Wplifeapril 15

Worcester Park Life

KT4’s ONLY FREE independent community magazine and business guide

WWW.WPLIFE.CO.UK

April 15 issue 81

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Dear Readers

So it’s official, spring has sprung at last! The bulbs are sprouting up and at last we are awash with snowdrops and daffodils. The days are getting longer and the temperature just slightly warmer. Although come on….we’re all far too accustomed to the British weather to be lulled into a false sense of security and to dare pack away our winter boots quite yet (let alone, bring out the flip flops!). Easter might be coming early this year (with newspaper reports of an unseasonal, balmy bank holiday weekend) but from my experience we still need to be on our guard for those April showers (and a final flirtation with winter).You can take the girl out of Glasgow but…..

However, in my humble opinion (or IMHO for any teenagers reading this month!) April is always a lovely time of the year. As I write, the end of the school Spring term is just a week away, daughter No.2 is getting ready to enter “double digits! - with a fabulously fun 10th birthday party to kick the holidays off with.

And, for all of my royalist buddies out there (you know who you are!) there’s also the excitement of a new royal baby to look forward to at the end of the month. What better excuse to get the Jubilee bunting back out of the loft!

Spring is also a time for looking forward, thinking about new beginnings and what the future holds. So, I thought it was really apt that the local primary school, where my youngest attends, will be holding a “careers fair” for the Year 5 and 6 pupils at the end of this term. I’m delighted to be attttending and can’t wait to listen to the dreams and ambitions of 120 enthusiastic nine, ten and eleven year olds with the world at their feet. I still haven’t quite decided which profession I will be talking about – editor, journalist, saleswoman, designer, partyplanner, committee-member or general multi-tasker (not to mention the 10 years I spent working at Barclays Stockbrokers before I was lucky enough to arrive in New Malden and start my current business venture)? At least it goes to show that we can all turn our hand to anything, if we really want to!

Whatever you’re up to this month, I hope you have a really egg-citing (sorry I had to get just one Easter pun in!) time with friends and family and look forward to seeing you all out and about in the Spring sunshine!

I hope you enjoy a good read and also see what our local businesses have to offer. If you’ve any feedback on how they’re doing, or have any ideas for future editions, news or views to share then please get in touch. Remember, we deliver to most homes every second month so if you’re not able to pick up a magazine on the months it’s not delivered to you, you can read it on your smart phone/tablet or PC.

We also publish The Village Voice covering the KT3 postcode

Until May, best wishes

Jenny

Jenny Stuart, Editor & publisher P.S. Please remember to mention Worcester Park Life when replying to adverts, and get in touch by 17th April if you’d like your business, Club or event to feature in the May edition(s).

Contact jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk 020 8336 2915 www.maldenmedia.co.uk Malden Media Limited 36 Rosebery Avenue, KT3 4JS

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Next copy deadlines: 18th March for Aprils’ editions 17th April for May

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Worcester Park History

One family, six street names

by David Rymill

This month we explore south-eastwards from Central Road, to see how one family’s history influenced several street names.

In Tudor and Stuart times this area was all part of the Great Park of Nonsuch, from which Worcester Park takes its name, the 4th Earl of Worcester having been appointed Keeper of the Great Park in 1606; it was included in the 700 acre estate bought in 1860 for £19,000 by John Jefferies Stone. The estate, now bounded roughly by Central Road, Kingsmead Avenue, London Road, Ewell By-Pass, Kingston Road, Thorndon Gardens and Edenfield Gardens, at that time comprised four farms; the land adjoining Central Road was part of the farm variously called Isteds, Cuddington, Worcester Park or Stoneleigh Farm, with a farmhouse near the present Superdrug premises (as mentioned in WPL in August 2014).

The name Stoneleigh Estate came to be used for the whole property, extending much further north than the present Stoneleigh parish.

J J Stone died in 1879, and in his will he urged his trustees not to sell the estate until they could obtain building-land prices for it. Attempts to sell the property began soon afterwards: 13 sales of building plots took place between 1894 and 1911.

One of the first developments consisted of a crescent off Central Road (then part of Cheam Common Road) formed by the initial parts of Windsor Road and Balmoral Road, connected by Hampton Road – all presumably named after royal estates to commemorate this land having been part of the Great Park. All three roads are shown on the 1894 Ordnance Survey map, but without any houses.

The Stones apparently sold blocks of plots, while controlling the type of development. For instance, 23 Hampton Road occupies one of several plots

sold in 1894 to William Harris, with a proviso that they should be used for detached houses costing at least £200 to build or pairs of semis costing £350.

It is believed that the actual builder of nos. 23-29 and perhaps some others was John Ellis Virgo, the owner of all these in the 1910s. In the 1940s his widow lived in no. 27 and rented out the others (I am grateful to Ronnie Meaney and Mike Moir for this information).

A map was produced for the tenth sale, in 1907, and a copy is displayed in the waiting room of Dalmeny House dental surgery in Cheam Common Road. By this time, several new roads had been laid out, including Kingsmead Avenue, shown as sharing the name of Hampton Road, of which it was a continuation.

Windsor Road and Balmoral Road had been extended by this time, with two new linking roads: Moreton Road, named after Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, where J J Stone’s mother Elizabeth Hooper had been born, and Donnington Road, commemorating J J Stone’s birth in the small Gloucestershire village of Donnington, near Stowon-the-Wold. Donnington Road was linked to Central Road by a road in which seven houses had already been built, named Stoneleigh Drive: it was known by this name until the early 1930s when it was renamed Lynwood Drive, while its continuation became Stoneleigh Avenue.

Gradually, semi-detached and detached villas

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appeared in Hampton Road and the parallel part of Central Road.

The 1901 census lists five inhabited houses in the main road, fourteen in Hampton Road, and perhaps four, with another four unoccupied or under construction, in Moreton Road. These houses seem to have been aimed at the expanding lower-middle class of clerks in London offices: many of the heads of households and their sons were clerks – in insurance companies, a bank, and the railway clearing house.

Some owned their own businesses, such as Robert Scott, a drawing instrument maker, and rubber-stamp manufacturer Edward Hurles, while George Barr and Harry Meek were salesmen for a hatter and a company selling horticultural glass buildings respectively.

Just two houses here had a servant: Newlyn and Eversleigh, both in Hampton Road. At Newlyn, now no. 24, the head of the household was Thomas Edwards Jones, a civil servant who probably worked in the Chancery Pay Office in the Strand; he was a founder member of the London Welsh Rugby Football Club in 1885, and captain in 1890.

In 1930 the Stone family trustees apparently switched to a policy of selling off large portions of their property rather than separate plots. However, Stone-related names continued to appear on the map: Cumnor Gardens, off Park Avenue East in Stoneleigh, may commemorate the fact that J J Stone’s father Edward Stone came from Chawley in Cumnor parish, Berkshire (later transferred to Oxfordshire), and the name Stone Place was given to the car park on the site of the farm complex, off Central Road.

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The Stones also used names with a family significance for their own houses: John Jefferies Stone’s eldest son Edward Mulready Stone, and the youngest son Walter Henry, both lived in Sydenham in the early 20th century, and named their houses Cumnor and Donnington respectively.

Stone-related names can also be found across the Atlantic: J J Stone’s elder brother Frederick moved to Canada at the age of 16; he bought an estate of over 500 acres in Guelph, Ontario, where Stone Road commemorates the family. He commissioned

a house which he named Moreton Lodge; this became the original premises of the Ontario School of Agriculture, now Ontario Agricultural College.

The fine portico of Moreton Lodge still survives in the college’s grounds.

More information about the Stone family can be found on the Epsom and Ewell History Explorer website at www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.

Worcester Park, Old Malden and North Cheam: History at our Feet Published in 2012 and available at £10 (plus £2 towards postage if required) from the Rymill family.

Ring 020 8330 6563 for more details.

This 300-page book tells the story of Worcester Park from the Iron Age to the present day, and includes memories of local life from 1908 onwards, and over 150 maps, photographs and drawings - mostly never published before.

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WORCESTER PARK’S HOME OF ENTERTAINMENT We have revamped our entertainment for this year Fridays are now special nights with free entertainment as advertised when available.

Our first FRIDAY 10th April is the REEJACKS BANDIOKE Come and take part join in with some Karaoke with the band backing you. Also dancing to your most popular music We have a beach party night on Saturday 18th April come dressed for the Beach!

St.Georges day in the evening we have live group the Ukaye Ukes they took the club by storm on their first appearence so we welcome them back.The Kitchen will be open with Sea Food and sausage & Mash and Pie and Mash We are having a real Ale night sponsored by Dayla Products so come and join in the party on the night.

We are still looking for more new members so come in and see us at any time.

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Awareness Crohn’s Disease

Arthur Hookway became the Mayor of the London Borough of Sutton on the 9th of June last year and since then his life has changed dramatically. Here he tells of the events which led him to a very special professor and to an unlikely new passion: campaigning for a cure for Crohn’s Disease.

I retired from the London Fire Brigade on the 9th of November 2004, after over 30 years operational service as a Firefighter, Junior and Senior Officer and ending my career as the Fire Borough Commander for the borough of Sutton from 2001 – 2004. Since then I have run my own fire training and risk assessment company, been the Chair and President of a private members club and from 2010 until November 2013 was the Chair of the Worcester Park Residents Association (WPRA). In other words, since retirement I have kept myself pretty busy especially on the volunteering front, which is a pet subject of mine, my theme for my Mayoral year is supporting volunteers and volunteering in the community, they are the backbone of the community and we can never have enough of them, especially in these austere times.

By the end of 2013, I’d had several meetings with many eminent members of the London Borough of Sutton whilst undertaking my duties as the Chair of the WPRA when a friend of mine and a councillor suggested that I should run for office as a Liberal Democrat Councillor, that way if I were elected (which they thought I would be!) they convinced me that I would actually be able to achieve more for my fellow residents and business owners by representing them on the council. The rest as they say is history….on the 22nd of May last year I was fortunate to receive the most electoral votes in the ward of Worcester Park, where I live, and was elected to the council. However I never for one minute imagined that I would be asked to accept the honour of representing the borough of Sutton as its Mayor or first citizen from the 9th of June….you could have knocked me down with a feather! And here I am…my duties include being the Civic Ambassador of the borough, presiding over full council meetings we have 54 members (councillors) in Sutton consisting of 45 Liberal Democrats and 9 Conservatives, representing the borough as its civic head at formal and informal functions, attending and hosting receptions in the Mayor’s parlour and raising money for charities (non-exhaustive list).

Our Story And now to the main part of this article.

My wife Su is the Mayoress of Sutton, she attends 90% of events with me, which we obviously enjoy and consider an honour and a privilege. However things have not always been so good. When our daughter was just eighteen, we received the devastating news that she had Crohn’s Disease (CD). To say the very least, we were deeply shocked. We had heard of this illness before but knew little about it. However, we were to learn a great deal more about it over the next fourteen years. Such is the stigma associated with the illness that people – especially the young - do not wish to talk about the severe pain, trips to the toilet, bleeding, inability to eat a variety of foods, much less do they have the energy to campaign for a cure.

Our daughter has been on different drugs to control and suppress her condition all of her adult life.

Currently there is no cure for this chronic (long term) condition…that’s where the next part of this story is heading! It was a fortunate day indeed when I came across the work of a very special professor at Kings College London.

