Shepperton Matters Articles

This rather fancy bike rack was put up in Shepperton in July. We are all being encour-aged to leave the car behind and use our own feet or cycle. So this sounds like a good idea in principle. But the double decker bike rack outside the village hall remains empty. Why? Perhaps we all want […]

By Monica Chard  No, Prancer and Dancer have not done a run-ner over the festive period. There are deer living happily in Shepperton. I saw a post on Friends of Shepperton from an astounded Lisa Rollin who had come face to face with a star-tled Bambi near Shepperton cricket club. The post served to assure

From Douglas Dick (With apologies to Dr. Clement C. Moore)  T’was the Night before Christmas, all through Shepperton Town,  No-one was smiling, all had a frown;  The stockings were hung by the chimneys with care,  But what chance had St. Nick and his sleigh to be there?  The Children were nestled all snug in their

By Monica Chard  During this challenging period of isolation it is more important than ever to keep active, stay connected and do something positive. Peggy Pickering organises a competition theme for her Shepperton Artists group every year. This year it was to paint a picture de-picting one of the four seasons, which would be laminated

Is the world ‘on pause’ due to Covid 19? One thing is for sure, mental health prob-lems are certainly NOT ‘on pause’. The pandemic has had a crippling effect on mental health.  Mother Lynn Craig, whose daughter, Natasha, died of an eating disorder, under-stands all too well the anxie-ty that the Covid crisis will be

The Mayor of Spelthorne, Cllr Colin Barnard, and Mayoress joined the Spelthorne Litter Pickers for a litter pick last month at Laleham Riverside.  The litter pick saw eight bags collected, which in-cluded items such as take-away boxes, clothes, a plastic fender and sofa cushions despite there being bins in the area to utilise. At the

By Carl Phillips, Shepperton Residents Association  Hopefully, by now, we have been freed from the confines of the second Lockdown. It’s time to get those delayed Christmas plans up and running. An exciting prospect, perhaps a bit more frenetic this time. Don’t forget your masks! We have been busily organising the Christ-mas trees for the

Have you ever wondered who organises the Christmas trees on the shop fronts in the high street?  This is all down to the Big Tree Night commit-tee. This year however due to Covid there has been a significantly smaller group of volunteers to organise this festive cheer.  This year we must thank a special man,

By Monica Chard  Those in the know tell us that the best time of the day is first thing in the morning. But at this time of the year, when it is dark and cold, it takes some conviction to get up and out. But Win the Morning. Win the Day (WTMWTD) is a group

By Monica Chard  Last year I attended a local Christmas fair (remember those lovely days?). As I walked amongst the many and varied stalls, I did a double take at the decorations for sale at one of them. My mother was Danish, so I was brought up with many Danish traditions, in-cluding the hand made

The remarkable rise of Spelthorne Litter Pickers  “Listening to the comedian David Sedaris’s programmes on Radio 4 Extra I discovered he spends his spare time litter picking near his home”, Shirley Lunn, the co-founder of Spelthorne Litter Pickers, recalls. “I was inspired to start doing a few litter picks on my own.” Shirley assumed there

By Monica Chard The cancellation of travel plans has hit many of us hard this year. I heard about someone who got their travel fix by binge- watching Anthony Bourdain’s travel shows. So how about reading about travel from the point of view of someone nearer to home?  Dawn East lives in Shepperton. You may