ANZAC Day and our Kiwi Connection
Have you ever wondered why there is a New Zealand Avenue in Walton on Thames? Or why the pub at the end is called The Wellington (affectionately known as “The Kiwi”)?
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Shepperton Matters
Charity Exhibition Day – Saturday 11 March
Every two years, the Rotary Club of Shepperton & Sunbury runs an exhibition of local charities which operate within Spelthorne & Surrey.
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Issue 73
In this month’s issue we talk over development in Lower Sunbury, lamenting the potential loss of green belt land. We hear about funding for community projects from the Heathrow Community Fund and we meet Sunbury’s own chocolatier, CocoaCraft and spend an afternoon getting messy with chocolate!
Issue 65
In this month’s issue it is all about money! The council doesn’t have any, but there is funding for community projects available from the Heathrow Community Fund so well worth looking into.
Is the Sun Setting Over Green Belt?
Last month we lamented the building explosion on our door step and the pressure on resources. As we wait to see the ‘local plan’ which will show the green spaces where development is deemed appropriate, we are aware of several sites identified in Sunbury: Kempton Park of course we know
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Sunbury’s Own Willy Wonka
I recently went to chocolate heaven. More precisely to the Riverside Arts Centre studio where I spend an afternoon learning about chocolate before sampling rather a lot of it, and making my own bars to take home. Wonderful!
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Surrey County Council talks money
No sooner had I drafted an article on the imminent rise in Council Tax and the referendum we were promised on it, than the threat of the 15% rise was lifted. Strange times! Surrey County Council faces losing another £93m funding.
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Sunbury Health Centre -It’s All Under Control
In last month’s Sunbury Matters we wrote about the strain on resources as the local population continues to grow and our village expands. Well, one of those resources put under a lot of pressure deserves a big pat on the back for providing a great service – Sunbury Health Centre.
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The Worst Flood In Living Memory – 1947
At this time of year, residents who live near the Thames will be remembering the terrible floods of three years ago, which caused such disruption and damage. Exactly 60 years ago, in 1947, our community was facing an even worse challenge.
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Rotary and Men in Sheds Support Mission for Vision
Mission for Vision, featured last year in Shepperton Matters, was founded by Ian Squire in 2003 as a means to improving the lives of those living in the poorest regions in the developing world.
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Issue 64
In this months issue you can read plenty about threats to services: the buses, fire station etc. But we look back also at the worst flood in living memory and it is not the one of 3 years ago, but 1947. We can be thankful at least that we have seen some improvements in infrastructure since then.
The History of Sunbury Pubs
To my mind, Sunbury is defined by its pubs. The joys of living along the river are never more evident than when enjoying a pint alongside it in a pub.
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Emma Dow’s Final Bow
Sunbury has lost a great talent, a great personality and a great inspiration. After a battle with cancer, Emma Dow passed away in the Sam Beare Hospice, aged 45, with her family at her side in November 2016. She has left a huge legacy within the community and touched many lives.
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Something Has to Give!
It has all gone crazy! Everywhere I turn there are new houses springing up. We understand there is a housing crisis and that the demand for more housing has never been so great.
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Spelthorne’s Late Blooms
So, judgement day arrived in late October (after we had gone to print with the November issue, so excuse the tardy report). You may remember me reporting that we had been persuaded to enter our riverside garden into the Spelthorne in Bloom competition earlier this year.
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Rotary Youth Speaks Competition 2016
Nine teams from five schools took part in Youth Speaks, the annual public speaking competition for schools, organised by Shepperton Aurora Rotary on 18th November at the Council Chambers in Staines. Each team consisted of 3 members, a Chairperson, a Speaker, and giver of Vote of Thanks, and spoke on a subject of their own choice. Choices of subject covered a wide range, from ‘Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover’ to ‘The Dark Side of Exams’.
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Still Brewing in Spelthorne
You are probably aware that Staines has a brewing tradition. 200 or so years ago there were in fact many small breweries in the area, attracted by the pure water in Staines. In the late 18th century records list Thomas Gates and William Harris as brewers and the Harris family went on to be one of the major local brewing families.
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Christmas Past
With Christmas fast approaching, I thought I would take a look at the festive season in our community in years gone by, starting exactly 90 years ago in 1926.
Issue 63
This is our last issue of the year (and the first of next year as we are doing a joint issue for the first time). We hear about the schools public speaking competition, about the local brewing heritage and about the winners of Spelthorne in Bloom.
What Do You All Day at the Hampton & Kempton Waterworks Railway?
That’s just the sort of question one can get asked when one says that we spend Tuesdays at the Kempton site of the “Hampton & Kempton Waterworks Railway”.
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A Sunbury Victoria Cross Holder
In this month of Remembrance, I thought I would share the story of a former Sunbury resident who won the Victoria Cross, the Nation’s highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, and almost incredibly, survived his ordeal.
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