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Therapeutic Vaccine It was an article in the Wimbledon Guardian which led me eventually to Professor John Hermon-Taylor, who has spent his career researching a bacterial cause for Crohn’s. His theory on Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) being the cause for many – if not all – sufferers seemed to me to be entirely logical and credible. And it seems I am not alone.

Scientists are now refocusing on this theory, formerly considered controversial, as a result of recent evidence from a huge study - involving over 75,000 people looking at the genes of people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Crucially, it showed that there is ‘considerable overlap between susceptibility genes for IBD and mycobacterial disease’. Hence, of the two dominant hypotheses of CD causation - (1) Aberrant response of the immune system to the normal gut flora and (2) MAP - the genetic data is pointing us towards the latter.

Over the last 17 years, the Professor has developed a vaccine, designed to treat as well as prevent Crohn’s disease. This work has been done in collaboration with the prestigious Jenner Institute, Oxford whose worldleading vaccine development team was recently chosen from institutes across the world to develop the Ebola Vaccine. The Vaccine has been tested successfully in mice and in cattle and is now pending a trial in humans.

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If it works in people as well as it has done in cattle then there is every chance that it could cure or significantly attenuate Crohn’s disease. £2.65million is needed to get this crucial vaccine trialled and into clinics.

Over the past 5 years, the Professor has also developed a new simple accurate diagnostic test for MAP. MAP testing is currently done only in research settings and cannot be obtained through IBD clinics anywhere in the world – hence this is a major unmet medical need.

The new test can be used for both blood and tissue samples. It enables MAP to be seen in the tissues of people with Crohn’s disease for the very first time.

Development work on the test is ongoing at King’s College London and supporters are hoping to raise £120,000 by the end of May 2015.

During the years that the MAP theory was out of favour, funding for Prof. Hermon-Taylor’s work from the government and larger charities was very difficult to obtain. But he was able to keep going - just - thanks to generous donations from people with Crohn’s disease and their families, as well as smaller charities and charitable trusts, without whom the vaccine and new test would not exist. Happily, more and more voices from the Crohn’s community are now joining the call to get this vaccine trialled in humans. A website has been set up and Facebook and twitter pages launched

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to show people the science and spread the message of hope.

I have become heavily involved and will remain so even after my Mayoral office expires. To those who say ‘But it is not proven’ I say ‘Then it is imperative that we find out –either way. We cannot wait any longer. We cannot - we WILL not - stand by and let a potential cure for our loved ones fall by the wayside untested’.

So what am I doing?

Sometimes you have to take opportunities that are presented to you in life. Presently, being the Mayor of one of London’s 32 boroughs I am in communication with many other Mayors…especially the local ones who I meet often. The Mayors of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Wandsworth, Croydon and Southwark all naturally know my family and are aware of our daughter’s situation. They are all completely supportive of me and my aims to bring the highest possible profile and support to this campaign to highlight the vital work of Professor Hermon-Taylor and his colleagues in their efforts to complete their work in finalising a test and hopefully a cure for this most dreadful disease for which at the moment there isn’t one. This impacts extremely negatively on the lives of more than a quarter of a million families in the UK alone, and needs to change soon!

If you, or anyone else you know are affected by IBD and wish to help in any way be it fundraising, supporting, donating or just information gathering, for more details please visit www.crohnsmapvaccine.com About Crohn’s Disease Crohn’s disease is a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease which affects an estimated 4 million people worldwide, including 1.2 million in the USA and around 250,000 in the UK and recent reports show numbers are increasing, especially in children. It is estimated that approximately £720+ million is paid out by the NHS each year in the different treatment therapies for individual sufferers ranging from drugs to major surgery. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, weight loss, bloody diarrhoea and chronic fatigue. Up to 80% of patients will need surgery at some point in their lifetime. The lives of most sufferers are blighted by multiple hospitalisations, surgeries, and immunosuppressive therapies, which may have nasty side effects, and as a result many people have difficulty holding down a job or attending school. It is ever present, and totally dominates the lives of those with the condition, and their families.

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0208 394 2555 Sales@JacksonNoon.com Lettings@JacksonNoon.com

MARCH 2015 UPDATE Onward and upward?

The first part of any year sets the tone for the remainder. Sometime in each there are inevitable distractions such as the poor weather last year, the Olympics in 2012 or this year’s general election.

We would willingly invest in a crystal ball were that likely to give us an insight as to what effect that will have on the property market, but just like everybody else we have to rely on more logical means to assess the situation.

January and February have been especially busy for us. The first few weeks probably seemed busier coming, as they do, after nearly half a month of festivities and lack of any action at all on the housing front. Nevertheless when judged against the same period in prior years January 2015 was definitely very busy and therefore likely to herald another buoyant year.

House prices remained relatively static in the later part of 2014, which is to be expected. In the spring of 2014 there were a few months during which prices rose significantly, and in some instances perhaps too dramatically, so it was unsurprising to see the market calm. We had a handful of optimistic offers, as buyers attempted to snap up a bargain before the year came to a close, but our vendors held fast and were rewarded with much more realistic offers in early 2015.

The early signs are that prices are on the move upwards again but the amount by which they are rising varies depending on location and type of property. This month we have been asked back to revalue three properties which we either sold or valued within the last 18 months to assist the current owners decided on their next move. They ably demonstrate the considerable variations in the market.

Case 1 – A larger than average 1 bedroom flat. Rental value has increased by approx. 10% since last year while the capital value has increased by nearly 25%.

Case 2 – A two bedroom maisonette – sought after by investors – and now worth approx. 17% more than it would have been marketed at last year.

Case 3 – A three bedroom cottage purchased 18 months ago and subsequently partially renovated would now easily attract offers 35% higher than the current owner paid.

Will the prices continue to rise? Indications are they will though how rapidly is less easy to predict.

Interest rates remain low while current economic news is increasingly positive and likely to remain so as we head towards the General Election. The local area remains cheap when compared to London and continues to attract buyers looking for better value and more green space. Meanwhile the population carries on increasing and every year sees the gap between houses needed and new houses built widen.

If you are considering options and want an up to date valuation we’re always happy to help with the information and advice you need to make a decision, just call Peter or Sandra on 0208- 395-2555.

Lettings@JacksonNoon.com

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Ruth Jemmett Writes Huntigowk And April Noddy Day Ruth Jemmett Looks At The Month Of Tomfoolery Did you manage to get through the morning of 1st April without being ‘had’ by a joke or a prank? Do you sometimes wonder where this odd custom comes from? It apparently originated in the mid-17th Century, and is not peculiar to England. In Scotland the day has sometimes been known as Huntigowk Day or April Noddy Day - the word ‘noddy’ meaning fool. Of course being made a fool of is not confined to 1st April. As the writer Mark Twain once cynically observed - “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the OTHER 364 days of the year!”.

The word ‘April’ is thought to have been derived from the Latin “aperire”, with reference to the opening of a bud, but some scholars dispute this, and think that the word comes from the name of the goddess Aphrodite. Whatever its origin, most of us associate it with tomfoolery - and Easter. This year Easter falls quite early in the month, on 5th April. If the weather forecasters are right, it will prove to be a good day for social gatherings (not to mention horticultural chores) in the gardens of Worcester Park. However, judging by forecasts from years gone by, it might be desirable to have a snow shovel parked somewhere near the barbecue! In one of my old ‘photo albums I have a snap of the lawn of one of my previous homes smothered in snow in April! It’s no wonder that English people are famous for having a stiff upper lip - it’s the effect the icicles have on us!

This will be a month of Royal celebration, as Her Majesty The Queen will be celebrating her 89th birthday on 2lst . Those who fear ageing are certainly given hope as they witness Her Majesty and Prince Philip carrying out royal duties at a time in their lives when they could easily opt for putting their feet up!

This month we also have the delight of greeting a sibling for young Prince George.

For the past few weeks I have been vastly entertained by the vision of countless would-be athletes pounding the tarmac of Salisbury Road, as they prepare for The London Marathon that takes place on 26th April. All shapes, sizes, and ages of people have been jogging

and panting their way past my front gate.

The sight of them brings back painful memories of my days at St. Andrew’s Convent in Leatherhead when I was a girl. The nuns who taught us thought that cross country running would do us some good. How wrong they were! We absolutely loathed it, almost as much as we hated what we had to wear. We would alarm the population for miles around as we sweated and groaned our way along the Leatherhead By-Pass, wearing ungainly white T-Shirts which were paired with unflattering greyknee-length shorts.

We were mortified as passing lorry drivers whistled at us. On one occasion my particular group actually managed to get lost in some woods, and eventually found an isolated cottage where the owner luckily had a telephone. We rang the convent, and had to explain why we would be an hour late for lunch! Running, as a way of keeping fit, somehow lost its appeal for me at that point in my life! I still do my bit to keep fit though, and am the owner of some weights and a hula hoop.

Endless hours of gardening also help to keep me in shape. I recently bought my husband a static exercise

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bike in an attempt to keep him fit. As he usually only breaks out in a sweat if the central heating is turned up too high - or if he hears that his favourite football team, Plymouth Argyle, have lost a game, I thought the bike might encourage him to be a bit more healthy.

So far I have seen him on the bike twice, despite the fact that I have placed it strategically in front of the television. I don’t have great hopes for him, as after he had ridden the bike for the first time he scoffed down an entire box of chocolates! He tells me that he can cycle for ten minutes without getting puffed. Yeah and I’m the Queen of Sheba ….!

Since you and I last met I have been venturing into my garden a bit more. It has been very cheering to see the snowdrops, and I noticed a Greater Spotted Woodpecker on my bird-table a couple of weeks ago.

As some of you might know, this area used to be part of Henry VIII’s hunting ground, and we are blessed to be surrounded by beautiful majestic trees. Hopefully we will enjoy them for a long time to come, because some of them are being lopped down by enthusiastic amateur loggers, who don’t always check with the local council to see if they have preservation orders on them, thus spoiling the view for other residents. The trees attract wonderful birdlife. The R.S.P.B. recently conducted a census to see how many different species of birds could be seen in suburban gardens in a half hour slot. Our own garden totalled eight - and that was on a grey cold day. How lucky we are to see so many species literally by our back doors - even if we DO have a constant battle with squirrels, to stop them from stealing the food we put out for our feathered friends! Sadly (despite my rantings about amateur loggers!) I recently had to say goodbye to a lovely feature in my back garden - namely a silver birch tree.

Its extensive roots were destroying paving, and it was also growing perilously close to my beloved fish pond.

(No - it didn’t have a preservation order on it, as I had planted it myself twelve years ago). On a positive note, it now means that the tree’s leaves will no longer fall in the pond in the autumn!

We will, of course, be celebrating St George’s Day on 23rd April, despite his origins having very little to do with our country. Legend has it that he lived in the 12th Century, and slayed a dragon in order to save the life of a princess. You have to admitm that it sounds pretty impressive, as most men can hardly be bothered to open a door for a woman these days, let alone confront a fire-breathing monster! On the whole, the story doesn’t stand up to much scrutiny. Let’s face it. How many dragons do you see waddling down Worcester Park High Street? Most academics believe that the legend is probably a heartening myth that was told to simple peasants throughout the ages, in order

18

to teach them about the triumph of good over evil.

