Shepperton Matters is a free monthly community magazine, launched in November 2011. The magazine is distributed to the Shepperton area every month but every issue is also available to read online right here.
This month we take a look back to Upper Halliford before it was split by the creation of the dual carriageway. How peaceful it looked in the 1920s! We look at sailing at Littleton Sailing Club, celebrate a special night with Dramatize students and hear from a young lady passionate about upcycling fashion using garments she gets from the local charity shops. We also celebrate he 20th anniversary of the Sunbury & Shepperton Rotary Aurora.
In this months issue you may find an April fool’s article so beware. Can you spot it? We also bring an update on traffic calming measures and thoughts on tackling surface road flooding. We have an update from Thamesmead School, hear about green values at the Shepperton Organic Nursery and meet the walking group who collects rubbish as they walk in Surrey.
Spare a thought for those living in Shepperton in 1877 when there were no flood defences. It makes our experience of 2013/14 look like a picnic! We hear accounts from a diary from the period. We also have a plea from the Shepperton Fair Committee who need more volunteers to help put on this amazing event, and we meet a local seamstress and a supplier of top quality fabric. Who fancies a bit of bespoke tailoring?
This month we visit Charlton Village, the scene of a recent fatality. When is something going to be done to make the roads safe? We bid farewell to Douglas Gordon, founder of the Warren Lodge and celebrate the discovery of a 200 year old watercolour of Halliford House.
As well as the usual updates from the various residents groups, we bring you a restaurant review of Ivory Tusk in Shepperton, a thank you from Roseacre Nursery and celebrate the opening of a tree house. That as well as an interview with the chief constable of Surrey and a look back to 1940 when the Thames froze over at Shepperton.
In this issue we celebrate the success of Shepperton at the recent Campaign for Courtesy and also the Spelthorne in Bloom awards. We sadly bring news of the death of Ian Squire, local optician in Shepperton.
As more shops and the last bank close in Shepperton High Street there has never been a more important time to support the local businesses. We visit the gold awarded Ash Link Nature Reserve and hear about saving Swans during the WW1 as well as taking a trip down memory lane to the 1970’s when local bar, The Ship, frequented by stars of the time, produced their own top 20 albums and singles of all time.
In this months issue we take a good look at our lovely hedgehog population and give you some advice on how you can help them. We celebrate winners of the Autumn Shepperton Horticultural Show as well as the teams of the Shepperton Cricket Club
This month we celebrate all that is Shepperton: Voted Most Courteous Town 2017 it also has a wonderful independent charity caring for and rehoming hedgehogs, as well as an artisan bakery – both in Old Charlton Lane funnily enough!
In this months issue you can have a look at photos from the Shepperton Fair. Are you there? We read about the Shepperton Manor shipping magnate from accounts by his great grandson and meet a lady who has been entertaining crowds for over 50 years – all in the name of spreading goodwill and happiness.
So much going on in the community this month and you can keep up to date with it all in this months Shepperton Matters. The Shepperton Fair, Laleham Open Gardens, the Mayor of Spelthorne’s River Day to name but a few.
We look at the implications of the loss of NatWest and how it will affect Shepperton. We also update you on how Shepperton is at the forefront of tackling dementia in the community and we attend a fantastic rendition of Oliver at Thamesmead School. That along with history, updates on local events and stories from locals.
Read all about the crazy eccentricity of the cowboy wedding in Shepperton which took place in 1908. Also how the Friends of St Nicholas are fund raising to look after the beautiful building for future generations and hear about the many local charities you could support in the area which were present at the Rotary’s charity day.
In this month’s issue it is all about money! The council doesn’t have any, but there is funding for community projects available from the Heathrow Community Fund so well worth looking into.
In this months issue you can read plenty about threats to services: the buses, fire station etc. But we look back also at the worst flood in living memory and it is not the one of 3 years ago, but 1947. We can be thankful at least that we have seen some improvements in infrastructure since then.
This is our last issue of the year (and the first of next year as we are doing a joint issue for the first time). We hear about the schools public speaking competition, about the local brewing heritage and about the winners of Spelthorne in Bloom.
As well as reflecting on Armistice Day with a fantastic cover from Amy Hannaford Cooper, the super talented 11 year old from Shepperton, we take another trip to Shepperton Studios, behind the scenes and meet the Prop Master. We also share some memories of The Hovel which is well remembered by many, not necessarily for the food!
This month we carry articles on safety in the water following the tragic death of a teenager. We also look behind the scenes at Motion Capture at Shepperton Studios and hear about one Shepperton lady’s quest to help youngsters in African get an education.
Well, what a month! Celebrations in Shepperton when it found it had been voted one of the happiest places in the UK. We have a look at why. We have coffee with Diana Moran, the Green Goddess and talk health and fitness in later years and we hear about the mystery of the Millais Window in St Magdalen’s Church, Littleton.
This month we celebrate creativity and achievement as well as look at some of the blights on our community in the form of torturous construction. We meet Aylis Mae. This is the stage name of Lucy Watkins, a talented Thamesmead student who has just released her first music video. We also meet Ena Perrot who celebrated her 100th birthday.
