By Mary Booth If you have walked along the Thames be-tween Sunbury and Shepperton on the second weekend in September in recent years, you may have seen the flotilla of Dunkirk Little Ships. These beautiful historic boats make this journey every year in an event designed to bring together veterans and those ships which saved […]
The Traditional Boat Building of Dennett’s Read More »
By Monica Chard It is great to see another new business setting up and getting ready for life after lockdown. This time it is Palmer’s Dog Grooming Salon, next to Sisu and Glow in the new parade of shops at the end of Green Lane. You can drop your dog off at Palmers and spend
It’s All About Dogs! Read More »
Continuing our celebration of local scenes we are pleased to share this months local captures, taken by local residents. Thanks to this months contributors Lucy Hayes, Alex Hardy Photos to monica@villagematters.co.uk
Dr David Fluck, Medical Director and Director of Infection Prevention and Control at Ashford & St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust The COVID-19 Vaccination Programme The past year has been one of the most diffi-cult many of us have faced, and certainly one of the most challenging in the history of the NHS. We are
Looking to the Future Read More »
Do you want to start, develop, and grow your business in a cost effective and vibrant loca-tion with fellow entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses with the added benefit of mentoring, training, networking opportunities and FREE broadband with speeds up to 1GB? If the answer is yes then The Spelthorne Hub could be the ideal location
Spelthorne Hub Business Incubator Opening Soon Read More »
You may have read in the press and on social media that pop musician Gerry Marsden died on 3rd January. His group ‘Gerry and the Pacemakers’ was founded in 1959 and were at one time almost as famous as their contemporaries and fellow Liverpudlians The Beatles. Their songs included ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ and a
Gerry Marsden & the Sunbury connection Read More »
By Spelthorne Borough Council In October 2020, Spelthorne Council announced that it intended to revise downward the housing needs figure for its new Local Plan, following heavy criticism of the Government’s original formula for calculating the number of new homes needed in local authority areas. This was derived from the Government’s plans to change the
Government U-turn on housing numbers for Spelthorne’s new Local Plan Read More »
Heavenly Hellebores I fell in love with Hellebores a few years ago after an early spring visit to the Botanical Gardens in Cambridge where there are some beautiful displays. They provide a spring garden with elegant colour, and I admit to being quite excited when they appear. They are poisonous plants so are probably best
Jan Lancaster (pictured) decided she needed to find a focus during lockdown last year. She had retired from a career in office management some 4 years earlier, but lockdown gave her time to think. She decided that at the marvellous age of 67 she was going to launch her first business. What a brilliant thing
It’s Never Too Late to Start a Business Read More »
It’s that time of year again, when the season’s change to give nature a chance to re-cover its strength, renew re-serves, and get ready for the dawn of a new season in a couple of months. The picture shows the pond just after the rains resulting in a minor flood around the site. Part of
Winter at Laleham Pond Read More »
Thanks to a number of locals who contacted me to tell me about their vaccination experiences. By all accounts, it is a relatively simple procedure, painless and without side effects. The actual process of booking seems to have a few things to iron out. One reader told us that he had initially received a letter
COVID Jab. What to Expect Read More »
By Monica Chard Hardy by name and hardy by nature! Sheppertonian and former Halliford pupil, Alex Hardy set himself a challenge before Christmas of walking 1500 miles in 100 days. He is walking locally, so you may spot him (you may know him from his job in Prezzo in fact). He tells me his target
Alex’s Walkathon for MIND Read More »
By Inspector Maxine Cilia The past month has seen a decrease in dwelling burglaries, however, on the other hand, an increase in vehicle crime. The main types of vehicle crime we are seeing are the theft of Catalytic Converters. This crime takes only about a minute to commit and usually the offenders are well prepared
By Bob Speel, Church Monument Researcher There are over 40 ancient churches in West London surviving from the lost county of Middle-sex, with St Nicholas Church in Shepperton the most southerly. Like most of them, it contains interesting wall monuments. Visiting churches to see the monuments is not a hobby to pursue now, alas, but
Exploring St Nicholas Church Read More »
By Nigel Scott I noted your comment about Sea Eagles over Shepperton in the January edition. The Sea Eagles released by the Roy Dennis Founda-tion in the Isle of Wight ranged far and wide over the UK this summer, one even flew back to Scotland where it had been born! Birdwatch magazine last year reported
Bird Watching and Sea Eagles! Read More »
By Monica Chard A book has recently been published which will be of immense interest to residents. Plotlands of Shepperton by Stefan Szczelkun is a charming little book, focusing on the river communities of Shepperton, and a little on Sunbury. It puts into historical and social context how these riverside dwellings came about. Many of
History of Plotland Dwelling Read More »
By Barbara Unsworth, Big Tree Night Committee The Big Tree Night Committee would like to take this belated opportunity to extend Happy New Year wishes for 2021 to you all. To overcome the diffi-culties that Covid 19 have presented we still have challenging times ahead of us. With the vaccination being rolled out we are
Christmas Windows Bring Cheer Read More »
By Monica Chard It was 1950 when Terrick Fitzhugh started a couple of projects. His hobby was historical research and he had decided to write a history of Shepperton, at the same time as considering starting a magazine for fellow history enthusiasts. It was while he was mulling these projects over, that the idea of
Sunbury & Shepperton Local History Society Celebrates 70 Years Read More »
For nearly twelve months now the pandemic that has engulfed the world has disrupted everyone’s lives. And I do mean everyone’s. From major national and international events through to special birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and wakes, all have had to pass by without the hint of a proper memorable celebration. Not being able to meet safely
Caring for the Community is proving a challenge under Covid Read More »
During lockdown, many of us came to appre-ciate the benefits that being outdoors with nature and gardening can bring, and maxim-ised our gardens to enjoy the fresh air and benefits gardening can offer to both physical and mental health well-being, despite the colder weather! Many who discovered gardening during this time decided they wanted to
Discover Your Outdoor Office Read More »
By Nick Pollard On the night of 28th September 1932, a mysterious fire destroyed several of the stands at Kempton Park, which dated back to the opening of the course by Samuel Hyde in 1878. Mysterious, as it was the second time in a month that a fire had broken out at the racecourse, and
Disastrous Fire at Kempton Park 1932 Read More »