Talking of princesses, I have been investigating my family history, and was recently delighted to learn that I am descended from Robert The Bruce, King of Scotland. I am just off to polish my tiara, and practise a Highland Fling! As regular readers will know, I play several musical instruments. Perhaps now is the time to invest in some bagpipes. Perhaps my neighbours won’t share my enthusiasm!

Enjoy the daffodils while they last. It’s only a couple of months before we have mid-summer’s day!

Ruth Jemmett is a Member of The Society of Authors As we all look forward to the imminent arrival of another royal baby, may your spring bulbs burst forth beautifully. As for me, I am off to buy some more goldfish!

Ruth Jemmett is a Member of The Society of Authors

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An independent preparatory An independent independentpreparatory preparatory An school for boys and girls schoolfor for boys and andgirls girls school aged 3boys to 11 years. aged3 3toto11 11 years. years. aged

“The pupils’ overall success is a result of highly teaching,isan “The pupils’effective overall success a outstanding result ult and wide extra-curricular experience, as well as the of curriculum highly effective teaching, an outstanding tan Independent Schools Inspectorate report pupils’ own excellent attitudes to learning.” curriculum and wide extra-curricular experience, as well as the r e pupils’ own excellent attitudes to learning.” Independent Schools Inspectorate report arn

“The pupils’ overall success is a result of highly Tel: 020 8942 0754an outstanding effective teaching, Email: info@thestudyschool.co.uk Website: www.thestudyschool.co.uk Tel: 020 8942 0754 Email: www.thestudyschool.co.uk estu curriculum 5 7info@thestudyschool.co.uk T h e t f o r d R o a d , and N eWebsite: w M a wide l d e n K T 3 extra-curricular 5DP 5 7experience, T h e t f oT r d R o a d , N e as w M awell l d e n K Tas 3 5 D the P pupils’3 independent preparatory chool for boysexcellent and girls attitudes to learning.” own Schools Inspectorate report aged 3Independent to 11 years.

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Baking Fruit Tiramisu This is a simpler version of the classic Italian dessert with layers of rich mascarpone cream, coffee soaked sponge fingers, chocolate and fresh fruit. For individual puds, cut the sponge fingers in half and use 6 small ramekin dishes or glass tumblers.

Serves: 6 Ready in: 30 mins, plus chilling 120ml cold strong black coffee 3tbsp coffee liqueur such as Tia Maria 14 sponge fingers 500g mascarpone cheese 75g caster sugar 75ml Marsala 300ml double cream 75g dark chocolate, grated 175g strawberries, hulled and halved 175g fresh raspberries

the coffee mixture and arrange on top of the fruit, pressing down gently. Spoon over the remaining cream mixture and use a spatula to gently level the surface. Top with the remaining grated chocolate.

1 Mix together the black coffee and coffee liqueur in a shallow dish. Dip half the sponge fingers in the coffee mixture and arrange in the base of a glass serving bowl.

2 Place the mascarpone cheese and sugar in a large bowl and, using a wooden spoon, beat together until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the Marsala and the double cream.

3 Spread about one third of the mascarpone mixture over the sponge fingers in the serving bowl. Scatter over half the grated chocolate and most of the strawberries and raspberries. Reserve the rest of the fruit in the fridge for decoration.

4 Dip the remaining sponge fingers in the rest of

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21

Community

a cut through high street. When will the public have a reason to stop if there are no public activity/events or a place of rest?

The future plans for the garden are extensive.

• Book reading library users/book Clubs • For charity events such as “Help the Heroes” • Vegetable Patch • Scarecrow month • Craft fairs • Bird watching club • Community planting day.

• A choir The ideas and opportunities are endless and The WI are on board!

Please come along to our coffee morning and share your ideas, donations and you can even join the committee!

Saturday 11th April 2015 10am till 12.30 You are all welcome!

Let’s work together as a community and keep building and growing Worcester Park and make it one of the best places to live.

Thank you for reading!

Jackie Frost –Chairperson Friends of Worcester Park Library

The Friends of Worcester Park Library Garden Planning Permission Granted on 25th February 2015

The “Friends of Worcester Park Library” are a voluntary group of people who work alongside with the local community and the council. Seeing ourselves as the “middleman” between the people and the authorities.

We work together as a group fundraising, organising community groups/clubs, outings, fairs and celebrating national holidays.

The library in Worcester Park is the hub of our community. We have a small room above the library where the majority of our functions take place.

For the future and success of the library to be able to continue and grow with a growing community we feel we need and want more community space. As we can’t build up we could build outwards.

We feel we need an extension of community space, an open green space. After all people are more important than cars, we must not forget this!

If we do not open Worcester Park up as a green area with space for the public then we will be for evermore

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Dwg No:

The Studio 57 Lime Grove New Malden Surrey KT3 3TP tel: 020 8949 0803 email: mail@petrow-harley.com

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You can find the right combination at Unilet All the best brands, in stock and available for demonstration. Give us a call.

Need a large screen for the World Cup? Give us a call.

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The Pick of the Crop Acoustic Energy • Arcam • Audio Lab • B&W • Bryston • Chord • Chord Cable • Denon • Dynaudio • Dynavector Electrocompaniet • Esoteric • Heed • KEF • Leema • Lehmann • Marantz • Meridian • Michell • Mission • Mordaunt Short • Musical Fidelity Onkyo • Ortofon • Panasonic • Pioneer • Plinius • PMC • Primare • ProAc • Pro-ject • Quad • REL • Roksan • Rotel SME • Sonos • Spendor Stax • Tannoy • TEAC • Wilson Benesch • Wharfedale • Yamaha - Cables, Home Installation, Vinyl Records, Bespoke Aerial, Satellite & Freesat Installations

24

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Clubs Worcester Park Dramatic Society We are a local amateur theatre group of long standing, winner of the 2011 NODA London Flame Award and since nominated for awards for our sets and performances. We stage two major productions a year at the excellent Adrian Mann Theatre in Ewell, in April and November.

We welcome new members willing to act or work backstage in set construction, stage management, sound and lighting. To find out more about the opportunities we offer call Joyce Cranfield at 020 8337 3317. Or simply come to one of our evenings for a look.

Our next production, Bonaventure, is a murder mystery. Rising floodwaters delay the transport of prisoner Sarat Carn, condemned to hang for murder, to seek refuge in a convent, prolonging her fate. Sister Bonaventure, of a probing mind, gains the trust of the defensive prisoner, gradually revealing a dark secret.

This shakes and tests sister Mary’s faith to its core and ultimately decides Sarat Carn’s future. Details in the advert below.

We meet Tuesdays and Fridays at 8.15pm in the Elmcroft Community Centre in North Cheam, on the Sainsbury’s site.

We have rehearsals and quiz nights and organise theatre outings and social events.

KING GEORGE FIELD INDOOR BOWLS CLUB

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25

View from the City

by Justin Urquhart Stewart

Not the budget, but rather thank you Harry My apologies if you may be requiring some more budget comment, but frankly I think there is more than enough well considered comment already for us all to consume at our leisure. However, despite the brilliant efforts of those accountants working overnight to interpret the ‘Red Book’, which has the real contents of the budget in far more detail, the interpretation of this minutiae will take far longer to appreciate. What we heard on Wednesday was a delightful set piece charade for both our benefit and that of the media scrabbling for content for 24 hour news.

The Budget speech is not quite irrelevant, but the ‘Red Book’ is the key followed by the Finance Act, which of course is then going to be affected by the election - so we can just about ignore it all. Having said that, my colleague Ben Kumar has put out an excellent and succinct note on the key issues entitled ‘UK Budget 2015’.

A Leader passes As I write the health of a great man is failing, and sadly will soon be lost. At the age of 91 he has certainly had time to make an impact, but this man has done far more in moulding and developing the dynamic city state of Singapore than any other individual. He has been controversial over his life but certainly if you judge a person by results then he has been a most effective and successful operator. Originally known as Harry Lee, he spent time briefly at the London School of Economics before moving to Cambridge where he read law. From here on he dropped his anglicised name and the Lee Kwan Yew brand was born.

Lee served as Singapore’s first prime minister from 1959, when Singapore won self-rule, and carried on until 1990 when he finally stepped down.

He led Singapore’s six-year transition from the often disruptive British colonial outpost, through to selfadministration, then to initially merger with, and then subsequent separation from Malaysia, to independent statehood, and Singapore’s declaration as a republic, in 1965.

He founded the governing People’s Action Party and has been quite rightly credited with transforming

26

Singapore from a sleepy Asian entrepot into a bustling and wealthy industrial and financial hub. He encouraged economic growth with (initially) easy regulation and low taxes for business, and by developing a large bureaucratic apparatus to look after its citizens.

This was especially effective around compulsory saving for pensions (something which we have only just started to embrace).

However, progress came at the expense of certain civil liberties. Critics and human rights groups condemned his iron-fisted rule (albeit in a velvet glove) of the country which saw his political opponents jailed, exiled, or even sometimes ruined through costly libel suits.

Nevertheless, if you were willing to play the game, then you could be part of the success - but you were aware that there was a force behind the scenes. But given where the country came from, when riven with riots and weak economic growth, it certainly makes the claim of the effectiveness of a benevolent dictator somewhat more interesting. Some abused their

Est 35 YEARS

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role and position in the market with idiots like the management of Barings allowing the irresponsible Nick Leeson to run amok with shareholders’ capital.

That just underlined to the Singaporeans as to why effective control and regulation was more important.

Now when you look at their economic strength it is certainly difficult to argue against.

There has been an opposition but never of any effect and on one occasion the only opposition member was donated his seat because he ran ‘the most effective campaign’. Only 12 opposition politicians have ever been elected to parliament in Singapore. I had the honour of meeting Lee once and you were aware that he was a man of great presence and intellectual strength. I wish him well in what are probably his last hours, we will remember him as a highly successful and effective leader.

Justin Urquhart Stewart is one of the most recognisable and trusted market commentators on television, radio and in the press. Originally trained as a lawyer he has observed the retail market industry for 20 years whilst at Barclays Stockbrokers and developed a unique understanding of the market’s roles and benefits for the private investor

Female Arabic, Quran Teacher Worcester Park • Flexible rates

I am highly qualified, British trained, Arabic teacher. I studied Arabic at the prestigious University of Jordan almost twenty years ago. I have worked in the public and private sectors teaching both primary and secondary school students. I am well placed to create a tailor made programme that would suit your needs.

So if you want to learn Arabic, Qur’an, tajweed or need Arabic/ English translation please do not hesitate to contact me.

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English Tutor

Worcester Park Area • Flexible hours I am a highly qualified, experienced Secondary English teacher from a leading selective Independent boarding HMC school.

I have an excellent record of progressing students both at GCSE and A level.

I am experienced also at KS2 and prepared students for Common Entrance.

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Cypress Garden Services In Worcester Park

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27

Double Acts 1. Which famous double act have been the only non-individual winners of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award?

2. Which double act represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in both 2011 and 2012?

3. Which famous double act became the first duo to have a posthumous hit single when they did so in 1975 with a song called Trail Of The Lonesome Pine?

4. Who is taller?... Ant or Dec? 5. In a 1996 episode of Only Fools And Horses, which double act did Del and Rodney dress up as to attend a party, but when their van broke down, had to run the rest of the way to get there and ended up scaring off thieves?

