Summer 2015 Number 195 In this edition: Lingfield's Oil: Pump, up and away Election facts and figures Local Summer events Community News is distributed free to Lingfield, Crowhurst, Dormansland, Dormans Park, Felcourt and parts of Newchapel, Haxted, Horne, and Baldwins Hill Community News Team Contact E: [email protected] A: c/o Lingfield & Dormansland Community Centre, High St, Lingfield, RH7 6AB Editorial Manager / Chairman Editorial Treasurer Advertising Secretary Distribution Production Website: Edward Pearcey 07828 993 376 David Allonby 01342 832 514 Michael Pocock 01342 832 685 Edward Pearcey 07828 993 376 Graham Marks 01342 832 529 Gillian Pocock 01342 832 685 Grace Porter 01342 833 841 Cox and Co Creative 01342 836 564 www.communitynewslingfield.co.uk Community News is a non-profit making free newspaper published four times each year. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the editorial team. Donations, although always welcome, do not guarantee publication of material submitted by the donor. The next edition of Community News is the Autumn publication. Contributions for that issue should be emailed to: [email protected] or sent to: Community News, c/o Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre, High Street, Lingfield, RH7 6AB not later than Sunday 5 July 2015 please. Cover With reserves of oil being discovered far below our feet, could our area change in the not too distant future? This issue of Community News has been printed by: Eden River Press Ltd 01883 712 099 www.edenriverpress.co.uk 2 Editorial Hello friends, readers and residents, and welcome to the latest edition of Lingfield’s Community News, run by, with, and for you. We should start by saying a big ‘thank you’ to the organisers of the Lingfield Marathon Fun Run, with its committee recently passing on a grant of £100 to our little publication. We were absolutely delighted to receive the money (some cash was left over after the recent purchase of a new minibus), and we’ll be sure to put it to good use. Our hard-working treasurer, Michael Pocock, was there to receive the donation on Friday 20 February at the Victoria Sports & Social Club, and made a short address to those present explaining how the money will be used. As we’re sure you've noticed, we are running slightly more adverts in each publication than has been the case previously. There’s two reasons for this: one, it brings in some much-needed revenue. Although the publication is produced and distributed by a bunch of happy volunteers, we do have printing costs to cover. Making a substantial profit is not on our agenda (we’re never likely to) but at the same time this valuable and informative publication can’t run at a loss. It’s just not sustainable like that. Second, we also want to give traders and services in Lingfield and the surrounding areas more of a voice, and a chance to tell the people exactly what they can offer. We’re going to be making a big push to get more and more local businesses in the area advertising with us over the next few months. However, CN will always be editorial based, and never subservient to advertising, with the adverts always taking up less pages than comments, stories, news pieces, features and useful information. The news that Lingfield could be sitting on (or very near) billions of barrels of oil pretty much came out of nowhere, although any development of the resource will take years, with viability and cost issues sure to play their part (see page 7 article). Also, from a technical perspective, it’s likely that only a fraction of the total reserve (100 billion barrels, if you believe some reports) would ever be recoverable. Perhaps of more interest (should things ever move on) is the location of the refinery needed to process such a sizable hydrocarbon resource. Convention has it that you refine crude oil as near to its intended consumers as possible, and with the southeast of England being the most energy hungry region of the country it makes sense to build a large processing facility there. 3 4 But where? Rural Surrey or Sussex? Or perhaps a little further down, nearer the coast. And another question arises: how will this discovery affect the possible expansion at Gatwick? Building a vast refinery near a vastly expanded airport raises all sorts of environmental, structural and safety issues, so Crawley may already be out of the question. Speaking of which, as the decision on the Southeast’s airport expansion nears, those possible parliamentarians in the area seeking our vote (see article on page 9) have suddenly made their feelings known, citing arguments about infrastructure, investment and quality of life. We here at CN feel that any decision to expand Gatwick (with the associated inevitable increase in aircraft movements) must also include a thorough, independent examination of regional air quality. We’ve learned that The Old Cage public house (currently under refurbishment) will undergo a change of use, and become a small supermarket. While we’re not opposed to another food outlet opening up, the village could really do with a little more retail variety. We’ll have more information on this issue in the coming months. After saying a fond farewell to the village’s former Postmaster (enjoy your retirement Roger), the all-new, open plan postal facilities have opened in the Seven Day Grocers on Godstone Road, with Raj Limbachia taking on the role of Postmaster. Opening hours will be extended (7:30am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, and Sundays 7:30am to 5pm), and a full range of postal services will be offered. The extended opening hours are a distinct advantage for Lingfield’s commuters, many of whom arrive back well after most of the village’s retail outlets have closed. Perhaps extended (or at least varied) opening hours are something other outlets could consider. The Editorial Team 5 . . . . . Osteopathy Sports and Remedial Massage Chiropody and Podiatry Acupuncture Reflexology Open Mon-Sat, evening appointments available All major insurers accepted 01342 833 844 www.lingfieldosteopaths.co.uk Contact us 21 Godstone Road, Lingfield, RH7 6BW Lingfield Running Club We are a small and friendly adult running club, based at the Victoria Sports and Social Club (VSSC), High Street, Lingfield. Newcomers are welcome - join us for training or just a social run (varying distances). We meet at the VSSC on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7pm and Saturday mornings at 10am. Commencing 20th May at 7:30pm, for 8 weeks, we will be running our free summer beginners' sessions in St Piers Lane. Come along or enquire with the Club for further details. More information: [email protected] 6 There’s black gold in them thar hills … although maybe not as much as we thought UK Oil & Gas Investments (UKOG), the exploration company which reported that up to 100 billion barrels of oil was potentially available within the Weald Basin, has now eased back on its mid April statement. Oil volumes in the Horse Hill-1 well, estimated by Houston-based exploration firm Nutech in a report delivered to UKOG, “should not be considered as either contingent or prospective resources or reserves”, according to Sky News report, citing a UKOG statement. UKOG, which reported the massive barrel upgrade to the oil deposit near Gatwick Airport (labelled as “world-class”, possibly creating thousands of jobs, and having the “potential for significant daily oil production”), has admitted it’s not yet in a position to properly access the size of the find. “We think we’ve found a very significant discovery here, probably the largest [onshore in the UK] in the last 30 years, and we think it has national significance,” said Stephen Sanderson, UKOG’s chief executive, speaking to the BBC at the time of the initial announcement. UKOG, which holds a 20% stake in the Horse Hill development, saw it shares rise by more than 300% on the news, although they’ve since fallen. It drilled the well last year, and said that Nutech had estimated that recovery of the oil would be limited at between 3% and 15% of the total. Nutech also confirmed that the controversial extraction technique of fracking would not be used. Concerns over fracking led to large-scale protests at Balcombe, West Sussex, in 2013. The Weald Basin — sitting across a vast swath of southern England, with Lingfield placed directly on top — has a long history of oil and gas exploration, with sizable coal, shale gas, and oil discoveries made over several decades. The very first oil and gas deposits were encountered purely by accident in the late 1800s, and currently, there are around a dozen oil production sites across the region. A British Geological Survey report last year estimated that the region may have shale oil resources of up to 8.5 billion barrels, with a central estimate of 4.4 billion barrels. The North Sea has produced about 45 billion barrels of oil in 40 years, although reserves in many of the fields are now past their 50% depletion rate. 7 LINGFIELD PLUMBING PLUMBING PROBLEM? LINGFIELD ROOFING ESTABLISHED OVER 30 YEARS Call an expert for a no obligation Quotation A professional reliable roofing service 30 years experience in Domestic and Commercial plumbing and heating All types of roofing including Chimneys Guttering • Fascia work Stripping • New roofs Tiles & Slates replaced Flat Roofing A complete roofing service to both Domestic and Commercial properties City and Guild Qualified Insured For a professional and courteous service MOBILE 07889 845052 contact Lingfield Plumbing www.lingfieldroofing.co.uk [email protected] Tel: 01342 833 280 07711 434 569 52 SAXBYS LANE LINGFIELD SURREY RH7 6DR martin@lingfieldplumbing.co.uk TEL/FAX 01342 833018 8 Gatwick Airport: Local parliamentary candidates speak out As the May 2015 General Election fast approaches, five regional prospective parliamentary candidates have clashed over the future of UK aviation, arguing about the implications of expanding (or maybe not) Heathrow or Gatwick. Crispin Blunt, Reigate’s Conservative candidate, said the economic value of expanding Heathrow was £100 billion more than Gatwick, with Gatwick’s transport infrastructure “completely incapable of supporting the expansion” in the time-scale proposed. Chris Oxlade, Crawley’s Labour candidate, said the planned infrastructure investment currently did not benefit the town, and more discussions were needed, including on a Crawley bypass. Roger Arthur, Horsham’s UKIP candidate, backed Heathrow’s expansion, citing lives “blighted by noise, overcrowding and pollution” should Gatwick get the nod. Horsham’s Liberal Democrat candidate, Morwen Millson, said infrastructure issues had to be dealt with, although accepted that local jobs were needed, including positions within science and technology. Finally, Reigate’s Green Party candidate, Jonathan Essex, opposed any expansion, claiming that around Gatwick there’s “congestion, noise, air pollution [and] we’ll have building on the green belt because of the housing required, [but] Heathrow has exactly the same issues.” It’s worth noting that back in 2010, the UK’s then newly elected coalition government agreed no new runways would be built at Heathrow, Gatwick, or Stansted. The Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) has already published a critical examination of the plans for a second runway, entitled Gatwick Unwrapped, in which it argues that there’s no need for a new runway because of the trend towards larger aircraft. There is also substantial local political opposition to any expansion, with Lingfield Parish Council having already written to the Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee, or GATCOM (a statutory advisory body with no powers to impose recommendations), to express its opposition to a second runway. The five were speaking during a BBC Surrey debate, and reported on BBC News in late April. The decision on the UK’s aviation capacity expansion is expected in the summer. 