Sunbury Matters Articles

Many of you contacted us regarding the announced closure of NatWest in Shepperton. The closure signals the end of the high street bank in the village. Is this what is called progress in today’s internet age?

Shepperton has been rocking against Dementia again. Crowds gathered in Jubilee Hall to join 53 countries around the world who were all raising money to help fight the disease. From India to New Zealand, via India, China and the Middle East, people were gathering to raise money and awareness.

Do you recall the startling discovery last year that Shepperton is one of the happiest places to live in the country?

A great many of us are employed in a 9-5 job. Often commuting on overcrowded, over priced transport, there may come a point when you may ask yourself the question “Is there another way?” Maybe you have an idea for a little business but don’t really dare leave the security of a regular income with all the infrastructure and safety that comes with it.

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”)?

Every two years, the Rotary Club of Shepperton & Sunbury runs an exhibition of local charities which operate within Spelthorne & Surrey.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.