6. Which duo prevented the Oasis song Wonderwall from topping the UK singles chart in October 1995?

7. Which famous double act first appeared in a 1989 short film called A Grand Day Out? 8. In a series of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, who would a cat called Mr. Jinks be referring to when he would say "I hate those meeces to pieces"?

9. How are Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne known in the title of a 1994 comedy film?

10. Barry Elliott and Paul Elliott are best known together by what name?

Animal Adjectives 1

Bovine

2

Caprine

3

Cervine

4

Lupine

5

Murine

6

Ovine

7

Taurine

8

Ursine

9

Vespine

10

Vulpine

Choosing from the list below, can you work out which animals the adjectives above apply to?

Bear

28

Goat

Bull

Rat

Cow

Sheep

Deer

Wasp

Fox

Wolf

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Sudokus

fairly easy

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L R E W F O You have two minutes to find all the words of three or more letters that can be made from the letters above. Plurals are allowed, proper nouns are not. The 6 letter word will always be just a normal everyday word.

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Gardening Gadgets for green fingers While few of us are likely to spend nearly £900 on Flymo’s latest robot lawnmower, let alone £2,500 for a high-end robot mower, there are lots of garden gadgets that can make life easier and more fun.

One of the most useful developments is the arrival of cordless tools ranging from lawnmowers to electric chainsaws. Battery technology has improved dramatically in a very short time, so it’s possible to get tools such as Black & Decker’s 36V cordless strimmer that can cut up to 3,750 metres on a single charge.

Just remember to charge them up before you use them, as recharging flat batteries can take a while.

If you fancy something a bit less high tech, Japanese hori-hori knives might be right up your street: the name means “digging digging” and a hori-hori knife’s straight sharp blade makes it perfect for everything from planting to cutting roots. They can be a little tricky to find, but eBay is always a good source of such tools.

Another great tool is the Woodman’s Pal. It’s a little pricey - expect to pay £50 upwards - but it’s really clever and really useful. The Pal was originally designed for the US Army in the early 1940s and it’s a cross between an axe and a machete, with a hooked section on the end. That makes it great for clearing all kinds of vegetation, and it replaces a whole bunch of tools including pruning saws, shears, loppers and in some cases, even chainsaws.

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES)

featured the usual home entertainment technology, lots of TVs and even more laptops, but it also had an unusually large selection of garden gadgets. One of the cutest was the Green Farm Cube. Another Japanese design, and it’s a hydroponic grow box that enables you to grow plants such as herbs anywhere all year round. At around £120 it’s quite expensive, but it looks great and works well. It’s particularly good for people who want to grow things but don’t have a garden to do it.

It seems that smartphones are taking over every aspect of our lives, so it’s not a surprise that they’re starting to look at our gardens too. App-connected gadgets are everywhere at the moment. Netatmo’s Connected Weather Station (approx £110) tells your phone about indoor and outdoor humidity, temperature and air quality as well as predicting the weather, while Koubachi’s Plant Sensor 2 Outdoor (approx £96) measures soil moisture, sunlight, infra-red light, temperature and more to let you know exactly how well valuable plants are doing.

Another CES exhibitor, Edyn, promises to deliver the “connected garden” with sensors that analyse the soil, monitor the temperature and even check the weather forecast to help you decide what to plant and how to look after it.

The product range also includes smart water valves that automatically water your plants, and solar power means you don’t need to run any cables. It’s overkill for a couple of blooms from Homebase, but if you’re a serious gardener it’s a seriously clever bit of kit. Edyn is currently available for pre-order, and the sensor and water valve are $99 (£65) and $59 (£39) respectively.

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020 8330 7557 - Sales 020 8330 7887 - Lettings www.brownsresidential.co.uk

Worcester Park £525,000 • Magnificent Family Home

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33

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Gardening

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What’s On Give blood

Book an appointment by calling 0300 123 23 23 St Philip, Ruskin Drive, Worcester Park KT4 8LG 16 April 2 to 4.30pm 5.30 to 8pm Sutton, The Thomas Wall Centre, Benhill Avenue, Sutton, Surrey., SM1 4DP 5 March 2 to 4.30pm 5.30 to 8pm St James’s Church Hall, Bodley Road, New Malden KT3 5QE 22 April 2 to 4.30pm 5.30 to 8pm A.F.C Wimbledon Football Club, Jack Goodchild Way, 422A Kingston Road KT1 3PB 2nd April, 2014 2 to 4.30pm 5.30 to 8pm

Local Markets

Cheam Village Friday Market Small indoor market with 28 stalls held in Cheam Parochial Rooms, The Broadway, Cheam Village, Surrey.

Helping the Royal Marsden Hospital.

Market Days: Friday North Cheam Farmers’ Market – 3rd Saturday of every month, 9.30am-1.30pm, North Cheam Crossroads outside the Post Office, KT4 8SG. Christmas Market: Saturday 21st December New Malden Farmer’s Market 1st Saturday of the month The car park beside the Foutain Pub 9am to 2pm Surbiton Farmers Market Maple Road 3rd Saturday of the month 9am-1pm

Entry £5 per child (includes 1 accompanying adult) Horrible Ewell Walk Tuesday 7 April 11am - 12.30pm & 2pm-3.30pm Explore the darker side of Ewell village’s long history.

Learn about exploding gunpowder mills and visit the graveyard of St Mary’s where the victims lie. Hear tales of local folk who won’t stay dead: witches and foul murder, tragic coach crashes and funerals with no bodies! The tour of the village will end with a visit to the historic jail - be careful not to be left behind! £5 per person. Places limited to 25 and must be prebooked with David Brooks. Please meet at the main entrance to Bourne Hall.

Gladiator School Wednesday 8 April 11am-12.30pm & 2pm-3.30pm Enlist in gladiator school and learn about the different types of fighting and weaponry. Discover the role of a gladiator within Roman society. Witness the visiting gladiators demonstrate their skills - will it be thumbs up or thumbs down? Are you brave enough to survive the arena? Come and learn how to be a gladiator and put your new-found skills into practice. Discover if it really was history’s most deadly sport!

Entry £5 per child (includes 1 accompanying adult) Epsom Cemetery Walk Friday 10 April 11am-12.30pm & 1.30pm-3pm Enjoy a gentle stroll visiting the final resting place of

Nonsuch Park

Nonsuch Park is a link to Tudor England. The Palace that once stood here was a hugely expensive symbol of Henry VIII’s power. The Friends of Nonsuch offer guidance to a 7 feet model which has been created from contemporary documentation, paintings and an excavation of the Palace site in 1959. The model is on display in the Stable Wing of the much later Nonsuch Mansion in the heart of Nonsuch Park. The model is open from 11 am until 3 pm every Sunday in November and December; admission £2.50; cars via Cheam Gate. For further information please visit the website at www.friendsofnonsuch.co.uk

Bourne Hall

Terrible Trenches Thursday 2 April 2pm - 3.30pm Would you like to sit for hours in a muddy funk hole?

Who were Moaning Minnie and Jack Johnson? Why would you have been chatting and where was Blighty?

Meet a visiting British officer together with a Tommy and learn about trench warfare and life on the western Front. Have the opportunity to see and handle objects and equipment from the ‘War to end all Wars.’

To advertise email jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk or call 020 8336 2915

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many of Epsom’s lords, ladies and townsfolk. Elizabeth Dorling, Mrs Beeton’s mother, enjoyed the dubious accolade of being the first person to be interred there in 1871, but the first burial was much earlier….

Discover famous war heroes, exotic dancers and jockeys, and learn of their impact through their words and deeds on Epsom & Ewell. £5 per person. Places are limited to 25 and must be pre-booked with David Brooks. Please meet at the main gate to the cemetery - Postcode KT18 5BP Napoleon And The Iron Duke Saturday 11 April 1pm2.30pm The Napoleonic war raged across Europe from 1803 to 1815. It saw the creation of Germany and Italy as nations and the British Empire rise to be the world’s superpower. A British redcoat who served in the wars will visit and tell what it was like to serve and fight in the wars and at the final Battle of Waterloo. Discover the weapons and tactics used - would you be brave enough to stand your ground in square formation against an advancing column of French soldiers?.

Entry £5 per child (includes 1 accompanying adult) Further details available from David Brooks, Bourne Hall Museum, Spring Street, Ewell, Surrey, KT17 1UF. Tel 020 8394 1734. Email dbrooks@epsom-ewell.gov. uk

Epsom Playhouse,

Ashley Avenue, Epsom, Surrey, KT18 5AL (01372) 742555 / 742227 Jongleurs March 31 March Back by popular demand, Jongleurs comedy is returning to The Epsom Playhouse! They tore the roof off last time, so now the country’s best stand-up comedians are gracing our stage once more.

Brought to you by Jongleurs, the UK’s number one comedy company, they’ll have you rolling in the aisles with laughter.

Don’t miss this chance to see another two hours of today’s funniest stand-up! Book your tickets now!

Line up subject to change. Suitable for over-18s only That’ll Be The Day 2014-2015 Tour 2 April It’s party time again as the legendary That’ll Be The Day, the nations favourite rock ‘n’ roll variety show returns with another opportunity to see its latest production!

Instant Sunshine 12 April Instant Sunshine returns to the Playhouse with their timeless humour and what has been described as their artisan repertoire of musical satire, which brightens up the dullest of days.

Graham Hughes’ Sunshine Kings 13 April Another chance to hear this popular young band. Bands and Line-ups are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstance.

Tony Jacobs Celebrates Gershwin 15 April Tony Jacobs celebrates Gershwin, Tony returns to Epsom Playhouse with another programme of songs and music

love

Slimming World Join a warm and friendly group near you today…

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TUESDAY Worcester Park Wesley Halls, Christ Church with St Philip, Ruskin Drive, KT4 8LG 9.30am Tel: Justine 020 8942 6117

THURSDAY New Malden The Graham Spicer, 15 Dukes Avenue, KT3 4HL 9.30am, 5.15pm & 7.00pm Tel: Vanessa 020 8288 0718

WEDNESDAY Surbiton Surbiton New Life Baptist Church, 1 Balaclava Road, KT6 5PW 9.30am & 11.30am 5.30pm & 7.30pm Tel: Justine 020 8942 6117

FRIDAY New Malden The Graham Spicer, 15 Dukes Avenue, KT3 4HL 9.30am Tel: Vanessa 020 8288 0718

Please remember to mention Worcester Park Life when you speak to our advertisers

celebrating the genius of one of the worlds greatest songwriters Gershwin.

Stewart Francis Pun Gent Tour 16 April “A brilliant comic brain... this stand-up cracks some of the best one liners I’ve ever heard” - Guardian Doc Brown: The Weird Way 17 April Fresh from his sell-out UK tour Of Mic And Men, a starring role in the hit show Law and Order, as well as singing with Ricky Gervais on the youtube viral Equality Street, Doc Brown is back with his unique take on Life, Love and Lyricism.

With other tv appearances already under his belt including Russell Howard’s Good News, The Inbetweeners, Rev and Derek, Doc is a must see act.

