Songstar at Thamesmead School – Weds 11th May 2016
Songstar is one of Thamesmead’s favourite school events and is our very own answer to the Eurovision Song Contest!
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Shepperton Matters
Learning from bees
Forget honey and even their pollination services! What we can learn from honeybees could change our whole way of thinking – but first we need to let go of the idea that humans are more important than anything else on the planet.
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Shepperton National School 1908
This postcard, dated 1908, is entitled ‘The Almshouses Shepperton’. Far from being Almshouses though, this was at the time the Shepperton National School. An illustration of how important it is not to take things at face value when researching history! Many readers will recognise that the building (on the right) is now the ‘School of Spice’ restaurant, at the lower end of Shepperton High Street.
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A Little Arts Festival 2016
There will be a varied programme during the festival as usual, but this year the SSAA will be presenting a mini festival from July 21st-24th. There will be something for everyone for sure, celebrating art through music, art, cooking and literature. Events will take place at the Riverside Arts Centre apart from the first two mentioned here.
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Issue 56
Bridal fashion truly comes to Shepperton, at an affordable price. The Princess Alice Hospice shop now boasts a special floor of wedding dresses, prom dresses and outfits for the mother of the bride. Brilliant. We also meet Stephen Kettle, slate sculptor to some rather special clients.
Spelthorne Civic Awards 2016
“Whilst we may not be able to directly affect the lot of many people in troubled areas, we can make a huge difference within our own communities” said Chairman Colin Squire during the opening remarks of the 2016 Spelthorne Civic Awards presentation last month.
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Why we need Bees
Shepperton is a great area for bees to live, because there is plenty of forage for them in the large undeveloped areas around the lakes and by the rivers, and there is little intensive agriculture or monoculture.
Shepperton Slate Sculptor & Friends
Stephen Kettle is not a regular sculptor as such, but creates art out of tiny chips of slate. Over the years he has had numerous high profile commissions and his work had been championed by none other than James May of Top Gear fame.
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School Magazine Publishing in 1957
As a publisher myself I fully appreciate the work that goes into creating magazines. I have the luxury of a computer, the ability to correct spelling and move sentences around all at super-fast speed.
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Mission for Vision
Imagine you are watching TV one evening and it is a strain to see detail. What do you do? In our privileged Western world, you simply call up your local optician, get an appointment and sort some long distance glasses. No problem!
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Restaurant Review – the Kings Head, Shepperton
There have been big changes at the Kings Head in Shepperton and it is well worth a visit.
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Issue 55
This month we meet a former lord of the manor, Sir Edward Nicolls of Littleton Park. Nearer to our world today, we talk to optician Ian Squire about his charity Mission for Vision which he set up to help those in impoverished countries in Africa who do not have access to eye care. The Shepperton Fair is not far away now and the theme has been announced as Colourful Carnival. We look at what the fair means to local primary schools who take part in the parade.
Sir Edward Nicholl of Littleton Park
Sir Edward Nicholl was born at Pool, in Cornwall, on the 17th June, 1862. He came from a fairly modest background, and was apprenticed as an engineer. On completing his apprenticeship, he became a ship’s engineer, and worked his way up to become marine superintendent. Eventually he managed to raise some money and became a ship owner himself.
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Issue 54
We spend a morning that The Greeno centre. It involves rugby players, dogs, welding and a visit to the hair dresser. What a morning!
We also see the launch of the Shepperton Fair photographic competition, sponsored by Shepperton Matters and attend a quiz night at Thamesmead School as part of the fundraising activities by Friends of Thamesmead.
Shepperton Fair Photographic Competition
Shepperton Matters is once again sponsoring the Shepperton Fair Photographic competition. There are several categories to choose from. The Derek Belsey Memorial Trophy awards photos of natural history.
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The Greeno –Lifeline to Many
It was wet and miserable outside. Inside it was vibrant, happy and fun. The Greeno was positively bustling and was brimming with positivity.
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Friends of Thamesmead
I joined in some fun recently. I was invited to the Thamesmead School quiz one Friday night, put on by what was the Parent Teachers Association, to raise much needed funds for the school.
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Chertsey Bridge
The local bridges over the Thames are a vital part of our transport infrastructure, if often the focus of long queues of traffic. Many of them have a long and interesting history, and that between Shepperton and Chertsey is no exception.
Things that go bump in the night
In the December issue, the history piece by Nick Pollard described ghostly goings on at Battlecrease Hall in Shepperton. These tales had been reported in the local newspaper in the mid 1940’s. Battlecrease Hall was given a new lease of life by current owners Mike Brennan and Lisa Rollin who moved in in 2013.
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Issue 53
This month we visit Battlecrease Hall in Shepperton to hear from current owners Mike Brennan and Lisa Rollin about their experiences of ghosts, poltergeists and spirits. We also meet the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey for coffee and find out about his work representing the royal family. We also talk to the old boys who worked on the river maintenance of the Thames, dredging and keeping channels clear to ensure no flooding. If only we could go back to those days!
A CHRISTMAS GHOST STORY
Charles Dickens, who knew the Sunbury and Shepperton area well, was the man who popularised the idea of the Christmas Ghost Story, in the mid nineteenth century. Whilst looking through old Christmas editions of the Middlesex Chronicle at Spelthorne Museum in Staines, I came across the following story of ghostly goings-on at Battlecrease Hall in Shepperton in the edition for 27th December 1946.
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