9 Your Letters The shops we’ve lost When I first moved to Lingfield in the 80s we had: two butcher shops; three independent grocery shops; two green grocers; a fabulous bakery; an amazing hardware shop that sold everything you could need, from nails to food mixers; a great gift shop; a smart clothes shop; a TV and radio shop; an old fashioned but charming haberdashers (‘a what?’ I hear you ask); two newsagents; a fish and chippie; one Indian restaurant; one Chinese takeaway; two estate agents; an independent garage in the High Street that actually filled your car up for you, and one that didn’t on the corner of Newchapel Road; a thriving post office; three hair salons; one barbershop (good old Phil); TWO banks - a Lloyds and a Barclays; an independent and knowledgeable Wine Merchant that held wine tastings and delivered; an independent travel agent; a video rental shop that doubled as a café; one very good antique shop; an independent chemist, where you didn’t have to queue for 15 minutes just to buy some generic medication or cosmetics; a lovely furniture shop (remember Cordreys anyone?); a wonderful florist, now closed after 32 years; one funeral director; one betting shop; three pubs; a pet shop; an old hotel and bar; a coal merchant; and later on, a fabulous shoe shop. What do we have now? A Co-op; a Costcutter; a Boots Pharmacy; two funeral directors; three Indian restaurants; one Thai restaurant; one Pizza restaurant; three cafes; a shoe repairer; three hairdressers; two barbers; an Osteopath, an Optician; a betting shop (they’ve hung in there!); a chip shop; a Chinese takeaway; a garage; two newsagents; NO banks; two estate agents; the shoe shop is closing and moving to East Grinstead, “No footfall, nobody comes to Lingfield to shop anymore”, a quote from the owner. That’s it! We are a night-time dining village, where you can get your hair cut beforehand, have a bet and book your funeral after drinking in one of the three gastropubs! Shop Local? I’d simply love to! Bridget Davey, received via our website www.communitynewslingfield.co.uk Lingfield’s pinch points: A“frustrated” driver speaks out Whose crazy decision was it to put the pinch points in such a place (Godstone Road)? What was a safe road is now more dangerous. I have lived in Lingfield for nearly 30 years, and seen many changes. I drive up and down that part of the road at least five times a week, and it’s just plain stupid to think that those pinch points have made a difference to the speed of cars — I’ve twice been overtaken between the points. Yes, I’m the 10 owner of a small Ka, but that doesn't mean I’m a dozy old driver, just a law-abiding one. In all my trips to the village, I’ve only ONCE seen a driver waiting to exit the Bay Trees development. What a joke! There’ve been numerous near misses, quite apart from the accidents. If Surrey County Council and Tandridge District Council would like a suggestion on what to spend their money, then here it is: Further down Godstone Road it enters Ray Lane, at the junction of Lingfield Common Road. That junction has seen more accidents (including fatal ones) than the rest of Lingfield. One has to sit at the junction of Lingfield Common Road waiting to turn right, hoping cars do not smash into the back of you. Why has nothing been done to make this situation safer? Fingers crossed we’ll see those stupid pinch points demolished. A very frustrated driver! (name and address supplied) CN EDITORIAL COMMENT: A petition of more than a thousand signatures in favour of getting rid of Lingfield’s pinch points went before a council committee at the end of last year, although councillors say nothing will be done for several months. In fact, Surrey County Council has even suggested that local parish councils come up with a solution to the problem. At the end of last year, Surrey County Council deferred a decision on the future of pinch points on Godstone Road for three months, despite a petition with 1,060 signatures calling for traffic calming measures to be removed. Pam Erskine, who lives in the Thatched Cottage adjacent to the pinch points was responsible for putting together the petition, and recently said, “What I would like to see happen now is for someone to install a camera with sound to record what is going on”. Have your say email: [email protected] write to us at: Community News, c/o Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre, High Street, Lingfield, RH7 6AB 11 Independent Financial Advisers and Wealth Managers We offer a complete range of independent financial advice. Our services include mortgages, investment planning (including ISAs), inheritance tax, pensions and retirement planning. We provide friendly, professional advice to a range of clients both in the UK and abroad. To arrange a no charge initial meeting please feel free to contact us by phone or email or, if you prefer, visit our office. The Press, Mount Pleasant Road, Lingfield RH7 6BH. 01342 837412 [email protected] www.hearndenassociates.co.uk 12 General Election 2015: East Surrey Facts and Figures Residents will be heading to the polls in May’s General Election. Conservative Sam Gyimah is the current MP having won first time out in 2010, when he replaced Peter Ainsworth, who had represented the constituency for the Conservatives since 1992. The Conservative Party has represented the constituency since its creation in 1931. Current candidates Nicola Dodgson (Green Party) Sam Gyimah (Conservative Party) David Lee (Liberal Democrats) Sandy Pratt (Independent) Matt Wilson (Labour Party) Helena Windsor (UKIP) Last time out (votes and percentage) Did not stand 31,007, 56.7% 14,133, 25.9% 383, 0.7% 4,925, 9% (Mathew Rodda) 3,770, 6.9% Not standing (Monster Raving Loony Party) 422, 0.8% (Martin Hogbin) Polling day: Thursday 7 May, from 7am-10pm Polling stations (relevant to readership): Newchapel Village Hall, Bones Lane, Newchapel (Burstow, Horne & Outwood, Horne) Centenary Room, St Johns Church, Dormansland (Dormansland & Felcourt) Felbridge Village Hall, Crawley Down Road, Felbridge (Felbridge) St Peter’s Hall, High Street, Limpsfield (Limpsfield) Lingfield & Dormansland Community Centre, High Street, Lingfield (Lingfield & Crowhurst) Crowhurst Village Hall, Crowhurst Lane, Crowhurst (Lingfield & Crowhurst) Tandridge Village Hall, Tandridge Lane, Tandridge (Oxted North & Tandridge) The count The election counts are being held at Oxted School, Bluehouse Lane, Oxted from 10:10pm, on Thursday 7 May. 13 Lingfield Parish Council Sewage Leak on Godstone Road Following a meeting on the 16 April at Bay Trees, off Godstone Road, with Southern Water, Affinity Sutton (who manage the estate), Asprey Homes (who built the estate) and the Environment Agency, it was agreed to seek an immediate order from Surrey County Council to allow Asprey Homes to dig up the road and investigate the sewage leak. This will happen in the next couple of days. If the leak is found to be coming from their pipe work it will make the necessary repairs. If the problem comes from its source, then the Environment Agency will be called in to resolve the issue. Village Market It is with regret that we have to abandon plans to set up a village market. We have contacted numerous stall holders from other markets, and advertised in the local press, but still only have one stall holder prepared to commit. We are trying to understand why this has been so difficult and the most common reason is that people are committed elsewhere at the weekends. Lingfield Library The trust which looks after the building is being transferred to local people and this process is nearing completion. Surrey County Council has promised to keep the library staffed for one year but it is also implementing changes to the way it deploy staff. This means that our librarians may be required to move around the county. The directors of the new trust will try to persuade the Charity Commission to change the terms of the trust to allow some funds to be used to support staff. Annual Parish Assembly The Annual Parish Assembly was held on 13 April. It was well attended (almost 50 people) and discussions were lively. The issues causing concern at the moment are: the sewage problem near to the pinch points in Godstone Road; parking on pavements; staffing of the Library; speeding traffic in Felcourt and Church Road; dirty road signs; overgrown hedges in Blackberry Lane; the possibility of a second runway at Gatwick; flood prevention; narrowing of path in Town Hill; and the retail experience in the village. We will do what we can to address some of these problems. Some of them are out of our hands! Allotments We have a few vacancies at The Pollards. Please contact the clerk for further information. 