Snail Tales 18 April Snail Tales presents A Pinch of Pickle, A Whisk of Wise! With a cup of wackiness, a brimful of originality and a sprinkling of enchantment, Snail Tales brings you a recipe for family entertainment like no other! Fresh from successful tours of A Little Bird Told Me ... and A Bird in Your Ear, Snail Tales’ storytellers have again visited children around the UK to tell their stories of crazy characters, potty plots and sensational settings... and are now sharing them with your audiences, enriched with new puppets, magic, songs and plenty of audience participation!

Close Up At The Playhouse April18 April 2015 1 Night, 3 Magicians, 3 Tables - An intimate evening of close-up magic, trickery and sleight of hand. Close-up is one of most impressive forms of the art and this event features some of the Parade The Musical 21 Apr - 25 Apr An emotive true story is brought to theatatrical life by acclaimed playwright Alfred Uhry and Broadway composer Jason Robert Brown. In 1913, Leo Frank, a Brooklyn raised Jew, a Yankee living in The South, is put on trial for the murder of 13 year old Mary Phagan, a factory worker in his employ. Already guilty in the eyes of everyone around him, a sensationalist publisher and a janitor’s false testimony seal Leo’s fate. His only defenders are a governor with a conscience, and, eventually, his assimilated Southern wife who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion Essence of Ireland 26 April 5 Star Irish Magic Described by the Irish World as ‘Entirely Unique’ and ‘Highly Recommended’, the critically acclaimed Essence of Ireland is a breath-taking show featuring the very best of Irish Music and Dance.

Able - Unique Variety show. 27 April Able-Unique Plus Variety Music Performance A community focused charity event.

Able-Unique Plus Variety Music Performance evening is an night of a mix of a choirs - show choir, jive groups - Pete n G’s rock and roll jive surrey, models from Brides Visited, Professional Catwalk Models, Professional Dancers and singers too.

The evening will consist of a raffle to raise money for 7 local charities: Epsom Medical Equipment Fund, CAB, Carers of Epsom, Derby Medical Centre delegated by DR Floyd, The Hub, The Children’s Trust and SeeAbility.

The JJ Vintren Band 27 April A welcome return from one of 2013’s hit jazz bands!

Katherine Ryan : Glam Role Model 28 April A dude who is fast becoming a recognisable face on British TV with appearances on BBC 1’s Live At The Apollo & Let’s Dance for Comic Relief, BBC 2’s Mock The Week, QI & Nevermind The Buzzcocks, C4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats and more, Katherine Ryan embarks on her second UK stand-up tour.

You didn’t see Alice in Wonderland 29 April 2015

The familiar story in unfamiliar pictures (by some three dozen pre-war illustrators) A PowerPoint presentation Presented by Colin Pinney {The 150th anniversary of the publication} Whitney - Queen of the Night 29 April 2015 A stunning celebration of the music and life of one of the greatest singers of our time. This award winning production features a stellar line-up with rising West End star, Rebecca Freckleton, delivering a powerhouse and breath-taking performance as Whitney.

An Evening of Mediumship with TV Psychic Tony Stockwell 30 April For those with an interest in Mediumship, the name of Tony Stockwell will certainly need no introduction. Tony has been working tirelessly for over 20 years to demonstrate his belief that those who have passed can communicate with their loved ones.

Lonnie Donegan Jnr. Skittle Party 1 May 2015 Footstomping , hand clapping singalong from Lonnie Donegan Jnr. Son of the man who started it all.

Lonnie Jnr and his band will perform his Dads’ most iconic and memorable songs, while he recalls the countless storied he has to tell.

Starlight Academy of Dance and Performing Arts Present DANCE 2015 3 May Celebrating ten years since the Academy opened. The pupils showcase their talents with a full range of genres.

The Rose Theatre

Sun 29 Mar, 7.30pm Comedy Store March Every famous comic has graced The Comedy Store’s stage at some point in the last 30 years and their critically acclaimed shows remain the place to see the stars of tomorrow today.

Tue 31 Mar – Sat 4 Apr, 7.30pm Mat: 2.30pm Thu & Sat Mischief Theatre Company Presents PETER PAN GOES WRONG The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society set out to present J.M. Barrie’s classic tale of Peter Pan, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong…does, as the accident prone thesps embark on a thrilling adventure to Neverland, with hilariously disastrous results.

Terrific fun for all ages, don’t miss this hysterical new laugh out loud comedy.

Wed 8 – Thu 9 Apr THE AMAZING BUBBLE MAN The international hit show with bubble art, magic, science and LOTS of fun. Louis Pearl is the world’s leading Bubbleologist and has been delighting family audiences with his unique show for nearly 30 years.

Fabulously entertaining, he explores the breath-taking dynamics of bubbles, combines comedy and artistry with audience participation and enough spellbinding bubble tricks to keep everyone mesmerized.

Fri 10 – Sat 11 Apr Showstopper Productions presents THE FANTASTICAL STORY FACTORY A musical adventure which will have you exploring magical kingdoms, meeting wonderful characters and singing along by the end. YOU decide where the story is set, what happens next and who the characters are. You can even join in if you want to!

An improvised musical adventure for kids of all ages - and adults who act like kids! Everything is made up on the spot entirely from audience suggestions.

If your children could create their very own dream musical – what would it be?

Tue 14 – Sat 25 Apr Rose Productions, Headlong and Sheffield Theatres present THE ABSENCE OF WAR

To advertise email jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk or call 020 8336 2915

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It’s now or never for George Jones. The charismatic leader of the Labour Party needs to get out of opposition and into Number Ten. A vigorous new production of David Hare’s funny, stinging political drama on a timely national tour during the build-up to the 2015 General Election.

Tue 28 Apr – Sat 2 May Children’s Touring Partnership presents THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS Based on the best-selling novel by John Boyne, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a heart-wrenching tale of an unlikely friendship between two innocent boys.

Set during World War II, the story is seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and devastating consequences.

Bruno’s friendship with Shmuel takes him from innocence to revelation, revealing the poetic irony that through a child’s eye everyone can appear the same.

CAFÉ EVENTS RHYME TIME Mondays weekly, 11.15am, Bring the little ones down for a free morning of rhyming, singing and laughter in the Café at the Rose, and that’s just the parents.

SWING DANCE 2pm – 5pm Last Sunday of the month JAZZ FIRST TUESDAYS 1.15pm– 2pm Lunchtime live jazz presented by Kingston University

JAZZ FIRST TUESDAYS 1.15pm– 2pm

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Please remember to mention Worcester Park Life when you speak to our advertisers

Dream Doors Kingston A5_Directory 16/04/2012 11:46 Page 1

ST R N NO YLE AN EW W S & GE AV C OF AI OL LA OU BL RS E

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Have you always wanted the kitchen of your dreams, but can’t quite justify paying the expensive price tag that comes with it? Now you can by just swapping the doors and worktops.

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• Huge choice of Doors, Worktops, Appliances, Sinks & Taps • Free Estimating and planning • 50% deposit with balance on completion www.dreamdoors.co.uk

For a FREE NO OBLIGATION home visit telephone 020 8399 1226 Or visit our showroom: 406 Ewell Road, Tolworth, Surrey KT6 7HF Email kt@dreamdoorsltd.co.uk

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To advertise email jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk or call 020 8336 2915

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Gardening Grow your own

By Pippa Greenwood I’m a great fan of home grown vegetables, particularly as growing my own allows me to choose to eat only organically grown fruit and vegetables, which are free from chemical pesticides. Even if you only have a tiny patio garden or backyard, you can brighten up your supper table with some good looking vegetables, home grown in containers.

It is important to use large containers. Smaller ones may look fine but most vegetables need an evenly moist compost around their roots at all times, and so a larger volume of compost is much easier to look after. They will need to be positioned in a sunny spot as vegetables won’t crop well in a gloomy position.

Growing bags will do but they don’t exactly look good. In addition, they often seem to contain pretty poor compost and, when it comes to keeping growing bags adequately watered, they are nothing short of a nightmare. Large flower pots or planters are the best bet, and you can use terracotta, plastic or glazed pots. Make sure that the containers are well supplied with drainage holes, and that you have a layer of broken pots on top.

I suggest using either a standard multi-purpose or a multi-purpose compost mixed with a loam based compost – both produce good crops and are fairly easy to maintain. You can incorporate some controlled release fertiliser granules or feed regularly with a liquid feed.

There are lots of different vegetables that can be grown in containers but sometimes getting the right variety can make all the difference to how well they perform. Check labels or seed catalogues as those particularly well suited to life in a pot are described as so. If you like home grown beans you can use any variety of dwarf French bean, or if you prefer, a runner. The miniature runner, ‘Hestia’, has pretty red and white flowers and doesn’t need a support to climb.

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Cucumbers can be grown in pots; choose a variety such as ‘Patio Pick’ which should manage to crop well despite its small size. Provided you have a large and deep container then courgettes are also worth a try, and do remember to keep them well fed.

If you like hot pepper and have a sheltered, warm spot then try the crazy looking, heavy cropping ‘Medusa’ or the pretty but hot ‘Etna’.

Salad crops can all be grown in a growing bag or other container, and are guaranteed to look good.

For some really wacky colour try growing the richred stemmed Ruby Chard or ‘Bright Lights’ chard with stems in pink, orange, red, yellow and white.

When it comes to maintenance, remember that anything growing in a pot needs more TLC as its roots will not be able to tap into the further reaches of the soil to find moisture and nutrients. Plenty of food and water is a must, and I tend to use a high potash liquid tomato feed, which works a treat. To keep your pots free from slug and snail attacks, try using sticky-backed copper tape stuck in a complete ring around the top of the pot or planter.

Once everything is growing well and cropping, don’t forget to pick patio veg regularly if you want the plants to keep cropping.

Visit Pippa’s website www.pippagreenwood.com for ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa Greenwood’ veg growing system, biological controls, fleece, copper tape and lots more besides.

Please remember to mention Worcester Park Life when you speak to our advertisers

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www.tolworthfencingcompany.com To advertise email jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk or call 020 8336 2915

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Finance Challenger Banks: What they Bring to a Tired Industry

By Ann Haldon

The UK banking industry has been severely damaged by scandals and misdeeds in recent years. The Libor incident when banks falsely manipulated interest rates, plus the infamous PPI mis-selling scandal, are just two reasons for public unease and mistrust.

Poor levels of service and low saver rates have compounded a seemingly irresolvable problem, leaving customers with little recognition of the issues they were facing, and few alternative banking options.

But help may be at hand. The ‘Big Four’ - Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds – are now facing competition from challenger banks. New entrants to the banking industry include Metro and Aldermore , plus the re-emergence of an old, familiar high street name.

We look a little closer at some offerings from these new banks, and see if they could really be a credible threat to established institutions.

An old name on the high street Not really a challenger bank, but a familiar name with a ‘new’ offering is TSB. Their strap line, “We’re different,” plus market positioning as champions of “local banking” offer a level and type of service once taken for granted when banking was a service industry rather than a huge selling machine.

Current account • Classic Plus Account: credit interest rate of 5% variable AER on balances up to £2,000; minimum of £500 per month to be paid in; no monthly fee.

Fixed Bond • Fixed interest rate of 1.35% gross/AER on £2,000+ for two years; interest paid monthly or annually.

Credit card • 0% interest on purchases for up to 13 months if the 7-day switching service is used.

