Bank Holiday Monday, gale force winds, a garden fire and an island full of wooden craft and flammable materials. What could possibly go wrong?! It was devastating to see images of the fire on Platts Eyot last month. Two boathouses full of historic boats under restoration, went up in flames which were seen from miles …
Platts Eyot Fire Prompts Island Fire Safety Questions Read More »
By Monica Chard According to the Horticultural Traders Asso-ciation, lockdown spawned an estimated 3 million new gardeners, as many of us started really treasuring outside space that we may previously have taken for granted. But one local family has been nurturing growers for decades. This year Squire’s celebrate 85 years. The business was started in …
By Monica Chard You may have already visited Liquid Leisure in Charlton Village, and had fun in the water. The new attraction was heavily affected by the Covid restrictions of 2020 but managed to welcome some families to at last enjoy a much needed day out of fun and leisure. Over the winter the team …
Great news to hear that Old Hallifordian James Woodgate has been selected as one of the six archers that will represent Team GB at the Tokyo Olympic Games. James Woodgate left Halliford School last year and at just 18 is the youngest member of the archery team to be selected for Tokyo. On leaving Halliford …
Thank you to this months contributors. Do send any photos for inclusion in Local Capture to monica@villagematters.co.uk.
May 17th and the door is half open to the resumption of normal activates at Riverside, but we are not quite there as yet. Although shows can resume with up to 50% capacity, these are subject to the social distancing and rule of six regula-tions and the wearing of masks etc, to ensure the safety …
There’s been renewed enthusiasm about the idea of a new Royal Britannia in the wake of Prince Philip’s death. He was closely involved in the commissioning and design of the previous royal yacht. In service from 1954 until 1997, the origi-nal Royal Yacht Britannia was the 83rd official royal yacht of a British monarch since …
It is wonderful to know that finally brides can get their plans back on track. Wedding venues have opened. It has been heart breaking that plans have been cancelled or put on hold. We wish all the brides out there good luck. During lockdown you may also have been spending time researching the big day. …
By Sue Endersby I joined the team of volunteers which is part of the PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Ser-vice) at St Peters Hospital when I saw an ad in this magazine. We help to facilitate com-munication between patients and their rela-tives and friends. This is naturally particular-ly important while you can’t visit because of …
Ashford based company, Penrose Group, is taking on a challenge, raising money for both Dramatize and MS-UK. They are aiming to raise at least £500 to help Dramatize with their work helping adults with learning disabilities and MS-UK in their work helping people with Multiple Sclerosis. Dramatize, which is also based in Ashford, and only …
Planning – It’s Time to Put Developers Under the Spotlight It’s all very well developers and their lobby-ists bleating on about restrictive planning laws but isn’t it high time that the government put the squeeze on developers rather than finessing and continually mucking about with the planning system. As things stand, the sys-tem remains within …
In the March issue of Sunbury Matters we ran an article on self pub-lishing and from time to time we hear of locals who have done just that. Some have even been taken on by publishers. Lockdown has been a period of creativity for many. So here we have Mouse Tales, the tale of two …
By Nick Pollard Sunbury was once home to a variety of manufacturing businesses, most of which have disap-peared, along with the jobs they provided for the local population. One of these was known as the Turret Grinding Wheel works, which was located on a site off Fordbridge Road, where there is now a small industrial …
As I write this for the June edition more lock down restrictions have been lifted. It is lovely to see that we can visit our locals, out of the rain, go for dinner in the warmth at the local restaurant and visit gyms and cin-emas. However as we all get out more and more, that …
Meet Sunbury’s new “Running Mayor” Marc Leyshon, who is tasked with promoting running in the local area. The concept of Running Mayors was born out of the RunSome campaign to advocate running as a way of undertaking local journeys to help reduce traffic and pollution but also to advocate the physical and mental benefits of …
A group of musicians from around the world has collaborated online to create a music video that provides joy and inspiration at a time when this is much needed. The video is going viral on social media. More than 2/3rds of adults in the world are reported to have elevated levels of worry, stress and …
Poems in praise of a beautiful place During lockdown, husband and wife Cyril and Rosemary Lafferty had plenty of time to admire the ever changing view from their living room in Beasley’s Ait, overlooking the Thames. Neither of them had ever written poetry before, but they challenged themselves and each other to try to capture …
Local photographer and poet Mike Doherty loves walking his dog on Rivermede Island. The island was a welcome escape during the lockdown months and inspired him to produce a self-published coffee table book of poetry and photos from his walks. Mike thinks of it as a tribute to the island and the resilience of some …
Local resident Kate Thompson has already featured in Sunbury Matters as her house on Thames Street boasts a huge bread oven, used by villagers in the 18th-19th century (issue 87, May 2018). Kate Thompson is now researching another interesting piece of history relating to her house. Her trusty postie pointed out to her that her …
Sunbury Skiff & Punting Club (SSPC) has found a new home just next door to its previous launch site at Desborough Sailing Club (DSC). It is a great and exciting move for both clubs. SSPC were previously leasing land from the owners of Ferris Meadow between DSC and the popular Shepperton open water swimming lake. …
Sunbury Skiff & Punting Club – new Home in Shepperton Read More »
Earmarked originally for a relief road around Sunbury, this land was generally known locally by its code name TP26. It is a narrow strip of land that runs from Bramwell Close in the east to Green Street in the west, crossing French Street and The Avenue en route. It is probably 2/3 mile long. It …