14 Elections Six candidates have been nominated for the forthcoming elections. We have seven vacancies so this means they will be returned unopposed and we will not have an election for the parish council this time around. Lisa Bangs and Sonia Perkins have decided not to stand for a further term and we thank them for their hard work over the past eight years. The rest of the council remains unchanged apart from the addition of Liz Lockwood, who we welcome to the team. The Old Cage public house The owner of The Old Cage has informed us that he is not intending to re-open as a pub or restaurant. He has advised Tandridge District Council that he intends to exercise his permitted development rights to change the building to retail use. He is currently in negotiations with a couple of national operators with a view to leasing the building for use as a small supermarket. Grants We have entered the new financial year and now have some money to give to local organisations for projects or capital expenditure. If you would like a grant application please contact the clerk. The Parish Council meets on the last Tuesday of the month (except August and December) at 7:45pm at Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre. The Planning Committee of the Parish Council meets at 7pm on these dates and usually on another Tuesday mid month. A list of meeting dates can be found on the website and on notice boards. Members of the public are welcome to attend all meetings unless otherwise stated. The parish office is situated in Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre, High Street, Lingfield, Surrey, RH7 6AB and is open to the public between 10am and 12 noon Mondays to Thursdays. Contact details: Parish Clerk - Mrs Fay Elwood Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre High Street Lingfield Surrey RH7 6AB T: 01342 835 557 E: [email protected] www.lingfieldparishcouncil.gov.uk 15 Dormansland Parish Council Community Resilience in Dormansland The new Community Resilience Officer for Surrey County Council, Liz Fowler, is now in post and is looking forward to working with residents, community groups and organisations towards making Surrey a more resilient place. Resilience - simply being prepared - is something we all need to think about for ourselves, neighbours and our communities so that the unexpected doesn’t catch us unawares. Developing a simple resilience plan, especially to known risks such as flooding, can make all the difference in preventing a crisis becoming a disaster. Your Parish Council will be working with Liz to look at resilience in Dormansland and we are keen to know who in the community would like to be involved. We will need volunteers who can help out in a crisis, but also who can help with things like monitoring and reporting issues such as flooding on the roads, or ditches that need clearance for example. Let us know your interest by contacting the Clerk. If you would like personal advice on being prepared for severe weather of flooding Liz will be happy to advise and can be contacted on T: 01483 518884 E: [email protected] or fl[email protected] Grants The Parish Council has for a number of years awarded grants to local organizations for the benefit of the residents of Dormansland. If your organization is interested in applying for a grant from the Parish Council, please note that the Parish Council considers applications at its monthly Parish Council meeting in September and the deadline for applications will be on 31August. Application forms can be downloaded from the website. Alternatively please contact the Clerk, who will be able to send a form to you Bulky rubbish clearance weekend – 2015 A refuse vehicle will be parked at the times and locations listed below. These are to help residents get rid of items of household rubbish that can’t be taken by the normal refuse collection. Saturdays 25th April, 12th September and 5th December 7:30am - 10:45am at Hollow Lane garages 12 noon - 2:15pm at Newhache car park 16 Make sure your trees aren’t causing a hazard If your trees grow beside a public road, please remember to keep them cut back so they don’t cause an obstruction to the highway. The Parish Council has received reports that high-sided vehicles have suffered damage due to overgrown trees and they do present a real danger. The Parish Council has also received complaints about untrimmed hedges in the Village. The Parish Council would urge everyone to please pay attention to their boundaries as overhanging growth causes a danger to pedestrians, particularly the elderly, disabled and those with pushchairs or young children. Damaged Verges The Parish Council has recently undertaken a review of some of the damaged verges in Dormansland and noticed that cars and lorries are driving over/parking on/parking too close to the verges and, as a result, the grass turns into an unsightly muddy mess. Please can care be taken when parking vans and cars in the Village? The next meetings of Dormansland Parish Council will be: Wednesday 20 May Wednesday 3 June Wednesday 1 July They’re all in Dormansland Memorial Hall, at 7:30pm, and if you have anything that you would like to bring to the attention of the Council, you are very welcome to attend. Contact details: Parish Clerk - Lynn Blake T: 01342 833 989 E: [email protected] www.dormansland.org.uk H & G O D DA RD LTD SM I T TREE SURGEONS FREE QUOTATIONS • QUALIFIED & INSURED Tel. 01732 867605 Mob. 07724 300452 FELLING & DISMANTLING STORM DAMAGE • HEDGING CANOPY REDUCTIONS & THINNING PLANTING SCHEMES WOOD CHIP • CABLE BRACING CHAINSAW LOG MILLING [email protected] 17 www.smithgoddard.uk Yo our local one stop car re epaire ers s ✓ Services & Repairs (all makes) ✓ Delivery & collecttion Locally ✓ Body work/ Car sales ✓ Tyres and batteteries fittteed free 01732 866544 while y you wait! it Unit 6, Gardiner Business Park, Little Browns Lane, Edenbridge - Kent TN8 6LH 01883 742822 Ivy Park, Ivy Mill Lane, Godstone RH9 8NE 01883 730058 www.daysgarage.co.uk 17 Hurst Green Road, Oxsted RH8 9BS 18 MOT’ss ©SSED A brief history of the Blacksmiths Head Classic Vintage Car Day The best laid plans of mice and men! It all began seven years ago with general chat amongst friends around the bar inside the Blacksmiths Head. The suggestion to host a classic car day came from a highly respected local businessman, friend, and fellow drinker, Peter Quinn. Peter was renowned for his love of classic, vintage cars, of which he owned many, including a classic Bentley and Aston Martin DB4. Hence, the idea grew, with use of our grounds available, why not invite local people as well as those from far and wide to come and share their passion of classic cars and vehicles. In the first year — when we advertised locally and in the surrounding areas — we were amazed at how many of our local drinkers and business owners actually owned classic cars themselves, and so we immediately had their support, as they were happy to feature their own vehicles. It was a sunny afternoon when many came to view around 30 cars and enjoy a family day out, draped in the history of, and love for, classic vintage cars. Since then, we’ve hosted the Classic Vintage Car day here at the Blacksmiths Head as an annual event and fundraiser, supporting local charities including Headway and Riding for the Disabled. It has grown considerably in size too, with us showcasing around 200 vehicles in 2014. As we near our seventh annual event taking place on 28 June 2015, we’d like to welcome all who want to share their passion and interest of classic vehicles whilst offering good food and live music throughout the day. Sherwood Electrical Services Ltd. Your Local, Reliable Electrician Inspection & Testing, Home Buyers Act Certification, Re-wires, Contemporary Lighting, Fuse Board Upgrades, Power & TV Sockets Fully Qualified 17th ed. Contact Mark Sherwood - 07830 358 165 19 MAKING TRACKS & CURTAINS LTD Soft Furnishers - Est. 1988 Recently relocated from South London to Lingfield, Surrey Made to Measure... Curtains - Tracks - Poles - Blinds - Pelmets Cushions - Upholstery - Tiebacks - Trimmings Fabrics to order by the metre Bay Window Specialist Motorised Options & Integrated Cinema Systems Measuring & Fitting Service Domestic & Commercial projects undertaken Estimating - Consultations - Designing Tel. 01342 836 126 Email: [email protected] OR [email protected] Web: www.making-tracks.co.uk Butterflies & Bows Flowers, Balloons & Decorations, for All Occasions & All Venues Fresh Silk Flowers Arrangements Bouquets & Garlands Helium & Air Balloons Wall & Ceiling Decorations Table Centrepieces & Accessories, Tableware Drapes & Swags Disco, Stationery, Cakes, Catering, Marquees also available Personal, Reliable Service, Competitive prices Call Annabel Grange Telephone: 01342 892392 Mobile: 07717 527923 www.butterfliesandbows.co.uk 20 Did you know … There was a World War II RAF airfield at Horne In April 1944, a few acres of farmland alongside Bones Lane was used as a temporary airfield, used for seven weeks from May to June 1944 to support the Normandy landings. The RAF was anxious to acquire additional airfields in the southeast of England, known as ALG’s, or Advanced Landing Grounds. Horne was the only one in Surrey and was constructed in only three months. It consisted of two grass runways, perimeter tracks, storage and tented accommodation. Over 300 RAF personnel from England, Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Poland served at Horne in three squadrons (130, 303 and 402). The airfield was later used as a V1 barrage balloon site for one month and decommissioned in November 1944. The airfield is commemorated by a small memorial on Bones Lane. Save The Date, Your Village Needs You! Saturday 6 June 11am – 3pm Keep Calm and Carry On … to the Old Town Church Fete This year we are celebrating VE day, 70 years of Peace in Europe. The fete is held in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul’s and the Old Town, just opposite The Star pub in Church Road. As always there will be loads to do and fun for everyone. Please tell ALL your friends and family and come along for a good, old fashioned village fete. For more information, please visit: www.lingfieldparishchurch.org 21 Established 1993 The pest control service for KENT, SURREY AND SUSSEX Curtains, blinds and other soft furnishings made to your specific requirements. Alteration, fitting and hanging service available. “Solutions for all your pest problems” For a consultation please phone Nicola on:01342 834291 07702 474223 Contractors to Kent, Surrey & West Sussex County Councils PHONE 01342 835128 FAX 01342 835375 www.3countiespestcontrol.com [email protected] www.softoptions-interiors.co.uk 3 Counties Pest Control, Kromdraai House Talbot Road, Lingfield, RH7 6AD HomeFix We provide a friendly, reliable service to take care of all your property needs • Kitchens • Bathrooms • Structural alterations • Carpentry • Decorating • General maintenance & repairs • Decking & landscaping • Small jobs welcome FREE QUOTES 01342 833 976 07985 962 785 22 Come and see … a redecorated Lingfield Parish Church Come and see! This is the tantalising invitation Jesus extends to a couple of curious hangers-on, who are wondering who he is, with the account found in