Metro Bank Metro Bank operates from ‘stores’ throughout the southeast of England, with the emphasis firmly on convenience for their customers – stores are open 7 days per week, 362 days of the year. They have a family-friendly policy that includes the Money Zone programme, in which they help children and students to learn about money management.

Current account • No monthly fee; MasterCard contactless debit card; free transactions in Europe; cheque books printed while you wait.

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Fixed term savings • 3-year fixed rate account; annual interest rate of 1.90% gross/AER; choice of fixed rate terms of 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 3 years; interest paid monthly or annually; minimum lump sum deposit of £500.

Credit card • MasterCard contactless credit card; free transactions in Europe; no annual fee.

Aldermore Aldermore has no branches, choosing to operate online and via telephone banking. This allows it to keep down costs, and its streamlined business model has been marketed towards helping small businesses and homeowners in the UK with savings and mortgage products.

Fixed rate savings • 3-year fixed rate account currently offering 2.15% gross/ AER annual interest; choice of fixed terms between 1 year and 5 years; a single lump sum deposit of £1,000 minimum; operated via the internet, by telephone, or post.

The above are just a selection of products on offer by the banks mentioned – there is a variety of other accounts and products that may be more suitable depending on your circumstances.

Modern IT systems have allowed these challenger banks to compete on a different platform to traditional high street banks, which are hindered by outdated infrastructures that are costly to maintain.

The absence of bricks and mortar outlets also provides an opportunity to loosen the Big Four’s stranglehold on a banking industry desperate for some fresh competition. www.paymentscouncil.org.uk/media_centre/press_ releases/-/page/3177 www.tsb.co.uk www.metrobankonline.co.uk www.aldermore.co.uk

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Tea Time Each letter in this puzzle is represented by a different number between 1 and 26.

The codes for three letters are shown. Once you have filled these throughout the grid you can start guessing words and reveal other letters. As you find the letters enter them in the box below.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

1 19

8

5 19

15 6

24

17

19

10

14

2

24

10

15

10

22

11

14

12 24

26

17 12

14

4

13 8

22

5

17 21

8

2 17

7 4

24

4 6

17

16

R

19

O

10 7

M

18

19

7

7

8

5

26

17

25

18

7

18

17 2

5

16

7

1

5

14 1

9

12 5

7 9

2 1

14

8

20

12

10

9 11

10

4

23

14 4

7

14

1

2

16

5

2

25

24

4

17

15

15

24

3 7

To advertise email jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk or call 020 8336 2915

2

11

7

7 2

4

18

15

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Safer Neighbourhoods Protecting your vehicle Thefts from motor vehicles are at best, annoying and inconvenient. But at worst, they can be both expensive and heart breaking.

Access to vehicles has been gained in a substantial number of thefts without having to force entry.

This means that the vehicles may have been left either insecure or unlocked, or the thieves are finding new and clever ways of effecting entry.

Did you know that…?

- Most vehicle crime is preventable. It can take as little as 10 seconds for a thief to steal something from your car. If at all possible, leave nothing on view.

- NEVER leave any valuable items in your car, including sunglasses, removable radio covers and your Sat Nav. Do you really need all those things you keep in the glove box?

- Wipe away the Sat Nav mark on your windscreen.

- Consider fitting anti-tamper screws to your number plates.

- NEVER leave your car keys where they can be seen from the front door or through your letterbox.

Vehicle common sense ALWAYS - Close the windows and sunroof; lock the doors and activate any security devices when leaving your car unattended.

- Park with care, particularly at night or if you are leaving the vehicle for a long period.

If possible, park in a busy, well-lit area.

- Lock your car always. Even if it’s right outside your front door on the driveway and also check the door manually if you use a key fob.

NEVER - Leave cash, credit cards, cheque books, mobile phones, vehicle documents or indeed ANY OTHER VALUABLES in the car.

- Never leave your keys in the car, even for a second - treat them as you would any of your other valuables.

Be vigilant at all times, and should you become aware of a car crime in progress: DO NOT: Approach or make yourself known to the criminal.

DO: Call 999, note the time, and if possible from

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an invisible vantage point, make a note of descriptions, vehicles (including registration numbers), and even the direction in which the criminal/s make off.

The most important thing is to stay safe and do not worry, the probability is that you probably won’t be affected by a crime of this type. But we must always be alert and aware. The more precautions we take, the less likely it will be that these criminals will frequent your area.

Any information you may be able to give us will be received in the strictest confidence.

Please continue to help us make Worcester Park and Nonsuch among the safest wards in London.

Thank you

WORDWHEEL

Using only the letters in the Wordwheel, you have ten minutes to find as many words as possible, none of which may be plurals, foreign words or proper nouns. Each word must be of three letters or more, all must contain the central letter and letters can only be used once in every word. There is at least one word that uses all of the letters in the wheel.

TARGET Excellent: 24 or more words Good: 18 words Fair: 15 words

T M

A

O

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Clubs

To feature in this section email info@wplife.co.uk

Mondays

Do you enjoy listening to show tunes, big band music, jazz, light classics etc? Come along to an evening of live music played by top artistes. We meet on the second Monday of each month at our Banstead venue Banstead Organ & Keyboard Club Church Institute Hall, High Street, Banstead SM7 2NN 13th April - Steve Hubble 11th May - Matthew Bason Doors open 7pm for 7:30pm start.(Visitors £7) Visitors & new members are always welcome to our concerts.

Further details from 020 8330 5795, or visit www. bansteadorganclub.co.uk Worcester Parkers Women’s Institute meet on the 3rd Monday of every month 7.45pm to 9.45pm at Christchurch with St Philip Church Hall in Ruskin Drive, Worcester Park. For more information contact Dawn Penn 0208 337 4361 wi.worcesterparkers@gmail.com *There is currently a waiting list.

Cheam Common Art Group Small friendly Art Group who meet at CHRIST CHURCH with ST PHILIP Ruskin Road, Worcester Park on Monday evenings 7.30 – 9.30 p.m.

Welcome new members just to draw and paint in any medium without tuition. If interested come down for an evening and meet us to see whether this is for you Brenda Banks 020 8330 0928 Worcester Park Over 60’s Welcome Club meet every Monday from 1pm to 3pm at Christ Church with St Philip Church Hall in Ruskin Drive. Worcester Park.

All over 60’s welcome to join us for a cup of tea and a biscuit or two, plus some outstanding entertainment in the way of singers and musicians. One Monday a month we have Bingo and every Monday we run a raffle. Days outings to the coast are organised throughout the summer months, and mid week holidays are organised two or three times a year. Come a little earlier and meet up with some friends and have a chat before the entertainment starts. We would love to see you. Contact Joyce on 020 8330 5065.

The ladies After Eight Club meet on the 2nd Monday of every month from 8pm onwards at Christchurch with St Philips church hall. We have interesting speakers, outings and dinners and all are welcome for a small subscription to cover our costs. Just come along and join in.

Please contact Carol on 020 8337 2452 for further information

Tuesdays

The Worcester Park Dramatic Society is a local amateur drama group of long standing. We stage two major productions a year at the Adrian Mann

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Theatre in Ewell, in April and November. We meet every Tuesday and most Fridays at 8.15 pm in the Elmcroft Community Centre in North Cheam, on the Sainsbury’s site. Apart from play readings, rehearsals and set construction, we have quiz nights and various social events. We also arrange group outings to amateur and professional theatre productions. We welcome new members to help us stage future productions, anyone willing to act or work backstage. If interested, please contact our membership secretary, Joyce Cranfield, on 020 8337 3317.

“Lunch Break” - a friendly lunch club for those retired, meeting on a Tuesday 12-2pm (term time only) at Worcester Park Baptist Church, The Avenue - free, but donations invited. Occasional speakers. Contact Brian on 020 8224 6675 or Rowena 07837 941298 NHS Retirement Fellowship- Local Branch Are you retired or about to retire from the NHS? Why not join us on the 1st Tuesday of every month from 10am -12 at Christ Church Hall, Christ Church Road, Surbiton, KT5 8JJ. We have speakers, activities, coffee & chat.

Other outings & activities are also arranged during the month. For further details please contact Lorna on 020 8337 4121.

Worcester Park Crafters We meet on the first Tuesday of each month in the hall at Christchurch with St Philip, Ruskin Drive, Worcester park,KT4 8LG. We meet from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

For further details please contact Lynne by E mail: lynnesinger@msn.com or phone on:020 8330 5903 Our aim is to provide a meeting/crafting place for all crafters whatever their craft or ability. Either bring your own work or purchase our kit of the month (small materials cost usually £2), come and play and chat. (small cost to over hall hire and insurance approx £4) Craft group - We meet at Christ Church with St Philip Ruskin Drive on the first TUESDAY of the month from 7.30-9.30pm A place where all crafters whatever their craft or ability can meet, craft, share ideas and learn from each other.

Feel free to bring your own projects or you can try our project of the month Cost: £5 per session Lynne Singer 020 8330 3590 or Toni Shepherd 07900 006367

Wednesdays

Keep Fit Stay Fit every Wednesday 10.15-11.15am at Christ Church with St Philip, Ruskin Road. Come along and give it a try ! For more information please call Jo Hamilton on 020 8786 3444.

The Probus Club of Ewell Coming up to retirement? Just retired? Looking to make new friends? Why not join the Probus Club of Ewell? Since it was founded over 40 years ago, the

Please remember to mention Worcester Park Life when you speak to our advertisers

Probus Club of Ewell has been attracting businessmen from Worcester Park and its surrounding areas with a broad range of professional and business backgrounds.

We meet on the first Wednesday of each month, usually at Bourne Hall in Ewell Village, for a Lunch followed by a Speaker. In addition to two Ladies Lunches during the year, there is an active social programme for members and their partners with visits to places of interest and West End Shows. If you would like to know more, please telephone our secretary, Bruce Urquhart, on 01737 373 690 or visit our website: 4newmembers.ewell4probus.org.uk

Thursdays

Worcester Park Vegans. For vegans, and all who are interested in learning more about veganism. We meet on the second Thursday of each month in The Den (upstairs) at Christchurch with St Philip, Cheam Common Rd (corner of Ruskin Drive). We aim to start at 7pm and finish by 9pm. If possible please bring vegan food to share ( no meat, fish, eggs, cheese or honey).

For more information please ring Wendy Edwards on 07740 082460 or email carol20754@gmail.com or look us up on Facebook. You don’t have to live in Worcester Park to come to our meetings - all who are genuinely interested are welcome. Vegans stand for respect for life - all life, not just human life. We believe in trying to live as gently on the earth as possible and in doing no intentional harm to any living creature.

East Surrey Family History Society For those who are interested in finding out how to investigate their family history the Sutton Branch of the East Surrey Family History Society holds meetings on the first Thursday of the month at St Nicholas Church Hall, Robin Hood Lane. Most months we have a professional speaker.

Further details of all our branch meetings, can be found at Our award winning website www.esfhs.org.uk 60+ Social Mixed Single Group We meet in a local pub every Thursday where we discuss outings for the weekends such as meal out, walking, theatre trips, cinemas and many other things. If you would like to join us please ring Maureen: 07761278661.

Kingston Phoenix Road Club is a cycling club that meets at 8-30pm every Thursday at Worcester Park Athlete Club, Green Lane, Worcester Park. The club was founded in 1936 and currently has a membership of 70. We cater for riders of all ages whether they are novices or experienced and our oldest rider is 84 years old who is still racing and holds several national age related records.

