VantagePoint Magazine March 2015 - Dorking & Villages

vantagepointmag.co.uk

Dorking & Villages • March 2015

VANTAGEPOINT MAGAZINE

The local magazine produced by local people for the local community

Loseley House and Garden

Inside: GARDEN BIRDS SOUNDING OFF WEDDING HINTS AND TIPS WIN TICKETS TO BEEREX

Professional moss control and removal.

Expert lawncare restoration services.

25%

01306 o ďŹ 644886 rst epsom@trugreen.org.uk treatment

This Spring treat your lawn to a makeover.

We can restore your lawn and make it the envy of your neighbours. Call now to get a FREE appraisal.

A unique programme for your lawn Your LOCAL lawncare specialist

Re-Turfing

Moss & Weed Control

Aeration

Fertilisation

Scarification

TruGreen

01306 644 886 .co.uk

TO THE POINT Humphrey writes...

It’s me again this month. Him indoors says he is far to busy to pen this piece as he is having to deal with the Jottings, seeing as Nick and Angie have abandoned ship for sunnier climes.

And busy he is, given that we had well over 250 emails this month for events and happenings. I guess spring has sprung and everyone is waking up from their winter slumber. Happily he still had the time to walk me, otherwise there would be big trouble in the boardroom.

The great thing about this ‘gig’ is that I am now getting fan mail! I have received a lovely book and an invitation to ‘Flyball’, which is a team knockout relay race for four dogs and their owners. It takes place weekly in Crondall on a Saturday morning and sounds great fun. It starts at 10am so I am not sure him indoors is that keen as he is usually devouring the Tele-

graph with a coffee while tutting at something or other.

Now, we want to hear from you (or your dog, if applicable) about VantagePoint and how we can make it better for our readers. April sees the Humphrey sixth anniversary of our very first local commuChairdog nity magazine and now we have five, stretching all the way from from Dorking to Midhurst and reaching over 107,000 households. We have devised a simple survery with just 10 questions and we would love as many readers as possible to take part. We are offering a bottle of the Stefan Reynolds fabulous, local Greyfriars Sparkling Rosé to the Editor & Publisher first name we pick out of my dog bowl. Please either visit our website and click on the ‘Reader Survey’ tab or visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/ The local magazine JZWD85Q to take part. Thanks! produced by local people for the local community,

Contact the editor: stefan@vantagepublishing.co.uk

VantagePoint is published by Vantage Publishing, a Godalming based local magazine business which was first established in 2009 when we launched our first community magazine.

We now publish five community magazines which are delivered monthly

by Royal Mail to 107,714 homes across the South East, which gives us the largest local circulation in the local area, all with guaranteed delivery by your postman.

Vantage Publishing Limited 2 Chestnut Suite, Guardian House, Borough Road, Godalming, Surrey GU7 2AE.

Please visit our website or contact any of us below if you need any more information.

For more articles and Jottings, visit it us online at

Sales: 01306 776679 Editorial: 01483 421601

vantagepointmag.co.uk VANTAGEPOINT CONTACTS

March 2015

Marcus Atkins Sales Director marcus@vantagepublishing.co.uk

Trish Soper Sales trish@vantagepublishing.co.uk

Carol Martin Sales carol@vantagepublishing.co.uk

Nick and Angie Crisell Jottings jottings@vantagepublishing.co.uk

Contributors: Andrew Crisell, Carol Farley, Nick Farley, Chris Elrick, Jessica Harding, Beth Otway, Andrea Pinnington, Lyn Sanders, Kirstie Smillie, J ack Sturgess Print: Buxton Press Cover: Loseley House 3

CONTENTS Rugmart 0315_Layout 1 06/02/2015 14:34 Page 1

14

Rugmart

21

"The Place to buy Rugs"

6 Jottings Your local community noticeboard

8 Sounds of the spring Andrea Pinnington on birdsong

10 Sounding Off 14 Loseley House and Garden

• Specialists in Genuine Handmade Rugs • 1000's of Tribal Rugs from Afghanistan • Classical Persian Carpets and Runners • Handmade Kilims, Dhurries & Flatweave Rugs • Fine Geometric Bokhara Rugs from Pakistan • Deep Pile Embossed Indian and Chinese Carpets

