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LiberTea at Hambledon

The Houses of Parliament have asked our Parish Council to organise an event at 3pm on Sunday 14th June to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta and the Montfort Parliament. This event is to hear the church bells being rung and to drink a cup of tea at this time,and to reflect on what difference the Magna Carta has made to our lives.

Our event is known as LiberTea at the Top.In other words we invite the people of Hambledon to join us at the top of the Common at the viewpoint and drink a cup of tea with us and hopefully cake will also be provided.

I would also be grateful for knowledgeable persons to come and explain what the Magna Carta was all about.

If the weather is poor we shall hold the event in the Village Hall.

Remember,Sunday June 14th at the top of the Common at 3pm.

Any queries or for offering help please contact me at [email protected] or 07771 633599.

P.J.Underwood

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Village Bus Service – Safe For Now

The 503 bus service, which connects Hambledon with Milford, Godalming and Guildford is safe – for the time being at least.

Earlier this year Surrey County Council conducted a wide-ranging review of the routes it subsidises, many of them in rural areas. Hambledon Parish Council and many of its residents responded to this, stressing how important the 503 is to the village.

SCC is now proposing specific reductions and cuts to some services in the county, beginning with routes operated by Abellio, Arriva and Metrobus companies. These changes are now being consulted on, with SCC due to make a final decision on June 23 and the revised services coming into affect on August 29.

None of these services are in the Waverley Borough Council area. Our turn will come.

If you want to see details of the current proposals, or comment on them, please click the following link:

https://www.surreysays.co.uk/e-i-directorate-programme-group/closed-copy-of-ltr

village busOver the next two years Surrey CC will look at other bus operators as their contracts come up for renewal, including Stagecoach which operates many of the services in the Waverley area, including the 503.  Further localised consultation is expected and proposals for cuts and/or reductions are likely to follow.

Surrey CC is looking to reduce the £8.9 million it spends each year subsidising bus services.

The 503 is Hambledon’s only public transport service, operating twice in each direction on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It provides a vital link for those without cars, often the elderly or infirm, to reach supermarket, banks and surgeries.

Hambledon Parish Council will continue to press for the retention of the 503 and will make sure that residents are aware of any future public consultation.

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Hambledon – A Celebration In Flowers

flowersContributors are invited to take part in a Celebration in Flowers, which is to take place at St Peter’s Church on Saturday and Sunday, June 20th and 21st.

The aim is to celebrate in flowers the many and diverse clubs and organisations in the village. Individual contributions are also welcome.

Please come along to the church at 10.30am on Saturday May 30th to discuss your entry and the space allocated to it.

The church will be open all day on Thursday and Friday, 18th and 19th June to set up displays.  Please include a label with your name or organisation.

Regardless of whether you are taking part please come along over the display weekend – between 10am and 6pm – to enjoy the floral celebrations, especially if your organisation is represented.  The church, which plans to produce a handout listing the contributors, will be open both days for cream teas.  Sunday services will be held as usual at 9am and 10.30am.

If you have any queries before the contributors meeting on May 30th please contact Sue Blackman on 01428 683871.

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Hambledon Parish Council Election – Results

The result of the Hambledon Parish Council election has been announced. It is as follows, reproduced here from the Waverley Borough Council website.

Hambledon (7 seats), 73.6% turnout

Name Description Votes Elected?
ANDERSON John Huxley Fordyce   194 Elected
GROVE Mary   221 Elected
HALL David John Logan Independent 153  
JONES Karen Elizabeth   200 Elected
PARRY Mike   218 Elected
PATTINSON Paul George Murray   177 Elected
PAYNE Stewart Frank   224 Elected
STONELEY Colin Desmond   176  
UNDERWOOD Philip John   177 Elected

 

Nine villagers were seeking election for the seven places.  These included six members of the previous parish council – John Anderson, Karen Jones, Mike Parry, Paul Pattinson, Stewart Payne and Philip Underwood.  All have been re-elected.

Also seeking election were Mary Grove, David Hall and Colin Stoneley.  Mary Grove was elected and will be welcomed to Hambledon Parish Council at its next meeting on May 26.  The council has already expressed its gratitude to Peter Spall, who has stood down.

The parish council elections were held last Thursday (May 7), but the count did not take place until Saturday.

Waverley Borough Council elections were also held last Thursday, with the count taking place on Friday. The result for the Witley and Hambledon ward is as follows.