Malden Emergency First Aid Society (MEFAS) members meet every Thursday evening from 7.30 to 10pm. The public is invited to join members on short training courses. For further details please see MEFAS web site at http://e-voice.org.uk/mefas/ or telephone 020 8942 8653 or 07966661015

Breathe Easy (Merton & Sutton) Group.

Wheezy? Breathless? you are not alone, come and join us at your local friendly support & information group for anyone affected by a lung condition. We meet between 2-4 pm on the 3rd Thursday of every month at the Scill Centre 3 Robin Hood Lane Sutton For more information please contact George on 0208 647 7530 Thursday Fellowship. Every Thursday at 2.30pm for men and women, finishing with a cup of tea and biscuits or cakes. A lively, friendly meeting at Worcester Park Baptist church in The Avenue.

Well-known, familiar hymns and prayers, musical afternoons, and a variety of speakers on topical subjects, including help and advice. New members welcome. For more information ring Jean Gathercole on 020 8642 9649 The Worcester Park Hello Club launched last November and is welcoming new members! We meet every Thursday morning from 10am – 12 noon.

The club is aimed at anyone who would like to come and join in with board games, quizzes, cards, occasional craft sessions - or just to have a chat and a coffee. Adults of any age are welcome to come and get to know each other. The main aims of the club are: • To meet new people and build friendships • To become involved with the local community • To access activities, information and advice The club is very friendly and informal. Every month there will be a member of staff attending from the SCILL Information & Advice Service – they have information on most topics for all your needs and will be pleased to assist you.

The drop in club was set up by Sutton Vision, Christ Church with St Philip and SCILL , working together in partnership. We are fortunate to be provided with a welcoming and comfortable venue at the Christ Church with St Philip Community Hall. There are accessible toilets on site. There is a small charge for coffee and tea at the church café.

If you would like to join us, please just turn up, or if you would like to speak to someone, please contact one of the following: SCILL 020 8770 4065 Sutton Vision 020 8409 7166 Christ Church with St Philip 020 8330 7630

Fridays

Bartlett House Residents Luncheon Club is a welcoming social club for the retired from work but not from life! Bartlett House, 49-51 The Avenue, Worcester Park, KT4 7HU. Catch up with friends every Friday 11am-4pm. This fun and friendly club is not for profit, ensuring prices are kept to a minimum so it won’t cost the earth! New members welcome. Contact Dot on 0208 330 2074 Quest was set up in 1987 to provide a meeting place for people with physical disabilities between the ages

To advertise email jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk or call 020 8336 2915

47

of 20 - 60. However, once a member there is no age cut off. The aim of the club is to provide a welcoming, caring atmosphere for the members and allow the carers to have a regular break. Annual subscription. and £2.50 for lunch. We have various social activities and every second month we have a speaker, outings can be arranged if enough people wish to go. The venue is St. Philip Hall, Christchurch with St. Philip, Ruskin Drive, Worcester Park. We meet the 2nd and 4th Fridays in the month from 12.45 to 4p.m Contact June Day, Club Secretary, on 02083301220 RSPB Epsom And Ewell Local Group We meet the 2nd Friday of every month at 7.30, apart from July and August, at All Saints Church Hall Fulford Road, West Ewell with guest speakers who illustrate their enthusiasm on a variety of natural history subjects. There is a small charge for non-members of the RSPB. If you would like more information, please look at our website, www.rspb.org.uk/groups/epsom Worcester Park Womens’ Club. We are part of the National Association of Womens’ Clubs and we meet at Cheam Common Junior School, Kingsmead Avenue every Friday from 7.30 to 9.30 (term time only). We have very interesting speakers, outings, a garden party in the summer and a quiz night rasising money for our chosen charity for the year. Why not come along and give us a try. For more information call Carole on 020 8337 6088.

National Trust - Epsom, Ewell and District Supporters GroupFormed in 1971, we run a varied programme of social eventswhich includes Evening Lectures at Bourne Hall in Ewell, once a month from Oct. to June, Coach Outings which visit historichouses and gardens(not necessarily N.T.),Guided London Walks, and other trips to London e.g.The Magic Circle, The Royal Opera House (backstage tour).Other special events include Coffee Mornings, Holidays and Christmas Lunch.

Newsletters are produced four times a year.If you would like more information please visit our website: www.epsom-ewell-district-nt.co.uk or telephone Paul on 020 87158486 Malden Manor Bowls Club Manor Park, Malden Road.

New members will be made very welcome. Roll ups, league matches, internal and external competitions; we offer bowling for all levels of interest and ability. Our open day this year will be on 16 May. For further details contact Men’s Secretary Gerald 020 8949 4623 or Ladies’ Secretary Malden Manor Bowls Club Where: Manor Park, Malden Road.

Cheam High School Gym NO contract or joining fee, and just £15 a month. It has everything other gyms have, we also have a Personal Trainer on hand to help out and give advise FREE of charge, something other gyms don’t offer. www.facebook.com/CHSGym We open to the public at 5pm-9.30pm Monday - Friday and 10am-5pm Saturdays.

General

Auriol Bowling Club was established in 1967, and plays on the 6-rink bowling green attached to the pavilion in Auriol Park, Salisbury Road, Worcester Park. It is a mixed club of around 45 men and 25 women, who play outdoors from April to September, with a busy fixture list of league and friendly matches against other clubs, as well as internal club competitions. For further information please contact the club Secretary, David Regan, on 020 8337 8919 or visit the website at www.auriolbowlingclub.com.

Cuddington Bowling Club will always welcome new members. The club is situated in Sandringham Road, Worcester Park and we play on an excellent 6 rink green that has been acclaimed by many of the club’s visitors this year. We are a mixed club with about 60 members and play a range of friendly and league fixtures catering for all abilities. For further information, please contact our Secretary Mike Ridley 02087158326 or our Treasurer Mark Broughton 02083379699.

Social Dancing With “ Glitters” At Bourne Hall, Spring Street, Ewell Village 8.15 pm – 11.00 pm Entrance 8.15 p.m. - 11 p.m.. Over 18s. £8 Entrance Fee. All standards of dancing. Excellent free parking. Bar. Professional DJ “We may not have Brucie, but we do have a glitter ball!”. Ring David 07903 314276.

Friday Nights for 2015: Jan2nd and 16th, Feb 6th and 20th, March 6th and 20th, Apr 3rd and 17th, May 1st and 15th, June 5th and 19th, July 3rd and 17th, Aug 7th, Sept 4th and 18th, Oct 2nd and 16th, Nov 6th and 20th, Dec18th

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Leisure

Launch of The Victory Junior Squash Academy @ New Malden Sports Club, Launched by special guests: Mayor of Sutton (Arthur Hookway) & Tom Richards (World Ranked, England Squash Professional)

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squash each week. The academy juniors will be involved in a range of charitable and voluntary work alongside their ongoing coaching programme.

On the launch night: A large crowd of members, family and friends assembled on the night to support the launch.

Squash professional Tom Richards, former world no.12, attended this special event to induct each junior into the academy. He also conducted a Q&A session and then played squash against each academy junior which was real thrill for all involved. Tom was joined by local Mayor of Sutton, Arthur Hookway and his wife Su Hookway who enthusiastically supported the event.

Playing Squash @ New Malden: New Malden is a friendly club hosting squash sessions throughout the week – catering for all abilities. Anyone wishing to try squash is very welcome at the club. More info on www.newmaldenclub.co.uk 020 8942 0539

FOR ALL YOUR PRINTING NEEDS Digital A5 & A4 Leaflets Single Sided from £40 for 250 in full colour Order of Service/Memorial 4 page from £35 Including Colour Business Cards from £35 for 250 A1 Posters from £10 Your Favourite Pictures on Canvas mounted on frames from £12 MANY OTHER OPTIONS AVAILABLE Please call or email

Around Britain Lakes & Waterways 1. Coton in the Elms, Derbyshire - The Derbyshire village of Coton in the Elms is the furthest point from the sea it is possible to be in the British Isles: as measured by the Ordnance Survey, the village stands 113km (70 miles) from its nearest coastline.

2. Eas a’Chual Aluinn, Highland - Dropping 201m (658ft), Eas a’Chual Aluinn is the highest waterfall in the British Isles. A so-called ‘horsetail’ waterfall (that is, one that maintains almost constant contact with the rock beneath it), the water of Eas a’Chual Aluinn descends more than three times the height of Niagara Falls.

3. Loch Ness - Loch Ness is the second largest loch in Scotland, the fourth largest lake in the whole of the UK, and with an average depth of 132m (433ft) is deeper than any other lake in Britain. In fact, Loch Ness is so vast it contains more water than all of the lakes in England and Wales combined.

4. Raasay, Highland - Raasay in the Inner Hebrides is Britain’s twenty-eighth largest island, and is surrounded by some of the deepest inshore waters in the whole of the British Isles. Inner Sound – the stretch of water that separates Raasay from the Scottish mainland – plummets to a depth of 323m (1,060ft).

5. Seil, Argyll & Bute - The island of Seil in Scotland’s Firth of Lorn stands just 6m (20ft) from the Scottish mainland, forming the narrowest sea strait in the whole of the British Isles. © Taken from The British Isles: A Trivia Gazetteer by Paul Anthony Jones

To advertise email jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk or call 020 8336 2915

51

Books Open Links

by Dom Holland

Local Perrier Award Winning Comedian Dominic Holland on his latest novel and what why all the proceeds are going to the Anthony Nolan Trust

Frankly, there are too many very worthy charities but Anthony Nolan has always chimed with me because their results are very tangible. Each year they give up to 1400 people the chance to overcome a life threatening cancer and every year, some 700 people survive an illness who without Anthony Nolan would have died.

The famous playwright, Neil Simon in his brilliant autobiography explains the review that has been most helpful to him in his career.

“Neil Simon did not have a good idea for a play this year, but he wrote one anyway.”

I think this happens too often with novelists as well. A frequent question I am asked is why I have only written four novels and my answer is simple. To date I have only come up with four stories that are really worth telling.

All of my novels are adult comic fairy-tales; books which I hope will make my readers feel happy and particularly so, my latest novel, Open Links.

But why? Well, because its’ a good story I hope but also because all proceeds from OPEN LINKS are going to Anthony Nolan. So it’s a feel-good book which could also save someone’s life.

Anthony Nolan is a charity that I have long supported.

But my ‘support’ didn’t really amount to very much. As well as a small direct debit each month, I would attend their gala ball on Park Lane each year in my capacity of being a ‘celebrity’ (free tickets although I have always paid) - and at the slap up meal, I would be thanked and clapped just for attending, something which I have always found excruciating.

And they appeal to me further because leukaemia and other blood disorders are completely indiscriminate and not based on any lifestyle choices. Just bad luck I suppose and later today it could be me diagnosed?

Or my wife, my son, my mum… and if this were to happen, then our ultimate port of call would be Antony Nolan in the hope that someone somewhere had provided a tissue sample and might be a bone marrow match.

Anthony Nolan cannot process all of the people willing to register their tissue type. They don’t have the funds to do so. So quite simply, the more funds they can raise, the more samples they can process on to their register and the more lives that they can save.