• Rugs in Finely Woven Silk and Woollen Pile • Natural Cotton & Jute Dhurries • Modern & Contemporary Rugs • Plain Wool & Shaggy Rugs • Nursery & Playroom Rugs • Kitchen & Utility Mats & Runners

• Visit our Rug Showroom and be inspired by a Treasure trove of Rugs spread over 4 floors & 7000 sq ft • The Largest Selection Of Handmade, Modern & Contemporary Rugs in the UK

An Elizabethan house in Surrey

18 Fashion Out with the old

21 Wedding Hints and Tips

Large/Oversize Rugs

Afghan Rugs

Persian Rugs

Tribal Rugs

Traditional Rugs

Runners

Contemporary Rugs

Designer Rugs

Modern Rugs

26 A Good Book Our latest seleetion

30 Garden Daffodils

32 Food Easter with Jack

35 Profile The Rotary in Mole Valley

Underlay provided for all types of flooring

Brighten up your Home this Spring

36 Walk Ranmore to Effingham

38 Business Cards Small ads for trades and services

39 Win Enter our competitions

Visit us for a wide choice of Modern & Contemporary Rugs

Rugmart

The contents of this magazine are protected by copyright and nothing can be reprinted without prior permission of the publisher. The publisher has tried to ensure that all information is accurate but does not take any responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We take no responsibility for advertisments printed in the magazine or loose inserts that might be delivered alongside it. © Vantage Publishing Limited.

4

2 ‐3 Woodbridge Road, Guildford, GU1 4PU. Tel: 01483 578874 email: info@rugmart.co.uk www.rugmart.co.uk

Surrey's BIGGEST Rug Shop vantagepointmag.co.uk

For your

10%

VantagePoint discount Quote Ref: DO10

Jottings

- YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

It’s an honour to be in charge of Jottings this week while Nick and Angie enjoy a well-deserved break in search of sunshine and warmth. I’ve always thought this section to be the lifeblood of the magazine; promoting local events and organisations who invariably contact us to say how many people attended or contacted them due to VantagePoint is always a delight and one of the main reasons we started the magazine six years ago next month. So here goes... and don’t worry, normal service will resume next month!

On Wednesday 4th March, there will be a coffee morning at Pixham Old School from 10am-12pm. A warm welcome to young and old, with delicious cakes, tea and coffee. Make new friends and meet old ones.

Then on Friday 13th March at 7pm, you can have your say about Pixham – is the Pixham pong an issue with you? What about speeding through the village? Come to the Pixham Residents’ Association AGM at the Old School. Join first if you’re not already a member – check the leaflet and newsletter for details. Friday 20th March is quiz night at Pixham Old School. Come on your own or with a group; £7 includes a meal. Teams of eight but don’t worry if you don’t have enough. Brains optional!

There is a bar which might help (always, ed!). And a prize for the winning team. Finally, on Saturday 28th March, the Shiny Side Down film group proudly hosts the next of their hugely successful film nights at Pixham Old School.

Tickets are £6 from Sue: 07595 514868 or senichols@ hotmail.com. It’s usually a sell-out, so book. Bar and nibbles, romantic lighting!

We are already now nearly in March and looking forward to warmer and longer days. Peter Humphreys at the Leatherhead Community Association (LCA) has been arranging ‘short’ walks, ‘longer’ walks and ‘strolls’ for several years now and always welcomes new faces.

Non-members are welcome. The walks are free-of-

11>

charge and easy paced. The ‘short’ morning walks of 3-4 miles are usually on the first Wednesday of the month and last about 2 hours with time for a snack at the end. The ‘longer walks’ cover 4-6 miles on the second Wednesday of the month with a lunch or picnic break.