 

Borough Election result for Witley and Hambledon

2015 result 
Witley & Hambledon (2 vacancies)		 Turnout: 74.4%
EGAN Rosaleen UKIP 374  
HALL David John Logan Independent 515  
HOLDER Nick Conservative 1,414 Elected
JAMES Anna Catherine Conservative 1,204 Elected
MANNING Yvonne Wendy Labour 386  

Conservative hold

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Superfast Broadband – for those haven’t got it… yet

Screen Shot 2015-05-06 at 17.12.32Update from Webmaster,

Superfast broadband should be covering all of Surrey by now – that was the ambition of Surrey County Council back in 2014 – with promises of 99.7% being able to get 15Mbps or above.    That promise had a caveat that wasn’t mentioned by Surrey Council… that they aim to enable only cabinets –  not all residents‘ homes.  Those living more than 2km from a cabinet won’t be getting Superfast. That leaves large numbers of residents of Surrey discovering that they can’t get Superfast broadband and there is no plan for them to be enabled in the immediate future.  In our area there are homes to the East (Vann) and North of Hambledon (Merry Harriers area) that are beyond 2km from the cabinet on the Petworth Road – Superfast Surrey (Surrey County Council) say they are reviewing this (see letter below).  Areas of Milford are also excluded.

Screen Shot 2015-03-23 at 15.07.02Residents of Feathercombe, Hydestile and Hydon Heath are also too far from their cabinets and specifically excluded from Surrey CC intervention.  Those residents have clubbed together to pay Openreach a substantial amount to install new cabinets to bring the promised Superfast to those hamlets… in Spring 2016.  Their self-funded superfast project website is here: www.GU8Superfast.co.uk

So the Surrey CC dream is not quite reality.  There is a faint glimmer of hope for those left behind. Surrey County Council have announced their OMR (Open Market Review) – a plan to see who is left behind without Superfast capability.   One could ask how they commissioned many millions of pounds worth of broadband expenditure without knowing the scope of their intervention.

In response to one of our determined residents, Superfast Surrey sent this letter below. That resident also urges everyone to spend 30 seconds filling in the form to tell Openreach that they haven’t got Superfast capability: http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/faq/contact-us-form.aspx

Surrey County Council has now finished the main phase of its Superfast Surrey Broadband programme to bring fibre broadband to those areas in the county not included in commercial roll outs.
In December 2014 it was decided that before any further decisions could be made with regards to the outcome of slow speeds review, the Superfast Surrey team had to focus on the completion of the main phase of the contract and identify options for using any remaining funds to enable a decision to be made on the future scope of the programme.
Options were developed that not only acknowledged Openreach’s analysis of premises with slow speeds in the Superfast Surrey deployment area but also took into account feedback from residents and businesses in the commercial rollout area that were not covered by the fibre network or who were on slow speeds.

Continue reading →

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Play Cricket For Hambledon – New Players Welcome

altHambledon Cricket Club has been busy preparing for the 2015 season and is seeking more players to join its league and friendly teams and also more juniors.

Helpers are also required to coach the junior members and to umpire matches and score for both senior and junior teams.

Hambledon Cricket Club has one of the most picturesque grounds in the county and is a lovely place to play village cricket.  Players and spectators alike will enjoy a visit to the community-run Hambledon Village Shop, which overlooks the cricket green.

Junior coaching sessions take place on Saturday mornings and Monday evenings.  The first team plays competitive matches in the local Village League and the Friendly XI has a more relaxed approach.

More details about the club can be found at www.pitchero.com/clubs/hambledonccsurrey

For further information please phone Tony Strudwick on 01483 428564

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Hambledon Parish Council Nominations Announced

Screen Shot 2015-04-21 at 18.21.23Hambledon will have a contested parish council election for the first time since 2003.

Candidates for the seven places have been announced by the Returning Officer at Waverley Borough Council. Nine prospective councillors, including six members of the outgoing parish council, have been nominated.

The full list can be found here:

http://www.waverley.gov.uk/news/article/1074/town_and_parish_candidates_announced

Elections take place on May 7th, the same day as Parliamentary and Waverley Borough Council elections.  The Polling Station will be at the Village Hall.

Of the outgoing parish council, Peter Spall is standing down.  Outgoing chairman John Anderson, his deputy Philip Underwood, Stewart Payne, Paul Pattinson, Mike Parry and Karen Jones are seeking re-election.

David Hall, Mary Grove and Colin Stoneley are seeking election.

Electors can vote for up to seven candidates on Polling Day and the ballot form will list candidates in alphabetical order.

Robin Pellow, the Returning Officer for Waverley has also announced the candidates for the Borough Council and the South West Surrey Parliamentary constituency.

These can be found at:

http://www.waverley.gov.uk/news/article/1073/borough_candidates_announced

and

http://www.waverley.gov.uk/news/article/1072/parliamentary_election_candidates

Five candidates are seeking election to the two places on the Witley and Hambledon ward of Waverley Borough Council.

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Housing Needs Survey

The latest Housing Needs Survey, carried out across all households in Hambledon, has just been published and full details are available here:

hambledon HNS

housing needs JW report

The first is a copy of the survey and the second is an executive summary.