This is an exciting prospect for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing Open Links and I’m delighted that people might have fun reading it and in to the bargain, help a great charity to continue its extraordinary lifesaving work.

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52

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53

Recipe Greek Vegetable Bake This hearty veggie dish makes a great family midweek meal. Serve with a crisp green salad or some crunchy home-made coleslaw.

Serves 4 Ready in 1 hour 10 mins 2 large potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced 1 large aubergine, trimmed and sliced 3 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 150ml vegetable stock 1 tsp dried oregano 2 tsp tomato puree 300g thick Greek yogurt 2 medium eggs, beaten 1 tbsp cornflour Âź tsp grated nutmeg 1 large tomato, sliced Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil.

Add the sliced potatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes until almost tender. Drain well and refresh under cold running water. Set aside.

2 Place the aubergine slices in a shallow bowl and drizzle over 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the aubergine slices for 1-2 minutes on each side until tender and just golden. Remove and set aside.

3 Add the rest of the oil to the pan and gently fry the garlic for 1 minute. Whisk in the vegetable stock, oregano and tomato puree and bring to the boil.

Remove from the heat. Preheat the oven to 190C, 170C fan, Gas Mark 5.

4 Layer the potato and aubergine slices in a large ovenproof dish (at least 8cm deep). Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper between each layer. Pour the stock mixture over the vegetables.

5 Place the yogurt, eggs and cornflour in a bowl and beat together until smooth. Add the nutmeg and season lightly. Spoon the mixture over the layered vegetables and top with the tomato slices. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.

TIP Sprinkle with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese or thin slices of mozzarella cheese before baking to

54

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55

Voice for Wildlife

by Carol Williams Spring at Shadbolt Park Pond In mid March the frogs arrived and left a record amount of spawn in the shallows. We watch in excitement for the emergence on the tadpoles and the development of the froglets. A pair of ducks have also taken up some sort of semi -permanent residence there and a grey heron visits.

The heron seems to be the highlight for several of the park users this year - they approach us when we are working there and tell us about their sightings. We have taken a photograph of ‘our’ heron which we will put in the noticeboard in due course.

Grey herons are our most widespread predatory bird, with a wingspan the same as the golden eagle. When flying high in the sky it is easy to mistake them for a bird of prey. In Ireland they are often called ‘cranes’.

Any body of shallow water will attract herons. We have 13,000 heron nests in the UK and about 63,000 individuals. They are waders who stalk their prey

through the water and strike quickly. They eat mainly fish, but also amphibians, reptiles and small rodents.

Occasionally ducklings. Obviously, on Shadbolt Pond, the attraction is the frog activity when spawning takes place. In Amsterdam, I read, they are well acclimatised to city life and may often be seen around street markets and snack bars! I have yet to see herons hanging about the food outlets on the South Bank - but who knows? If in Amsterdam, why not London some time in the future? They certainly get into the water enclosures at London Zoo, stealing the food intended for the residents. Their success is due to their adaptability.

Herons may be seen at any time of year as they do not migrate. They nest in colonies from February to May, laying an average of 3 or 4 eggs, just one clutch a year per pair, and are unusual in incubating the first egg before all are laid, giving the older chicks an advantage when food is scarce. The adults return to the same nest every year, tidying and repairing it, only rebuilding if storms have destroyed it. They make their bulky nests near wetland areas, out of sticks and twigs up in large trees -there can be as many as 6 nests in one mature tree. Sometimes they may also nest in

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Please remember to mention Worcester Park Life when you speak to our advertisers

reedbeds, just like their cousins, the bitterns. A heronry is a noisy place! The young keep up a continual clicking call. They take 27 days to hatch and are 7 weeks in the nest.

Courtship behaviour consists of soaring high above the nesting area, chasing each other, tilting from side to side and diving headlong. On old nest platforms they display with elaborate neck movements, crest and neck plumes upright, with much bill snapping and a variety of calls. Except when breeding they are mainly solitary.

The oldest recorded, ringed wild heron was 25 years old.

So, beware, frogs! There’s a heron about. Frogs lay enormous quantities of eggs, out of which few survive, but as long as the adults replace themselves in their lifetimes, this is all that concerns Mother Nature. When any animal produces copious young, you know that this is a creature much predated and that this is Nature’s strategy for ensuring the survival of that species. It all works perfectly in a balanced ecosystem, but with all the habitat destruction which human beings have caused in our world, Nature no longer works as well as it once did. We have compromised the coping ability of many species.

So, please build a pond in your back garden and do not stock it with goldfish. Let it be for the wildlife.

Feed the birds, but also leave some of your garden wild, so they have nesting places and cover, to avoid predators. Frogs need long grass to hide in when they emerge from ponds. They do not spend most of their lives in the water, but in damp, dark places where invertebrate food is abundant. Disturbance of vegetation is inadvisable in a wildlife area. Keep to the paths when you visit places. Please respect that a patch of rough land may be a haven for bees and butterflies. Common plants like dandelions are the first nectar for many insect species - do not grub them up unless you absolutely have to - leave them alone.

If I had my way, all our grass verges would be strips of meadow, mown only once a year after the plants have set seed for next year , and all our parks, like Shadbolt, would have a wildlife pond and a surrounding rough area where nettles, brambles and all types of common, wild plant were allowed to flourish with minimal interference from men with machines and heavy boots.

Please do come and enjoy Spring at Shadbolt Pond and take away with you a greater love for wildlife.

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To advertise email jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk or call 020 8336 2915

57

Kids Play

There’s lots going on for pre-schoolers

MUSIC CLASSES FOR UNDER 4’S

Monday

Worcester Park Baptist Church 9.30-11.30- a lively toddler group, where carers of any kind are welcome to attend and supervise their youngsters. Our age range is from young babies to 3-4 years. Sarah on 020 8393 7299 or email via the church’s website www.wpbc.org.uk Christ Church with St Philip Parent and Toddler Group is a very welcoming and relaxed place to meet new friends for yourself and your toddlers. We are open to all Mums, Dads, Grandparents and Carers. We meet in the Church Hall on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9.30 until 11.15am during term time

Tuesday

Toddling2Church, Christ Church with St Philip 2-3pm Parents, carers and pre-school children are all welcome to join us for songs with percussion instruments, a Bible story simply and sensitively told, a story-related craft activity and, of course, drinks and biscuits.

Wednesday

Christ Church with St Philip Parent and Toddler Group 9.30 until 11.15am - see Monday Worcester Park Baptist Church 9.30-11.30- see Monday. we have vacancies on a Wednesday

Thursday

Songs and Stories is a new music and story-time group at Worcester Park Baptist Church for babies and toddlers aged 0-4. We meet on term-time Thursdays, arriving at 10am for 10.10am start. Each session lasts 40 minutes and will include songs, puppets, rhymes, movements and story telling. Cost: £3.00 per session (£2.50 for siblings) No booking required

Friday

Christ Church with St Philip Parent and Toddler Group 9.30 until 11.15am - see Monday

Saturday

Taught by a qualified Suzuki-method music teacher.

Thursday At Worcester Park Library, Windsor Road, Worcester Park, KT4 8ES

Friday At Surbiton Library Halls, Ewell Road, Surbiton, KT6 6AG

9.45-10.30am Toddler class 10.35-11.20am Toddler class

10-10.45am Chinese music class (suitable for Chinese/ non- Chinese speaking families)

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Men behaving Dadly, Grace Church - every 3rd Saturday of the month, 9.30 to 11 am, at Green Lane Primary School. For Dads and their pre-school children (0-4). The kids get to play with the toys, the Dads get a bacon roll and coffee, and Mums might possibly get a lie-in... £3 on the door. For more information & Please remember to mention Worcester Park Life when you speak to our advertisers 58

Homefield

Preparatory School Founded in 1870

An independent day school for boys aged 3 – 13 Top boys’ prep school in SW London The Sunday Times | Parent Power

“The quality of pupils’ achievements and learning is excellent.”

(ISI Inspection Report, 2013)

Daily minibuses available

Come and visit us at our next Open Morning on Tuesday 10th March

Western Road • Sutton • Surrey • SM1 2TE 020 8642 0965 • registrar@homefield.sutton.sch.uk www.homefield.sutton.sch.uk To advertise email jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk or call 020 8336 2915

59

Hobbies It’s time to get that Strictly sparkle

By Kate McLellan With an average audience of 10.7 million viewers for the 11th series, it’s clear that Strictly Come Dancing is still one of Britain’s favourite TV shows. In addition to its UK success, the BBC has sold the format to other countries and the show - renamed ‘Dancing with the Stars’ for overseas audiences - is now watched by over 250 million people worldwide.

So what is ballroom dancing and why is has it proved so addictive, not only for Strictly’s high profile participants but for the many thousands who take part in social and competitive dance events throughout the world?

The term “Ballroom Dancing” refers to a set of partner dances that have their roots in Europe, North America and Latin America. In Europe formal dances began to receive recognition in the late 16th century, when a French writer called Jehan Tabourot published a study of the social dances of the day, including popular medieval dances such as the pavane, galliard and branie.

The French enthusiasm for dance continued strongly throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, when Louis XIV decided to found a royal academy of music and dance and ordered officials to draw up precise rules for the execution of every dance.

During this period the Minuet was the height of fashion. This dance required multiple partners, holding hands at a respectful distance, to move together in formation. In the early 19th century the introduction of the waltz, which required partners to move independently, facing each other in a ‘closed hold’, initially caused outrage as it was thought to encourage scandalous intimacy.

The waltz sounded the death-knell of the oldfashioned sequence dances and by the early 20th century the pattern of modern ballroom dancing had begun to emerge. A new wave of music, inspired by black jazz musicians in America, encouraged the development of a range of new dances including the Charleston.

The public was hungry to learn these new routines

60

and so a number of enterprising professional dance teachers made it their business to analyse, write down, publish and teach the new moves. If popular dance was to flourish it was essential that people should be able to learn the right steps, and establishments such as the famous Arthur Murray School of Dance in the USA led the way: bringing dance to the masses.

This intense interest in ballroom dance eventually led to competitive events, and the first unofficial world championship took place in 1909. Nowadays referred to as “Dancesport”, competitive ballroom dancing is recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

If you’ve been well and truly bitten by the ‘Strictly’ bug, your next step could be to try out some of the dances yourself. Learning to dance is the ideal way to keep fit and ballroom dancing is suitable for people of all ages.

It’s also a great way to meet new people who share your passion. Visit www.dancenearyou.co.uk to find the address of a dance studio in your area.

Ballroom dance requires a high degree of skill and versatility. It’s attractive and exciting, but it’s also enormous fun. ‘Strictly’ fever is sweeping the nation for good reason and given the renewed interest in ballroom dancing at all levels, it’s a great time to get out there and experience that addictive dancefloor glamour for yourself.

Andy Reeve

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Find out about fostering for Kingston

If I couldn't go home, would you share yours with me?

Call us or visit our web page to find out if fostering is for you! Or drop in and meet our foster carers in person at one of our regular information evenings.

Next event: Wednesday 29th April 2015, 6.30 - 8.30pm at Pizza Express (upstairs), Portsmouth Road, KT1 1LQ

www.kingston.gov.uk/fostering 020 8547 5004 / fostering@kingston.gov.uk To advertise email jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk or call 020 8336 2915

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