John’s gospel, Chapter 1. He doesn’t bombard them with facts or ideas – he just invites them to travel with him and see for themselves. This is an invitation with no strings attached, no catches, no two-year contracts after which the price goes up. It’s just there. Come and see! For the first time in a generation, Lingfield Parish Church has been redecorated, and it looks beautiful. Somehow, the new, light paint makes the building look even bigger, and with the sunshine now making an appearance, it’s well worth a visit. Do come along to our Open Day on 9 May, from 10:30-2:30, when there will be tours of the church, a chance to try your hand at bell ringing, refreshments and lunches, and lots more. Like Jesus’s invitation, your parish church is just there – just here – inviting you to come and see. And while the building is beautiful and important, it’s what goes on in it that really makes the difference. Everyone who sets foot through the door is on a journey; we haven’t all been spruced up like the building, but God accepts and loves us all as we are – whether that’s shiny and new or a bit frayed at the edges – and everyone matters. This summer, we have lots of wonderful things happening, including a Confirmation Service on 28 June. Do keep an eye on our publicity for details, and come and see for yourself. God bless, Kathryn Foot Health Practice Member of British Association of Foot Health Professionals Step by Step provides a highly professional foot care service, which is fully mobile, attending to all your foot care needs within the comfort of your own home. For an appointment or more information telephone: 07786 038149 – Michelle Hogan MCFHP 23 The Lingfield Horticultural Society On Friday 6 February John Buckingham — one of Kent’s most popular wildlife speakers — gave an illustrated talk on ‘The Natural History of South East England’, and there’s nobody better at imparting a wealth of knowledge in an entertaining and stimulating way. John is a widely published wildlife photographer, lecturer and tutor and his many talks include ‘Natural History of Woodlands’, ‘Flowers of the Countryside’ and ‘South African Wildlife: The Cape to the Kalahari’. At the meeting Kate Reynolds, our vice-president, started to take bookings for the summer visit on 7 June to Waddesdon Manor, a National Trust property in Buckinghamshire, featuring exceptional architecture, art collections and gardens. On March 6, Graham Spencer addressed the Society on ‘New Plants – the Future for your Garden’. Graham worked for fifteen years with specialist perennial grower, Croftway Nursery, where he built up a detailed knowledge of garden plants, in particular geranium, iris and salvia. During this time he helped to found the Sussex Group of the Hardy Plant Society, and also created and ran more than 50 highly successful plant fairs and garden shows. Graham established ‘Plants for Europe’ in 2003. It is now a leading independent plant breeders’ agency serving the European market and has breeders in other markets including North America, Eastern Europe and the Far East. Our Spring Show was held on Saturday 11 April in the Community Centre, featuring a glittering array of exhibits in the Daffodil and Narcissi classes, with many entries in each class. We also welcomed some new members at the show who demonstrated, by winning several classes, that they will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. This show is judged by members’ ballot and so illustrates the appreciation shown by members for the hard work of all the exhibitors. The show was followed by an illustrated talk by Chris Stewart, a member of the Guild of British Molecatchers, on ‘The Fascinating and Secret Life of the Mole’. Never was a talk more aptly named, for the audience was held spellbound by the life and times of the gentleman in black velvet. Not quite the amiable soul of 24 ‘Wind in the Willows’ but fascinating nonetheless. Members of the society are now busy preparing for the annual Plant Sale, to be held in the Lingfield Day Centre on Saturday 9 May, starting at 10am, so please make sure that you put this date in your diary. There are bargains to be had and you will be supporting the work of the society as well as providing your own garden with the flowers and vegetables for that magnificent summer display! All our meetings take place in the Lingfield Day Centre, starting at 8pm, and we always extend a warm welcome to people (of all ages) who might be considering joining the Society. Our next meeting is on Friday 15 May when Mrs Lesley Chamberlain will talk about ‘Garden Design made Simple’. If you’re interested in finding out more about the society at any time then please contact our Membership Secretary, Alan Reynolds, on 01342 833 155. Visit our website to find out more www.lingfieldhortsoc.org 25 HEAD & SOUTHON ESTABLISHED OVER 150 YEARS COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL BUILDING CONTRACTORS ALL TYPES OF BUILDING WORK GENERAL MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS DECORATING PLUMBING SMALL JOBS VERY WELCOME 18 EAST GRINSTEAD ROAD, LINGFIELD, SURREY, RH7 6EP TELEPHONE: 01342 833833 EMAIL [email protected] 26 Down on the Allotment At the time of writing I’m recovering from having made the most of a glorious Easter weekend. Spring always seems to start with a bang, and overnight I have to change my mind-set from ‘it’s still winter’ to ‘go go go!’ I planted my potatoes on Good Friday. Let’s see if the old lore about planting the potatoes whilst the devil is busy elsewhere on this day hold up: if I’m blessed with scab free potatoes that wow both the plate and the show judge, then I shall know for sure! Carrots, beetroot and parsnips were all sown as seeds in the ground. Cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli and brussel sprouts have all been planted out under netting to protect them from the wood pigeons. I’m pleased to say the onions, shallots and garlic that I planted last month are all growing well and will soon benefit from the winter’s wood ash saved up from the fire especially for their delectation. To my fellow show competitors, I say my sweet peas are miserable and barely growing; to everyone else, they are actually racing up their canes after spending the winter slowly growing away in their pots. I’m sure that April and May will see the quest for greenhouse space continue. Tomatoes will need potting on, with sowings of French beans, runner beans, sweet corn, courgettes and melons. They will all need protection until late May - by which time every inch of the greenhouses, the conservatory, and as many windowsills as I can get away with, will all be covered with plants ready for the big turning point of the gardener’s year… the end of frosts! After all that frenetic activity it’s a huge relief that in June and July everything is in the ground and growing away. There’s still sowing to be done; crops such as lettuces need to be resown every four weeks to ensure a continuous crop. There’ll be much watering and weeding too, and defences will be necessary for just about every crop; there will be fleece over leeks to stop leek moth and over carrots against carrot fly; a whole cage goes around sweetcorn to stop the foxes eating the ripe cobs (and trampling down all the others in the process). I’m sure there will be challenges, successes and failures. There will be warm strawberries in June, probably alongside empty spaces where the parsnips should have come up. Hopefully, I will have a number of successes in the Lingfield Horticultural Society Summer Show on 11 July… I can only dream! The show is a friendly, traditional village show with flowers, vegetables, cookery and handicrafts classes. The show is also open to all, entrants and spectators alike: so, as such as it pains me to invite more competition, go ahead, put it in your diary, and I’ll see you there! 27 The Lingfield Nature Reserves New Agreement with Natural England What do we have that Natural England value? • Lots of wildflowers (species rich grasslands) • Traditional orchard • Scrub • Woodland (planted on site of ancient woodland) • A variety of hedges • Habitat for invertebrates (we have 26 species of butterfly alone) • Song thrushes, linnets, starlings, bullfinches, yellowhammers, kestrels and yes, some GREAT CRESTED NEWTS What does it want us to do? • Increase the wildflowers • Manage the area near the ponds specifically for Great Crested Newts • Get rid of the New Zealand Pygmyweed in the ponds • Manage the weed in the ponds so there’s neither too much or little • Make sure there is always a variety of hedge heights • Link hedges to woodland • Keep wide areas of long grass by hedges How do we increase the wildflower numbers? • Keep mowing and removing the hay, usually once a year • Rake up cut grass in species-rich areas to stop smothering and lower fertility • Remove top soil or create areas of bare sub soil (ditches, scrapes, spoil from more ponds) to give flowers more opportunities to self seed • Hope our own little army of rotovators (the moles) keep doing their work How should we manage our hedges? • Cut one third each year • Plant more (they don’t need to be big or create fields – we’re not a farm) How should we manage the pond area for Great Crested Newts? • Manage an area up to 200 metres from the ponds • Don’t be too tidy • Keep areas of long grass which are not mown every year • Create refuges by piling logs, branches and brash • Dig more ponds 28 How do we manage field margins? • Leave six metre wide strips of long grass next to hedges and only mow once every three years More reflections from the Chairman: Reptiles My sightings of reptiles have all been of grass snakes. I saw two hunting at night in the ponds when I did my great crested newt survey (it’s disconcerting seeing a snake staring up at you out of the depths). I also saw one in the orchard heading towards the laid hedge at the wildflower meadow end. Actually, there was one other sighting: an abandoned bearded dragon by the ponds which I captured and gave to the Purple Pet Centre. Whatever next, a Burmese python? 