The ‘strolls’ usually take place on the third Wednesday of each month are easy and flattish, and cover less than 2 miles in about 1-1.5 hours. Over the next 3 months the ‘short’ walks are on 4th March at Chilworth, 1st April in Bushy Park and 6th May in Teazle Wood. The ‘longer’ walks are on 11th March on Reigate Heath, 8th April at Rusper and 13th May around Albury and Blackheath. The ‘strolls’ take place on 18th March at Claremont Gardens, Esher, 22nd April at White Down, Effingham, and 20th May in the Rhododendron Dell at Leith Hill. All the walks start at 10.30am from a specified meeting point and each one has a designated Walk Leader. Lifts can usually be arranged, if desired. If you are interested in any of them, long or short, Peter would be very pleased to give you full information so that you could join in.

Please ring him on 01372 378347. You can find full details about each walk in our latest LCA newsletter. Please call into the Leatherhead Institute, on the left at the top of Leatherhead High Street, and pick one up. This also gives information of the many activities and events which are arranged throughout the year by the LCA. Or please ring Sarah, the LCA Administrator, on 01372 360508, and she will be able to answer (most of) any questions that you might have. LCA membership only costs £5 per year and their website is www.leatherheadca.org.uk where you can find all the information to become a member of the LCA. The Three Bridges spiritualist church, a very friendly and lovely well-established spiritualist church has been around for many years and their doors are open to everyone. They are a self-funded church so everything that comes in goes back into the church. They hold a

Jottings is your community noticeboard for local events and information, edited by Nick and Angie Crisell

To feature here, please email us at jottings@vantagepublishing.co.uk

DORKING & VILLAGES DELIVERED TO 19,259 LOCAL HOMES Like us on Facebook at Vantage Point Magazine

@VantageLocalMag

Next Copy Date: 9th 10thMarch March2015 2015 6

vantagepointmag.co.uk

Could you use some help with your Cleaning, Ironing or both?  Regular hourly rate only £10-£11/hr (area related)  Price quoted includes agency fee (no hidden extras)  One off spring cleans available. Call for price details  Times and hours to suit you (min. 2 hours per week)  Maid2Clean registers workers only after vetting  550+ Reliable, honest, suitable workers – why pay more?  Ease of replacement if you wish to change your worker  Worker sickness replacement cover provided if required  Insurance provided

Call Liz on 0800 0925 773 Email services@ maid2clean.co.uk You deserve a rest so be served by the best

10% off orders over £250 on presentation of this ad*

CURTAINS – BLINDS TRACKS – POLES SHUTTERS – NETS FREE Home Measuring & Estimating Service

Contact us on 01403 242 127 or email us on horsham@candhfabrics.co.uk 7 West Street, Horsham, W. Sussex, RH12 1PB *not to be used in conjunction with any other offer

Our specialist team of family law solicitors can advise and guide you through: SOLICITORS & NOTARIES

Divorce • Civil Partnership Dissolution • Children-related issues Matrimonial Finances • Co-habitation Agreements/Issues Pre and Post Nuptial Agreements

60 MINUTES LEGAL ADVICE FOR ONLY £50

*

Please contact Julie Watts for an appointment on 01306 502293 or j.watts@downslaw.co.uk *New appointments only. We reserve the right to charge our current normal hourly rate if the initial appointment exceeds 60 minutes. Excludes VAT. Please mention Vantage Point.

156 High Street • Dorking • Surrey • RH4 1BQ • 01306 880110 • www.downslaw.co.uk

March 2015

7

Sounds of the spring

In her second article for VantagePoint, local nature writer and publisher Andrea Pinnington gives some tips on what to listen out for this spring.

It’s January as I write this and the days are starting to lengthen and already the birds are becoming more vocal. Working from home can result in easy distractions and the robin that sings outside my window has already claimed a lot of my time. Being freelance means that sadly I don’t get a regular paycheck sent out to me at the end of every month. However, I am reassured by the fact that experiments have indicated that bird song makes a measurable and physiological improvement in a person. So whatever my salary lacks, the distracting robin and his feathered garden cohorts are making me happier.