The survey was carried out by Surrey Community Action at the request of Hambledon Parish Council and it follows the acquisition of Orchard Farm by the English Rural Housing Association.

Of the 314 survey questionnaires sent out 261 households responded – an 83.12 per cent return. Across the country a 10 to 35 per cent return rate is common, so the Hambledon response has been described as “outstanding” and demonstrates how engaged the village is.

Continue reading →

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Oakhurst Cottage reopening

Oakhurst, the National Trust-owned 16th Century farm labourer’s cottage, reopens next Wednesday (April 1St) after six months of restoration and repairs.

The process has unearthed much new and fascinating information about the history of the cottage, a remarkable survival of a largely-unaltered humble agricultural worker’s dwelling into 21st Century Surrey.

As usual, village volunteers will be responsible for showing visitors around the cottage and have been briefed on the restoration and research. Even those who have viewed the property before will find it worth another visit.

altFrom its beginning at the end of the 16th Century the little cottage has survived, not without alterations, but substantially much as it would have appeared to Hambledon residents 200 years ago.  It has been furnished in the manner of a mid-19th Century farm labourer’s home and provides an authentic impression of rural working class life of the time.

The cottage was given to the National Trust in 1954 by the Allfrey sisters, who let it out to tenants Elsie and Ted Jeffrey. Elsie died in 1978 and Ted continued to live in the cottage until he died in 1983.

Its un-modernised state gave the National Trust the idea of opening it to the public. Since 1985 Hambledon volunteers have formed a rota to show people around by appointment.

Last autumn the National Trust embarked on extensive renovations using specialist craftsmen and women. Sagging roof timbers were repaired or replaced and damaged plaster was attended to using traditional methods of lime plastering.

At the same time the National Trust undertook research in Oakhurst Cottage’s history, producing a timeline that is now contained in a pamphlet available to visitors. The work was overseen by NT curator Sarah Woodcock and the research was carried out by Sophie Clarke.

The traditional cottage garden is currently being restored by Matt Phelps, gardener at the nearby National Trust property, Winkworth Arboretum.

Oakhurst Cottage is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturday and Sundays between 2pm and 5pm from April to September and until 4pm in October. It is also open on Bank Holiday Mondays.

Advance booking is required by telephoning 01483 208936 or emailing [email protected]

Further details can be found at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/oakhurstcottage

and on our village website, with a comprehensive gallery of photographs of the restoration and the interior of Oakhurst.

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Dunsfold Aerodrome – transport review

Screen Shot 2015-03-21 at 17.08.09EIGHT rural West Surrey parishes – including Hambledon – have united to commission a transport review to examine the impact any significant new development at Dunsfold Aerodrome would have on narrow local roads and lanes.

The review, carried out by Guildford-based road and transport consultants Motion, was published this week and concludes that the site is unsustainable for any substantial housing. (A report on this appears in this week’s Haslemere Herald March 5th edition)

The Motion study confirms that the reasons why Waverley Borough Council rejected an “eco-town” proposal for the site in 2009 – a decision supported on appeal by the Secretary of State – remain sound when assessed against the key principles of current Government policy.

The parish councils of Dunsfold, Alfold, Bramley, Busbridge, Chiddingfold, Hambledon, Hascombe and Wonersh, reacting to concerns of villagers, asked Motion to examine two recent traffic assessments, one by Surrey County Council and the other conducted on behalf of the aerodrome’s owners, DAL.

Continue reading →

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Superfast Broadband coming to Hydestile and Feathercombe

Screen Shot 2015-03-23 at 15.07.02The GU8 Community Superfast Project has now launched a website to keep residents updated on developments of the broadband project. www.GU8Superfast.co.uk

Updates to the website will chart the progress of Openreach in the privately funded project to build two new fibre broadband cabinets at Hydestile and Hydon Heath. We’ll have some news on Openreach’s next steps in the near future.

The campaign team has also produced a number of viral videos:

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Bus Review – What Parish Is Doing To Keep The 503

The consultation period for Surrey County Council’s Local Transport Review has ended and the authority is now considering the future of subsidised rural bus routes, including the 503 Hambledon service.

Details of the review process can be found here – https://www.surreysays.co.uk/e-i-directorate-programme-group/closed-copy-of-ltr

As part of the consultation Hambledon Parish Council made a submission in support of retaining the village’s only bus service, which is operated by Stagecoach but subsidised by SCC. Here is what the council said.

alt“Hambledon Parish Council is grateful for the opportunity to comment on the Local Transport Review following the request by Surrey County Council for feedback from stakeholders.

The Parish Council is aware of the pressures faced by SCC with regard to funding and the need to review spending.