2015 WORK PARTIES: 10am – 12 noon Sunday 31st May Sunday 28th June Sunday 26th July Contacts: Anne Richards 01342 870 200 Sally Cole 01342 833 814 Steph Dickson 01342 833 482 Julie Hearn 01342 835 313 www.lingfieldreserves.org.uk Friends of St Peter and St Paul’s Church Lingfield Open Gardens On Sunday 28 June 2pm - 4:30pm, an ever popular Lingfield Open Gardens is planned. Visit five beautiful gardens followed by sumptuous afternoon tea at the church. Tickets £10 to include tea For further information contact Pat Dobson T: 01342 834 317 or Felicity Pool T: 01342 832 519 E: [email protected] Or check the church website www.lingfieldparishchurch.org 29 Protecting Lingfield’s trees from possible criminal damage The Tandridge District Council Tree Team is reminding residents to make sure any trees on their land are not protected before they start carrying out work, as they may commit a criminal offence if they carry out tree works, or damage a tree which is protected. Tree Preservation Orders In the Tandridge district there are over 800 Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) covering thousands of trees. A TPO makes it a criminal offence to carry out any work to the tree without the Council’s permission. To find out if a tree is protected residents can use the Council’s LocalView mapping service (www.tandridge.gov.uk/localview.asp) or contact Customer Services on 01883 722 000, email [email protected]. The Lingfield Oak: one of the many trees within the Tandridge district protected by conservation area legislation 30 To make an application to carry out tree works, residents need to complete an application form and submit it to the Council. Planning conditions are used by the Council to keep trees, hedgerows and other soft landscaping on sites during development and for up to five years following completion. If it is considered essential to keep trees a TPO is often used instead. If valid planning conditions are in place, anyone carrying out work to trees covered by a planning condition must get permission. Residents can find out if their trees are affected by a planning condition by calling Customer Services on 01883 722 000 and asking for the Duty Planning Officer. Trees in Conservation Areas There are 19 Conservation Areas in Tandridge. If a tree in a Conservation Area is not already covered by a TPO, six weeks written notice must be given to the Council about any proposed work. This gives the Council the opportunity to consider protecting the tree. It is a criminal offence to carry out works to trees in a conservation area without giving notice to the Council. Notice of work on a tree in a conservation area does not need to be given if the tree is less than 7.5 centimetres in diameter, with the measurement taken at 1.5 metres above the ground. If you do not give the Council notice of your intention to carry out works to trees then the same penalties can apply to those of a TPO offence. Felling licences While a licence to fell trees in gardens is not needed, it is for trees outside gardens. Residents may need to apply to the Forestry Commission for a felling licence, whether or not the trees are covered by a TPO. The Forestry Commission’s South East office can be contacted on 01483 326 200, or email [email protected]. More information about TPOs and tree protection can be found on the Council’s website www.tandridge.gov.uk/trees Tandridge District Council Tree Team 31 Events Lingfield & Dormansland Community Centre Following the huge success of the March concert by Brooks Williams, world renowned guitarist, we are planning an exciting new series of music events for 2015. The next event in June will be announced shortly. To be the first to hear about this and other events, join our mailing list by emailing [email protected]. Our regular film club, Flix in the Six, continues to bring in good audiences for a varied and interesting programme. It was great last month when the CEO of Headline Pictures took part in a pre-film Q&A session, which was both informative and entertaining. See the Flix in the Stix feature in this issue for further details of forthcoming films. No Place Like Home, our latest pop-up theatre event by the Pitchy Breath Theatre company was another great success, and we have more planned in the coming months. The Jennings Hall The merger of Lingfield Day Centre with the Community Centre in January went very smoothly, and we are delighted to be working with the groups using the newly named Jennings Hall, including our much valued Meals on Wheels service. We welcome a new group, Slimming World on Thursdays 7:30pm, and are also pleased to offer a distribution facility to the East Grinstead Foodbank who come to the Jennings Hall on first and third Friday of each month. The Jennings Hall is a great venue for groups, classes and functions and we also have a small meeting room and treatment/therapy location for hire. We still have plenty of availability so if you’d like to have a look at the facilities please give us a call 01342 833 893, email enquiries@lingfieldcentre.org or pop in to the centre office. Classes & Groups Spring is here and with it we have several new classes and groups starting at the Community Centre. Learn to speak Portuguese, dance the Argentine Tango, or for young people we have Yoga (9-16 year olds) and Twinkle Tots, a music club for 0-5 year olds 32 Lingfield Art 2015 We look forward to hosting the annual Lingfield Art Exhibition again this year between 20-26 July. This popular event brings hundreds of people to the centre and promises a varied and interesting range of work to view and purchase. Artists wishing to exhibit can obtain application forms from the centre or from the Lingfield Art website www.lingfieldart.org. Deadline for applications is 18 June. Pop in to the centre or check the News & Notices and Programme sections of our website for further details of what’s on. Contact details [email protected] 01342 833 893 www.lingfieldcentre.org Come along and join the fun at the Dormansland Carnival Saturday 11 July, 2-9pm The theme this year is Children’s Literature and the fun starts at 2pm with a procession of floats around the village, then continues with all the variety of a village fair on the Recreation Field in the High Street. In our main arena we plan to have some children’s theatre, Roy of the Rovers penalty shoot-out, and perhaps our very own Mr Majeika! On the field will be children’s rides, refreshment and bar tents, Punch & Judy plus a multitude of stalls and games. The afternoon of fun culminates with children’s races and the very popular Tug of War. Following on, we have live music from 6pm, all free of charge! A great day out for all the family. Stall booking for the event is now open. Please apply through our website www.dormanslandcarnival.org, and come and ‘like’ us on Facebook. Tina Marshall-Cottam E: [email protected] T: Tina on 01342 834 814 33 & #! # ! # # ! $ # ! !# !" ! ! "% " !% ' ! ' " # !" % " #" ' !! # ! $ ' $ $# &# # # $!! ' ! ! !" ! $ # )# "" "" " ' ' ( % !( & "# JENNY ELSDEN Centre 4 Feet School of Dancing Emma Victoria Westers Established 1980 LINGFIELD BSc. (Hons.) MChS. HCPC Registered Chiropodist/Podiatrist Routine Chiropody Nail Surgery Biomechanical Assessment Verruca Treatment Diabetic & Rheumatology Assessments Children’s Classes Ballet · Modern · Tap Performing arts class Special under 5’s Ballet Class Putting YOUR feet first... by appointment at For further details contact: JENNY ELSDEN AISTD · AIDTA · ANCDTA Tel. 01403 731203 [email protected] 1 Ray L ane, Blindley Heath, L ingfield Surrey RH7 6L H T: 01342 834454 www.centre4feet.co.uk Easy Parking U Disabled Access 34 Ninety years old and still stepping out for the East Surrey Walkers Not many walkers, and very few people, can make the claim that they’re regularly stepping out at the age of 90 – however Stuart Pickford of East Surrey Walkers certainly can! No designer haute couture for him in the early days. For headgear it was the office trilby, while for warmth it was a jacket, preferably three button (hankerchief in breast-pocket optional) with maybe a pullover underneath. Trousers were just trousers. If it rained, it rained, and if your zip rusted so be it! In bad weather, the only way to keep dry was a plastic mac, secured round the waist with binding twine (similar to straw bales?). Add a knapsack, provisions and a wooden walking stick and you were ready to go. In Stuart’s case, he was often thinking nothing of the 20-25 miles a day. Today he takes things at a more leisurely pace, and so do members of East Surrey Walkers who run (not literally of course) about three organised walks a week in different parts of Surrey, Sussex and Kent. ESW is set up for all ages and all abilities. You have a choice of three-mile easy pace strolls for those who are not regular walkers, as well as 6-10 mile rambles for the more ambitious. They’re all free! Here’s a list of local walks in the coming weeks which may be of interest to Community News readers: Sun 3 May: A 6.5-mile walk led by Adam from Copthorne. T: 01342 832911 Wed 6 May: Keith leads a 5.5-mile walk around Westerham and Chartwell. T: 01883 716637 Tue 12 May: Nigel leads a 3-mile amble in Chelsham. T: 01883 623181 Wed 13 May: birdwatch walk on Limpsfield Chart. Booking required through Tony. T: 01883 716980 Sun 17 May: Tricia has a countryside walk of 5.5 miles around Woldingham. T: 01883 713927 Fri 29 May: 3-mile evening ramble around Lingfield. Optional drinks at a venue tbc. T: 01342 833453 (GRAHAM) Most ESW walks start at 10am. For the full programme, please visit www.eastsurreywalkers.org.uk and also enjoy lovely action photos of some of our 300 members. 