Though this may sound rather flippant, there is a lot of truth in the relationship between bird song and positive mental attitudes. In 2010, recordings of birds including blackbirds, greenfinches, robins and song thrushes were played at the Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool to calm children during injections, surgery and other stressful procedures.

Learning bird song is quite a lot like learning a new language. It requires enthusiasm and some dedication.

I am in the kindergarten of bird song life. Level one in the metaphorical Oxford Bird Song Reading Tree, but it gives me indescribable joy to be able to know just a handful of the birds that are busy living and singing around me.

A beginner’s guide to bird song Based on the RSPB’s list of the 10 most common garden birds, here are some tips on what to listen out 8

for and how to commit the sounds to memory. It’s not that easy and reminds me of a subdeck to a guide to the Greek language that ran “Learn Greek in 25 years or your money back.”

House Sparrow

If you hear a group of birds that sound as though they are having a good gossip, then it is likely that you are listening either to a flock of sparrows or goldfinches. If they are hidden away in a hedge, then I can guarantee they are house sparrows.

There has been a sharp decline in sparrow numbers over recent years – up to 60% in parts of the UK between 1994 and 2004 alone. However, numbers seem to be on the increase so hopefully its friendly chirrup will be a familiar sound again.

Blue Tit

This is another busy bird that spends a lot of time around humans. If you put up a bird feeder in your garden, then this acrobatic ball of yellow and blue will certainly be a regular visitor along with its brother, sister, aunt, uncle and others besides. Though they are small, they have surprisingly large broods with anything up to 14 eggs. Their song consists of a few high-pitched notes and then ends with a trill but it is not particularly distinctive. More noticeable is its scolding alarm call, which it uses to warn off potential predators. vantagepointmag.co.uk

Starling

Goldfinch

The starling is an intelligent bird and an extremely good mimic. If you can tell which other birds it is copying, then you are reaching the A-level of the bird song world. For the beginner, listen out for bill clicks, whistles and high-pitched squeaks.

Starlings can also imitate sounds such as car alarms and telephone rings, though in this day of numerous ring tones and silent vibrations, this is less common than it used to be.

The village gossip that looks as though it is dressed in a smart uniform, the goldfinch is a popular visitor to bird feeders especially if you put out nyger seed.

Its tinkling song is a high-pitched series of trills delivered throughout the year but with added gusto in the spring. Goldfinches are known collectively as charms, which, with their colourful feathers and pretty song, seems to be exactly the right word.

Blackbird

On my bird feeder I get three birds from the tit family: great tits, blue tits and coal tits. There is a definite pecking order and the great tit sits firmly at the top.

It is the only one of the three with a big black stripe down its front and the males with the bolder stripes are the most successful ones. It makes a variety of sounds but the easiest one to pick out by ear is the one that sounds like teacher-teacher.

If you need convincing that bird song lifts the spirits, then keep an ear out for the clear, musical tones of the blackbird delivered from a high open perch such as the top of a tree. The sound is like an incredibly musical person whistling a ditty.

Blackbirds also have a very distinctive squawk as they break cover from bushes. Once you know the sound, you will hear it everywhere.

Wood Pigeon

These large portly looking birds are easy to identify by the white patches on their necks and wings and their waddling gait. It is the quantity and weight of their feathers that apparently gives them their rotund appearance (something I blame my jumpers for as well). Their mellow cooing is strangely compared to the phrase take toooo cooos, Taffy. Wood pigeons also make a distinctive clap as they fly off out of trees and bushes.

Chaffinch

The chaffinch has a large range of vocal sounds none of which are particularly easy to describe.

The male marks its territory during the spring and summer and seems to rarely pause for breath, repeating its song over and over again. It starts off slowly with a few notes, which then build up and end in a bright, silvery flourish. Bill Oddie once said that if you hear a bird and you don’t know what it is, then it’s probably a great tit. However, I think this applies just as well to chaffinches.

March 2015

Great Tit

Collared Dove

This bird only arrived in the UK in 1955 and has since made a sizeable impact on our bird population. It is much more delicate in appearance than the chunky woodpigeon and its song is an endless repetition of three syllables: coo-cooo-cu. Take note, the woodpigeon’s coo has five syllables!