However, it urges SCC to ensure that Hambledon’s only bus service, the 503, remains in operation as it is a vital means of transport for a number of our more vulnerable residents, mostly elderly, living alone and without cars. (It also hopes for the retention, as a daily service, of the 71.)

Please consider this: Hambledon is a small rural village. It has a community store, but otherwise no shops, no banks, no supermarkets and no doctor or dentist surgeries. None of the above are within practical walking distance. To access any of these residents must use a car, or the bus.

The 503 only operates three days a week, twice in each direction.  This means it cannot be used by commuters or schoolchildren. So its passenger numbers are inevitably limited and this must be taken into account when assessing its financial viability. Continue reading →

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Orchard Farm Open Meeting Tonight At 8pm Village Hall

Tonight there is an important opportunity for Hambledon residents to express their views – for, against or anything in between – on the proposal to build 17 new homes, 12 designated as affordable, on land at Orchard Farm, off Wormley Lane.

The meeting has been arranged by Hambledon Parish Council so that it can hear the opinions of residents before it responds to an anticipated planning application by the English Rural Housing Association, which has bought Orchard Farm.

altThe ERHA presented its plans at a display at the Village Hall two weeks ago. Now is the chance to let the parish council know what you think.

As yet no planning application has been submitted and feedback from tonight’s meeting will be passed on to the ERHA before it does so.

The council will open the meeting with a briefing on Affordable Housing and on the Housing Needs Survey, currently in circulation in the village.  ERHA will not be in attendance, nor will representatives of Waverley Borough Council, the planning authority.

Continue reading →

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Nursery School Accounts – Can You Help?

Hambledon Nursery School is looking for an accountant to review its 2014 financial accounts on a voluntary basis.

The school, on the site of the former village state school, was opened after a community initiative and has become a successful venture with an outstanding Ofsted rating, providing pre-school learning for children aged between two and five.

It is run as a business managed by a charitable trust for the benefit of the local community. Please see the school advert below.

ARE YOU AN ACCOUNTANT?

Your local village nursery school is looking for someone with experience of reviewing financial accounts to review their accounts for the year ending August 2014.  It is likely to take a few hours of your time and would be most appreciated…

If you are able and willing to support this local charity please contact Nicola Collett at the nursery school.

Telephone: 01428 684892

Email: [email protected]

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Parish Council visits Orchard Farm

WRITTEN BY HAMBLEDON PARISH COUNCIL | 26 JANUARY 2015

Hambledon Parish councillors have visited Orchard Farm for an inspection ahead of the public meeting on Wednesday to hear the views of villagers about the proposal to build 17 homes – 12 of them affordable – on the 9.5 acre site.

The meeting, at the Village Hall starting at 8pm, is an opportunity for Hambledon residents to express their views on the proposal, which has been put forward by the English Rural Housing Association. ERHA acquired Orchard Farm last October. It had been on the market for several years.

ERHA displayed it proposals for the site, off Wormley Lane, at a presentation 10 days ago in the Village Hall. It has not yet submmitted a planning application to Waverley Borough Council. The parish council wishes to hear the views of villagers before it makes a formal comment when an application is submitted.

The site visit was offered by ERHA and photographs taken during the inspection can be seen on the “Photos” section of this website. Click on https://www.hambledonsurrey.co.uk/hambledon-photos.html

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Hambledon power cuts – again

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More than 17,000 customers of Scottish and Southern Energy – including the whole of Hambledon – were left without electricity last night after a major power failure across the Godalming area.

The outage, on one of the coldest nights of the year, happened just after 6pm when many people would have been preparing evening meals. In some areas such as Hydestile power was not restored until around 10.30pm.

In the past SSE has blamed adverse weather but this was not the cause of last night’s failure and an SSE spokesman admitted on BBC Radio Surrey this morning that the cause was still unknown. He said engineers were on site last night and again today looking for the reason.

He apologised for the disruptiuon which occured despite SSE “investing a lot of money in the network to minimise the risk of power cuts.” BBC listeners expressed their anger that power failed again after the major disruptions of last year.

The SSE spokesman said that the company has been in touch with vulnerable customers to ensure that they were OK.

Hambledon Parish Council has expressed its concern to SSE over power failures in the village and was assured of better communication in the future. However, at the time of writing this, SSE had not responded to emails from this website asking for an explanation and the SSE website offers no information to customers, other than advice on how to buy SSE services.

Did anyone in Hambledon receive a call from SSE? What was your experience when you contacted SSE on its emergency number? Did you get helpful information? Please let the website team know by using the forum or the contact section.

In the meantime, if you or anyone you know, needs back-up phones that do not require electricty to work, wind-up torches and other emergency equipment, please contact Hambledon’s emergency planning co-ordinator Stewart Payne on 07831 393561. Please refer to an earlier news item on this website about emergency planning for further details.