35 FLEXIBLE HEALTH INSURANCE BROKERS Eden House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 6HF PRIVATE MEDICAL INSURANCE SPECIALISTS Your local independent healthcare and life insurance specialist for Individual & Company healthcare policies A review of your existing policy – we can often get you a better cover on continued terms Life and critical illness insurance For free impartial advice call Julie Defago Telephone: Freephone 0800 849 7744 Website: www.flexiblehealth.net Email: [email protected] Flexible Health Insurance Brokers Ltd is Directly Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Inter-County Nursing & Care Services Ltd HOMECARE SERVICE Inter-County has a team of experienced and friendly carers who provide support to individuals wishing to remain at home. Our flexible services include: Personal Care Night Duties Domestic Support Meal Preparation Medication Assistance Social Engagements 01342 458256 For more information please call: www.inter-county.co.uk 36 Lingfield Surgery Tel No: 01342 836 327 www.lingfieldsurgery.nhs.uk New car park · · · · · · · Car park layout improved after consultation with Patient Participation Group New layout designed to safeguard our most vulnerable patients; Elderly Disabled Frail Children New walkway diverts patients away from walking through the car park but has reduced the overall size, hence no parking now in the centre Two full disabled bays Drop-and-go bay to allow patients to stop and drop off less mobile patients, prescriptions, etc Free parking for three hours in Gun Pit Road Car Park, always spaces, convenient for Boots (prescriptions) and for shops Car park will be locked overnight from 18:30 and during weekends/Bank Holidays for security Prescriptions Surgery will be able to issue prescriptions electronically from 8 April 2015. Please sign up with your preferred pharmacy to use this facility. Telephone/Mobile Number Please make sure the surgery has your correct number, preferably a mobile number. Mobiles will receive reminders 24 hours before appointments. This facility can be used to reply or cancel appointments. Doctors Dr Ajmani has left the surgery. Registered patients with Dr Ajmani have been transferred to Dr Richardson, now a salaried GP at the surgery. Please note: patients are welcome to book with any of our GPs. Dr Ghali will be returning from maternity leave in June this year. Patient Access Sign up with Patient Access to book online, order your prescriptions, and view some aspects of your medical records. Forms are available in the surgery waiting room. 37 Hockley Wright & Co Ltd CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS A local family run firm which has been established for over 20 years, offering friendly and efficient service for all types of business. Personal Tax Returns • Sole Trader and Partnership Accounts Company Accounts • Corporation Tax • Company formations and company secretarial services • Payroll ·VAT and bookkeeping services Cash flow and business start up advice Contact Mr Edward Wright ACA for a free initial consultation Tel. 01342 301099 E: [email protected] W: www.hockleywright.co.uk Berkeley House • 18 Station Road • East Grinstead • West Sussex • RH19 1DJ 38 Hayward History Centre in Lingfield Library Your local history archive in Lingfield Library is a rich source of local memorabilia, including maps, photographs, recorded memories, books, sales particulars and correspondence. The archive is open to all, by appointment, during library opening times. Contact Bill Stevenson (01342 835 611) or Janet Bateson (01342 832 602) to make an appointment, or visit the library on one of our open days. The next OPEN DAY is on Saturday 6 June 10am to 4pm Maps: The collection includes Estate Maps (the earliest is c. 1607); a copy of the Enclosure Map of 1815; a copy of the Tithe Map of 1846; and a large collection of OS maps (scale of 25ins:1 mile), editions of 1870s, 1890s and 1912-14. Photographs: A collection of photos of the local villages, their people, their work and school, from the late 19th Century to the Millennium. Recorded Memories: A collection of over 30 tapes and CDs recorded by local residents. Details of their lives and memories of the 20th Century, including experiences of WWII. The collections are in the care of the RH7 History Group who steward the Hayward History Centre in Lingfield Library. Our Local Art Show Returns Lingfield Art is holding its annual exhibition from Monday 20 July until Sunday 26 July 2015, at the Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre. We’ve made a few changes to the exhibition, with longer opening hours. We’ll open daily at 10am until 6pm, finishing on Sunday at 4pm, with a late evening on Thursday until 8pm. This year we will be hanging the work in a different format from past shows, and are allocating more space for artists’ cards. As usual, we’ll be selling homemade cakes and drinks daily. ENTRY IS FREE, so please so come along and be inspired. Further details about Lingfield Art can be found at www.lingfieldart.org, or contact Linda Hughes on 01342 301 387 39 British award winners to end film season Academy award winner Eddie Redmayne joins with stars Felicity Jones, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West in our final two films of the 2014-15 Flix in the Stix film season at Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre. 10 May - 7:30pm Pride 14 June - 7:30pm The Theory of Everything Pride is our May film and is inspired by an extraordinary true story. It’s the summer of 1984, Margaret Thatcher is in power and the National Union of Mineworkers is on strike, prompting a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists to raise money to support the strikers’ families. Initially rebuffed by the Union, the group identifies a tiny mining village in Wales and sets off to make their donation in person. As the strike drags on, the two groups discover that standing together makes for the strongest union of all BAFTA-winning Pride is earnest without being didactic, and uplifting without stooping to sentimentality, and it is a joyous crowd-pleaser that genuinely works. (10 May, 7:30pm) 40 Part biopic, part love story, The Theory of Everything rises on James Marsh’s polished direction and the strength of its two leads, and is our final film of the 2014-15 season. Starring Eddie Redmayne (Les Misérables) and Felicity Jones (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), this is the extraordinary story of one of the world’s greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who falls deeply in love with fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde. Once a healthy, active young man, Hawking received an earthshattering diagnosis at 21 years of age. With Jane fighting tirelessly by his side, Stephen embarks on his most ambitious scientific work, studying the very thing he now has precious little of — time. Together, they defy impossible odds, breaking new ground in medicine and science, and achieving more than they could ever have dreamed. (14 June, 7:30pm) Tickets Now on Sale Box Office: 01342 833 893 (LDCC Office) Robert Leech Estate Agents, Lingfield, High St E: [email protected] www.lingfieldcentre.org.uk Follow us on Twitter @lingfieldfilms For Trailers visit: www.lingfieldfilms.wordpress.com The Cooperative Community Fund supports Flix in the Stix. We are also grateful to Robert Leech Estate Agents who continue to support us this season and will be selling tickets as well as the Community Centre office. This will mean you can buy tickets when the centre office is closed. 41 Eastbourne Road Blindley Heath Surrey RH7 6JR Tel: 01342 832218 Providers of high class Nursery and Crèche for children 0 – 8 years Term time only Pre-school NEG funding Open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm Ofsted registered and inspected Qualified staff Offering flexible Nursery sessions and Casual on demand Crèche bookings and School holiday care A uniquely enriching experience for your child in a friendly, secure environment 42 Help preserve your brain power with a dose of Bridge We all know that if you want to keep your body going, you have to stay physically active. Many people take the same view of their brains, but how do you keep your mind active? Some people do crosswords, sudoku or the other games you can find in the papers; they’re fine but they’re solitary pursuits. So, many people find playing bridge is the answer, as it engages your mind and gives you contact with a variety of other people. You can play bridge at home or in a club. Wherever you play, the aim is to enjoy it and to pit yourselves against your opponents. In Lingfield, we have an active and friendly bridge club that meets in a room at the Victoria Sports and Social Club. It isn’t a difficult game to pick up. If you can play whist, you will understand the basics of the card play. If you have never played at all, it is probably best to start with some lessons, but many of us played bridge when we were younger and have returned to it later in life. Some people think that bridge requires mathematical genius and high intellectual skills; it doesn’t, although the ability to count to 13 is a distinct advantage! And, of course, it makes you think about the cards in your hand, the cards that might be in your partner’s hand, and your opponents’. It’s the thinking and planning that help keep your brain active. Most people play with regular partners, so that they can agree how they will play, but it isn’t essential. At the start, you may play with different partners until you settle down with one. At the Lingfield and Dormansland Bridge Club, we can help you find a partner. We play on Monday afternoons and on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. In the evenings, we aim always to have someone available to play with anyone who turns up without a partner. So there you are. On your doorstep there is a bridge club waiting to welcome you and help you to keep your grey matter active! Look us up at www.bridgewebs.com/lingfield, or ring chairman Tony Paine, on 01342 893 408. We look forward to welcoming you to the table. 43 SENIOR SCHOOL OPEN MORNING SA ATURDAY AY 10th OCTOBER 2015 9.45am³ 4 1.00pm innovative and prrogrressive... 44 Lonely Bouquets and Happy Faces As part of our 20th Anniversary we’re spreading a little floral happiness. On Friday 1 May, the NAFAS National Flower Arranging Day, our members leave flower posies and bouquets around our area for anyone to ‘adopt’ and take home. The random act of kindness initiative dubbed the ‘Lonely Bouquet’ was the brainchild of a young florist in Belgium named Emily Avenso, who blogged about the idea after leaving flowers for strangers. The idea went viral and ‘Lonely Bouquets’ have been distributed across the globe ever since. Even if you don’t find a Lonely Bouquet, according to a Harvard study, displaying flowers at home or at work is good for your health. Study participants who lived with fresh cut flowers “felt an increase in feelings of compassion and kindness for others, with a boost of energy, happiness and enthusiasm”. Participants most frequently placed flowers in their kitchens and living rooms, or anywhere they spend a lot of time at home. They reported wanting to see the blooms first thing in the morning. Overall, people in the study simply felt less negative after being around flowers at home for just a few days. We in the Flower Club know how true that is! We love learning new ways to display flowers to brighten our days, and now we’re sharing that with you. Summer 2015 Programme 18 May 2015 - ‘Fresh Start’ with Bridget Fresh ideas for floral design from demonstrator Bridget. Warrington 22 June 2015 - ‘Tea for Two’ with Kathryn Goddard Experienced floral designer Kathryn has double the fun with flowers. 