets and allows consumers to discover the quality of their wireless internet signal – as well as offering practical steps to get the best from your connection. The app will run on your iPhone, iPad or any Android device.

You can read more about the app and download it here.

by

Hydestile Resident Lost

January 1st:  This is extracted from the Surrey Police report:

Officers are concerned for the welfare of 63-year-old George Walker, who has not been seen by his family since leaving to go for a walk at around 3pm yesterday (Thursday, 31 December).

George is describe as white, around 5ft 8”, of a slim build, with short grey hair and a short grey beard. He was last seen wearing a blue kagool, blue trousers and dark coloured footwear.

Officers have located George’s car in nearby Hambledon. edit: (actually Vann Lane )

A number of enquiries are being carried out and a search of the local area is continuing.

Inspector Adam Smith, said: “Officers are growing increasingly concerned for George’s welfare. We believe he is still in the local area and I would urge any dog walkers or local people out for a New Year’s Day walk to remain vigilant and immediately report any sightings of George to police.”

The police helicopter is also assisting in the search for George.

Anyone with any information on Georges’ whereabouts or who may have seen him should contact Surrey Police immediately on 101 and quote the reference number 45150117329.

– See more at: http://www.surrey.police.uk/News/News-Stories/Full-news-story/Article/12272/Can-you-help-officers-find-missing-Godalming-man-George-Walker#sthash.IJLiUP6s.dpuf

As of 19:00 on Friday, George’s son posted on Facebook this:

Screen Shot 2016-01-01 at 19.04.12

As soon as we have updated details we shall post them here.