By Monica Jones All year long , come rain, shine and snow, you will hear the sounds of happy swimmers taking the plunge at the Hampton Pool. I par-ticularly love walking down Dukes Passage on my way in to Bushy Park and seeing the steam rising off the pool on a winters morn-ing. It is …
Yes indeed it was May 4th, popularly referred to as World Star Wars Day (if you don’t know what I am talking about, don’t worry). James Graham was walking Obi his rescue English Setter on Rivermead Island. Obi has a strong interest in the wild fowl, which is of course abundant on the island. To …
Rory Edwards is a local parent, teacher of 28 years and a school governor. He offers us an insight into certain dilemmas parents might face throughout the school year. If your child is doing GCSE or A-levels this summer, by the time you read this article, they will have already done some of their exams. …
There is nothing like a live performance ! I was reminded of this last week when I saw a 3 year old child at the recent Riverside Youth Theatre production of “Into The Woods”. Her eyes were sparkling and she was so excited at what she had seen. It was a bit frightening, and the …
Local Green Spaces and what is meant by them Up until the preparation of the Local Plan those parcels of recreational land, though not Green Belt, were nonetheless secured by what is known as Protected Urban Open Spaces (PUOS). Since then, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has re-designated these as Local Green Spaces (LGS) …
By Andrew Lansdale I have lived on the island known as Wheat-ley’s Ait for nearly seven years. Although it was July when I first saw the house, it was like a monsoon with rain bouncing knee-high from the paving stones. But despite that small inconvenience, I loved it. Some say that with some houses, one …
Thanks to this months contributors. Spring is in the air for sure! Please email monica@villagematters.co.uk
By Nick Pollard Admiral Hawke is perhaps best known in Sunbury today by having a pub in Green Street named after him. Those who know the area a bit better will know that there is a Hawke House almost opposite the pub. But what about Admiral Hawke himself? Who was he and why is he …
By Rachael Leverton Perfect Partners When we think about climbing plants, we most often think about growing them to cover a wall or a fence. We might think about growing them over a dead tree stump too, but one of the nicest ways to grow them is through a living tree or a shrub. It’s …
Reproduced with permission from the Sunbury Embroidery Gallery Pam Judd has lived in Sunbury for over 60 years and was the chief embroiderer on the Sunbury Millennium Embroidery. Pam came to Sunbury with her mother and twin sister in 1940 to escape the bombing in north London, initially staying with her grandfather, Richard Winter, who …
By John Maxen, Friends of Sunbury Park At some point during May, it is likely that the cows will be returning to Sunbury Park to spend the summer chewing the cud and keep-ing the grass short, thus removing the need for mechanical cutting. Following the publication of a new management plan in early 2020, a …
Biodiversity in Sunbury Park -yes, the cows have played their part Read More »
By Monica Jones Surplus to Supper have done it again! Working with A2Dominion, Sunbury Neigh-bours and the Sunbury Cricket Club, the team decided to see if they could interest people in a community lunch. We went along to see for ourselves and meet some of the attendees. What struck me when I arrived was how …
In these difficult times we live in, any ray of sunshine and kindness can make that huge differ-ence to our well being. So when you find a little bouquet of hand tied flowers on a bench with a note on it saying “Please take me home” doesn’t it just make you smile?! Jess Sargent runs …
‘Flower Fairies’ support a kind and sustainable world Read More »
By John Taylor As we mark Middlesex Day on May 16th, John Taylor takes us over the history of our county. Middlesex dates back to the 8th Century, but on the 1st April 1965, the county administra-tively disappeared, when the Greater London Council (GLC) was created. Parts of the for-mer Middlesex that were not incorporated …
By Robert Gant Faced by the wartime prospect of serious food shortages, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries launched the National Farm Survey (NFS) in Septem-ber 1941. This aimed to raise farming standards, intensify crop production and minimise food imports from overseas. The National Archives (Kew) holds the records for 41 agricultural holdings (exceeding one …
Rory Edwards is a local parent, teacher of 28 years and a school governor. He offers us an insight into certain dilemmas parents might face throughout the school year. Those in education circles have been waiting for the recent White Paper from the government, this outlines what schools will have to focus on for the …
The Forthcoming Changes in Schools – What did the recent White Paper say? Read More »
Springfield Primary School, Sunbury has won the prestigious ‘Green Tree Platinum Award’ from the Woodland Trust for planting many trees and hedgerows over the last four years and showing a deep commitment to the conservation of woodlands and their natural habitat in Surrey. Children at Springfield Primary School have participated in activities such as tree planting, reducing carbon emissions, exploring onsite woodlands and …
I write this at the end of an Easter weekend when the sun has shone and not a drop of rain has fallen. The only discordant note being from us Brits moaning that we have not be able to curse the typical bank holi-day weather. Spring has certainly sprung for us in the beautiful country …
It is some 5 or 6 years since Squire’s started ‘Knit and Natter’, a weekly gathering of locals who get together to craft and chat. At it’s peak there were some 30 members gathering, but Covid put paid to that. The group missed this communal activity so much that once we were allowed to meet …
Local self taught and much loved artiest, Daphne Clement, loves sharing her work with others. She has been creating first pen and ink and then watercolours of Sunbury and the surrounding area, for some 40 years. Knowing that there have been many people isolating recently, that children need to be kept amused, and wanting to …
We love Rivermead Island. So do you! We are sent many beautiful photos taken there for our Local Capture page. Rivermead Island is blessed with some stunning mature trees, including the iconic plane tree (see photo on the right). Long may it remain healthy! To preserve the nature of the island, there have been new …