29 July 2015 - ‘In the Bag’ with Carolyne Meer Carolyne makes a welcome return to the Club with a seasonal demonstration, focusing on her love of recycling unwanted and discarded objects, transforming them into a thing of beauty. For more top tips and floral inspiration, come along to one of our monthly meetings, usually held at Victoria SSC, High St, Lingfield - doors open 7pm. Visitors are always welcome, entry £5, or why not join us and enjoy a range of member benefits, practical workshops and events. E: [email protected] T: Karil 01342 832 038 www.facebook.com/LingfieldFlowerClub 45 Professional Painting & Decorating Service Established in Lingfield since 2000 Covering all aspects of interior and exterior decoration, the quality of the finish achieved by a professional service shows, and it lasts. ! detailed quotation with no hidden extras ! honest, reliable and experienced local decorator ! from one room to a whole house ! references available, full public liability insurance Contact me now for a free quotation T: 01342 870 373 M: 07881 405 478 E: [email protected] 46 Lingfield Cricket Club season starts The 2015 cricket season is almost on us and, following an extremely successful junior Winter Development Programme, the younglings are raring to get playing matches. The Under 9s will have already got us underway by late April, and we’re hoping that the warm spring weather will continue for some months as there’s a lot of cricket planned, with six senior Saturday teams, Sunday matches, midweek games, T20s, Vets games, ladies matches, and friendlies, as well as junior leagues and cups from Under 8s to Under 17s. As well as the club’s usual fixtures a highlight to look forward to is Sunday, 16 August, when the club will play a match against the Surrey Masters XI. The Masters are made up of ex-Surrey and in some cases ex-England players, and it promises to be a real challenge for the village players to take on a team of ex pros. As well as the plethora of matches for Lingfield’s teams, this year we will also host a junior county game when Surrey U12s play Essex U12s, and we are also due to host two Sussex Junior Cricket Festival finals later in the year. New players of all abilities are welcome from minis (Under 7s) to vets (no upper limit), girls and ladies. Spectators as well as players will be able to see an electronic scoreboard in use in Lingfield for the first time at the Godstone Road ground, and there are also plans to smarten up the pavilion to make it more attractive for members and guests. For more information please contact Robert Mitchell on 01342 832 737 or Jan Robertshaw on 07779 251 854. Scout Leaders’ 24 hour Cage Imprisonment! Leaders from Lingfield and Dormansland Scouts are fundraising for the group by being locked in the historic Lingfield Cage for 24 hours. The lock in starts Friday 24 May at 6pm. Whilst the leaders are locked away, the scout group will stage its annual ‘Pennies round the Pond’ with morning cake sale on Saturday 25 May. Why not take some spare change and go along to support them. 47 H20 Plumbing General Plumbing Service Alterations & Bathroom Installations No job too small City & Guild Trained Call Richard on Tel: 01883 712 523 Mob: 07876 450 420 Building & Roofing Contractors • • • • • HOME EXTENSIONS CONVERSIONS ALL GENERAL BUILDING WORK UNDERTAKEN PLASTERING GARDEN WALLS & PATIOS Eden Cottage, Stick Hill, Cowden, Kent, TN8 5NL Tel / Fax: 01342 850728 Email: [email protected] www.wjmartin.co.uk 48 The Probus Club of Dormansland and District AGM There was a good attendance at the Probus AGM on Thursday 12 March 2015. The usual reports were made, accounts adopted, and the club constitution updated. The committee for the coming year was elected, substantially unchanged but with Graham Taylor as Chairman and John Frost as Secretary. Tony Anderson remains Treasurer. Then, just before we retired to the bar for a drink and free buffet lunch, Alex Leggat amused us with tales of hockey and unpaid harvest leave during National Service in the RAF, and Michael Poffley with tales of officer selection and service as a junior National Service army officer in Egypt. On Thursday 19 March we enjoyed our usual annual lunch in the Gourmet Training Restaurant at Central Sussex College. On this occasion, as for most of our visits and lunches, we had the pleasure of the company of our lovely ladies. Janet Bateson was our speaker at our April meeting. Her subject was ‘La Belle Époque’ as it applied to Dormansland, when, during the first third of the twentieth century, Ford Manor (now Greathed Manor) was our own Downton Abbey. She spoke about the Spender Clays, the Astros, Joyce Grenfell and the BowesLyons, and much more besides. In May, Barbara Stevens is to give us ‘Further Memoirs’ and we have a Fellowship Lunch at Tammy’s Thai. Lady Teviot is June’s speaker on the subject of 19th Century Medicine. July will feature a surprise speaker arranged by our Past President, and in August we will be regaled with Victoria Cross Stories. If you are a retired gentleman, who might like to spend an hour or two every now and again enjoying the company of like-minded individuals, please get in touch and come along to a meeting as a guest, and you can decide whether it’s right for you. Incidentally, although membership is primarily from Dormansland, East Grinstead and Lingfield, we have members from as far afield as Horley, Forest Row, and Langton Green. Some are also members of our Cherry Tree Golf Club. Contact for further information: Graham Taylor T: 01342 870 429 49 Garden Waste Club: Let us recycle your cuttings for you The Green Waste Club is a fortnightly subscription-based garden waste collection service available to Tandridge residents. The service is operated and managed by Biffa, Tandridge District Council’s recycling and waste contractor. As a Green Waste Club member, you will receive a 240-litre wheeled bin for garden waste, such as lawn clippings, prunings, leaf fall, weeds and small branches. Your wheeled bin will be emptied from the front of your property every fortnight. Additional Green Waste Club membership benefits include: ·Quarterly newsletters ·Exclusive offers, such as discounts for recommending a friend ·A shopping reward card, which could help you earn back the cost of your annual subscription Call 0800 0858 026 or visit www.greenwasteclub.co.uk to find out more. Treat your garden to some homemade compost You can now also buy a compost bin for just £13, so it’s even cheaper to start making your own compost and help your garden grow. All the goodness in your garden cuttings, uncooked fruit and vegetables, paper, card and egg shells is released as they decompose. It leaves you with a nutrientrich compost to use on your flowers, fruit and vegetables. Compost bins at reduced prices are available through Recycle for Surrey – visit www.recycleforsurrey.org.uk or call 0844 571 4444. You can get a basic plastic compost bin for £13 – wooden compost bins are also available. 50 Once you have your bin or heap there are no ongoing costs, and there’s lots of advice on the Recycle for Surrey website to help you get started. And of course all clothes can be recycled In Surrey last year more than 10,000 tonnes of clothes and home textiles that could have been re-used or recycled were thrown away, including shirts, coats, towels, pairs of shoes and bags. All clothes and home textiles can be recycled, even tights, underwear and accessories. It doesn’t matter if they’re torn or tatty as long as they are clean and dry. Clothes are either sorted to be worn again in the UK or abroad, or recycled into useful products such as felt, insulation or stuffing. You can recycle these by placing them in plastic carrier bags next to your food waste caddy each week, or you can take them to a recycling bank site or community recycling centre. You can still take your unwanted clothes to charity shops, or give them to friends or family. Anyone who uses charity collection bags posted through their door, should make sure these are genuine collections by checking on www.tandridge.gov.uk/charity or calling 01883 722 000. To find out how to recycle more please visit: www.tandridge.gov.uk/recyclingandwaste E: [email protected] T: 01883 722 000 or search ‘Recycle for Surrey’ online. 51 52 Join us on the 33rd Lingfield Marathon Fun Run Bank Holiday Sunday 3 May 2015. Download and print off your entry forms by going to "Fun Run Info" on our website www.lingfield-marathon.org, or visit our stall outside the former Barclays Bank on Saturday, 2 May, 9:30am to 1pm. Or, come along early on the day and sign up. On Marathon Day, stalls open at 10am. The 10 Mile Run starts at 12 noon, while the 6 Mile Run starts at 12:15, and the 6 Mile Walk starts at 12:18, from the Young Epilepsy Clock Tower. Car parking is free at Young Epilepsy or Notre Dame School, St. Piers Lane. Stall pitches are still available, so give us a ring on 01342 832 529 or 01342 870 261. Thank you for all your support. Graham Marks, Chairman ‘Come and Try’ Cycling Club Sessions On Tuesday 5 May, East Grinstead Cycling Club starts its annual Evening Series of 10-mile time trials at Horne. Cycling has gained in popularity over the last few years so we have made all events 'Come and Try It'. This means anyone over the age of 12 years can compete (under 18's must have parental consent). You don't need to be a member of any club and your first ride is free. Enter by signing on at Horne Golf Club car park, the first event starts 6:45pm. Recently we started a 'beginners' Clubrun on the second and last Saturday mornings of each month. These are easy short rides usually with a cafe stop to introduce people to cycling and teach the skills and etiquette of safe riding in a group. Again, participants must be over 12 years of age and an adult must accompany riders under 16 unless you have a prior arrangement with a Club member. Full details can be found on the Club's website: www.egcc.net 53 Lingfield Youth Club welcomes you! Come and join us at the Lingfield and Dormansland community centre every Friday in term time from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. We welcome members from the ages of 10-14 (Years 6-9) We have planned activities including karaoke night, a Quiz Night and many more. We have a tuck shop and plenty of games and prizes. Entry is just £2, so come along and have some fun! Volunteers, we need you! If you have a spare Friday evening and would like to support our members and the community, please get in contact. For more info call the Youth Club leader Victoria on 07855 463 520 or for admin call Rachel on 07885 287 428 Carers Support If you are a child or adult caring for someone at home or elsewhere who is ill, frail or disabled and the care you provide is unpaid YOU ARE A CARER There are a number of services available to carers across Surrey. For further information, call the Surrey Council Adult Social Care Team on: 0300 200 1005 or Contact the Local Independent Carers Support schemes via the Contact Centre on 03456 009 009 or by going to www.surrey.gov.uk or www.carersnet.org.uk 54 A Helping Hand from Surrey Libraries There are few things that compare to the joy of getting lost in a really good book, or chatting about what you have just read. However, what if age, illness, disability or caring responsibilities makes it difficult for you to get to a library? Thanks to Library Direct, run by Surrey Libraries, there are no barriers to pursuing a love of reading. Library Direct provide ‘Friends & Family’ membership to support those delivering books to loved ones, which boasts extended loan periods with no overdue charges. Alternatively, to help those with nobody to rely on, Surrey Libraries offers its ‘Library Direct Home Service’, which delivers the same benefits but run by a small army of dedicated volunteers. Margaret Rice has been one of these volunteers for a remarkable 36 years, and explains a bit about what she does and the people she visits: “Every fortnight I choose and take library books to three people — a lady who lives on her own, and two people living in sheltered accommodation. I’ve been helping them all for around five years now, so I’ve got to know what they like to read.” “We chat about the books they’ve enjoyed, and anything else they need such as large print or audiobooks. I enjoy going to see people, finding out about their lives and giving them something they’ll really enjoy reading.” If Library Direct could benefit you or someone you know, or you’d like to volunteer, visit surreycc.gov.uk/librarydirect, or call 01483 543 599 55 Do you know someone in need of Meals on Wheels? Our service, run entirely by a local group of volunteers, is offered to housebound residents of Lingfield, Dormansland and Crowhurst who are unable to cook for themselves. We provide freshly cooked, nutritious lunches prepared by our cooks and brought to you by our deliverers. These are provided every week, Monday-Thursday. Our older folk are often very independent and don’t like to ask for help, so often our “customers” come from family, neighbours or doctors referrals. If you think someone you know would really benefit from this service do contact Pat Smith or Sara Watson on: 07504 481 289 01883 343095 Help around the Home Help for 50+ & disabled Same home help each week Personal & Relia i ble service Competitive rates Hometime - flexible help General cleaning. Laundry and ironing. Changing the bed. Assistance with correspondence. Preparing light meals. Gardening. Walking to dog (pet insurance required). Assistance with shopping. Home from hospital - short term service. All home helps and gardeners are security checked Age UK Surrey offers many free services. Information and advice, computer training, home visiting, counselling, well being activities and benefit checks. Visit www.ageuksurrey.org.uk. Home help always wanted. 56 RH7 History Group Talks 11 May: The History of the British Seaside. Don Dray takes us through the development of the British seaside towns and the entertainments put on to amuse day trippers and holiday makers. 13 July: The Life and Times of William Cobbett. Katherine Stearn of the William Cobbett Society gives an insight into the life of this radical politician and journalist, best known for his book “Rural Rides, an account of rural life in 19th Century England”. We meet at the Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre on the second Monday of alternate months. Doors open 7:30pm, talks start at 8pm. The RH7 History Group aims to encourage an interest in local history, covering mainly the RH7 postal area. Single membership £10.00 per year; joint membership £12.00 per year. Visitors are welcome to attend (£2.50 per person). For further information about the group please contact the secretary: Felicity Pool T: 01342 832 519 E: [email protected] W: www.RH7.org Coming soon at The College of St Barnabas Annual Festival Week: 8-14 June 2015. Highlights include: Friday, 12 June - Black Tie Festival Dinner - 7pm for 7.30pm Guest speaker: Mr Peter Ainsworth, Patron of the College and our former MP Charity auction: lots will include a murder mystery dinner for two on the Bluebell Railway, and a week’s holiday in a Grade II listed Norfolk cottage sleeping 5/6. Please see our website for the menu - Tickets only £55 per person. Book a table for 10 and receive a 10% discount. Advance booking essential! Saturday 13 June - Community Open Afternoon - 2.30pm-4.30pm Come and enjoy an afternoon at our beautiful College. Live jazz, Morris dancing, conducted tours of the historic buildings, homemade afternoon teas, various stalls, and a BBQ. Free admission. For more information and to enquire about tickets for the Festival Dinner please see our website: www.st-barnabas.org.uk T: 01342 870 260, or find us on Facebook and Twitter @CofStBarnabas 57 58 Eden Valley Museum 2015 season: Update on events A new Fossils and Prehistoric Archaeology display features artifacts from when dinosaurs roamed the area, and before the North Downs were even formed. It incorporates a hand axe made by Neanderthal man 240,000 years ago, along with a range of items from a local rock shelter, which was in use from the end of the Ice Age, and evidence of Romans in the Valley. The Silks and other World War One Post Cards display has been updated with previously unseen Song Cards, sentimental cards exchanged between servicemen and their wives or sweethearts during WW1, along with a collection of scenic post cards sent home from France by Wilfred Allen, who lived in The Square in Edenbridge. It runs until June 2015. The ‘Til the boys come home’ WW1 Exhibition, which explores the impact of the Great War on the lives of people in the Eden Valley, continues throughout 2015. A new Map of the Month display has been introduced for 2015. Each month there will be a new map related to some piece of local history that you can come and explore. The first map is of Edenbridge, dating from somewhere between 1853 and 1878 and serves to show how much the town has grown since then. In March a ‘Map of Westerham and Eatonbridge Hundred’ will be on display. If you want to find out more about the maps and the time they come from then be sure to check back every month and follow us on Twitter via @EdenMuseumKent. Finally, a new display of Household Implements and Devices from days gone by is now in place, with some teasing questions posed for visitors as to what some of the implements were actually used for. Open Wednesday and Friday from 2-4.30pm and Thursday and Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm. Alex Paton House Manger Eden Valley Museum www.facebook.com/edenvalleymuseum Website: www.evmt.org.uk 59 Community Support CARE for Lingfield, Crowhurst and Dormansland If you are elderly or infirm and cannot afford other forms of help when needing a lift to a medical appointment, shopping or essential gardening jobs done. Ring CARE on 01342 410 086 between 9am and 2pm Crossroads Caroline Williams or Penny Burns 01883 714 641 The Jennings Hall (formerly the Day Centre) Bookings 01342 833 893 Lunch Club Jean Morrell 01342 833 079 Meals on Wheels Pat Smith or Sara Watson on MOW mobile 07504 481 289 Come and join The Darby and Joan Club The Jennings Hall (formerly the Day Centre) Every Tuesday 1.30pm - 3.45pm Entertainment, Meeting people, Outings, Meals out, Quizzes, Tea, Coffee & Biscuits, Raffles, Bingo IS YOUR HEARING AID PLAYING UP OR DO YOU WANT REPLACEMENT BATTERIES? For cleaning and new batteries Call Sylvia Butler on 01342 836 219 or Susan Millidge on 01342 836 879 If you only need batteries visit the Community Centre 01342 833 893 60 What’s the number? Emergency – fire, police, ambulance Police (Surrey), non emergency Health • Lingfield Surgery (8.30am to 6.30pm) • NHS (out of hours service) • Queen Victoria Hospital • East Surrey Hospital • Pembury Hospital • Boots Chemist, Lingfield Utilities (Emergency numbers) • Gas • Water • Electricity (UK Power Networks) • Telephone – faults Transport – rail, air, bus, coach • Gatwick Airport • Heathrow Airport • Stansted Airport • Lingfield Marathon Minibus • Lingfield Minibus • National Express Coaches • Rail Enquiries Councils • Tandridge District Council • Lingfield Parish Council • Dormansland Parish Clerk: Lynn Blake • Surrey County Council Schools • Lingfield Primary School • Dormansland Primary School • Oxted School • Notre Dame, Lingfield Others • Citizens Advice Bureau • The Samaritans • • • • • • • Childline Lingfield Library Monica Cantwell Trust Charity Shop Lingfield & Dormansland Community Centre Lingfield & Dormansland Volunteer Centre Young Epilepsy (NCYPE) St Piers Sure Start Children’s Centre 61 999 or 112 101 01342 836 327 111 01342 414 000 01737 768 511 01892 823 535 01342 833 831 0800 111 999 01737 772 000 08007 838 866 0800 800 154 08448 920 322 08443 351 801 08443 351 803 01342 870 261 01342 835 099 08717 818178 08457 484 950 01883 722 000 01342 835 557 01342 834 989 03456 009 009 01342 832 626 01342 832 359 01883 712 425 01342 832 407 01883 715 525 08457 909 090 - 24 hours 01737 248 444 - Reigate 0800 1111 0300 200 1001 01342 833 297 01342 833 893 01342 836 774 01342 832 243 01342 831 306 62 Advertise in We offer some of the most highly targeted advertising in the region! For each edition, 4,200 copies are hand delivered by our volunteers to all dwellings in Lingfield, Crowhurst, Dormansland, Dormans Park, Felcourt and parts of Newchapel, Haxted, Horne, and Baldwins Hill. We publish four editions per year, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Advert costs and sizes Quarter page portrait: Quarter page landscape: Half page landscape: Full page portrait: Inside covers: Outside Back cover: £30 £30 £50 £100 £200 £300 90mm x 60mm 125mm x 42.5mm 125mm x 90mm 125mm x 185mm 125mm x 185mm 148mm x 210mm + 5mm bleed Please submit your advert via email to: [email protected] 2015 Community News Closing Dates Autumn edition (Aug Sept Oct): Winter edition (Nov Dec Jan): Sunday 5 July 2015 Sunday 4 Oct 2015 Late entries delay publication and may not be used. Using your own artwork? Please use .pdf, .eps, .jpg or .tiff file type. Need artwork help? Provide text and any images/logos and we can create a simple advert for you with the layout in our house style. Occasional editions are printed with colour, however black and white is our standard print, so we’ll change any colour adverts to grey for printing. Advert costs are per edition. To place an advert, discuss prices, or simply ask a few questions, contact: Edward Pearcey t: 07828 99 33 76 e: [email protected] Graham Marks t: 01342 832 529 63
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