Robin

Last but not least, the robin – the quintessential garden bird that seems so cheery and upbeat but is actually fiercely territorial. Its long warbling song is one of the first to be heard in the morning and often the last in the evening. In the days of street lighting, it sometimes gets confused and sings throughout the night as well. Like the blackbird, it is a clear and tuneful song often delivered from a showy open perch.

FIND OUT MORE Andrea Pinnington and Caz Buckingham’s new nature book The Little Book of Garden Bird Songs is out on 1st March. It features the most common garden birds and has a handy sound bar to make bird song learning easier! For more information, go to www. finefeatherpress.com.

9

Soundingoff PEGGING OUT Andrew Crisell, our grumpy old git (GOG), recently made a list of potential gripes and was horrified to discover that virtually everything irritated him, the classic symptom of a dreadful old fogey. Here is his latest salvo...

We are an advanced, technological society. We’ve sent men cat, write brilliant articles for VantagePoint. to the moon and probes to faraway planets. We’ve devel- You, on the other hand, are required to do oped digital media. We’ve devised computers that can do just one single and simple thing. Securing millions of calculations within seconds. While we’re walking laundry is wholly and solely what you are indown the street we can speak to others in distant parts of tended for. And yet you can’t pegging well the globe, and even look at them while we’re doing so. Yet manage it!” Hurling the pieces to the ground have you noticed how often small things don’t work proper- and stamping on them, I caught the wary eye ly? Everyday things that have been around for many years of my next-door neighbour. She now crosses and whose technology is simple and well understood. I want the road whenever she sees me approachto rage against these small things, ing. their cussed refusal to cooperate, The simplest things in life are so often and sometimes their downright reAnother annoyance is completely out of countrol belliousness. The simplest things the fridge door which in life are often completely out of suddenly decides to control. swing open and thus warm up everything that lies behind it. (It What sort of things? Doors and windows that won’t open seems to be beyond the wit of the manor won’t shut. Locks and zip fasteners that jam. Toilets that ufacturers to fit fridge doors with secure don’t flush properly. Ring-pulls that snap before you’ve clasps.) When this happened for the umpopened your can of beer. Superglue, which although ideal teenth time, I slammed the door shut in a for welding human bottoms to toilet seats (so practical jok- fit of exasperation. Our fridge and freezer ers tell me) never sticks the things together that you want it sit one above the other in a single cabinet, to. Trouser pockets that are either designed to disgorge their and the pressure-wave this produced caused contents as soon as you sit down and cross your legs, or to the door of the freezer to open. Not wide form holes so the contents fall straight to the floor. Shoelac- enough for me to notice it immediately, es that, no matter how tightly you tie them, come undone but just enough to defrost about £50 worth within moments. Teapots with spouts that pour hardly any of food and oblige me to throw it all tea into the cup you’re aiming at, but dribble copiously on to away. I sometimes feel as if the carpet or your best suit. Clothes pegs that disintegrate I’m at war with the entire as soon as they’re required to hold up some washing. physical world, which is unfortunate since there’s I recently berated a clothes peg that had no other world we spend done just this. Holding it close so much time in. How to my face, I hissed at it about you? through clenched teeth: Do you agree with Andrew? What irritates you “I am versatile! I walk, these days? Please write in or let us know by breathe, drink, feed the emailing editor@vantagepublishing.co.uk.

10

vantagepointmag.co.uk

Jottings - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

<6

service every Wednesday evening. Their doors open at 7pm, the service starts at 7.30pm till 9pm and everyone is welcome. It’s £4 on the door, which includes a raffle ticket that is drawn at the end of the service and a lovely cup of tea or coffee. They are holding one-to-one reading evenings throughout the year as well as special clairvoyant evenings. They are currently fund- raising for a new church roof and you can purchase a roof slate for £5 each with a picture and message in memory of a loved one . March`s programme has some events set with mediums: 4th March - Val Kirkham; 11th March - Neil Payne; 13th March – one-to-one readings, pre-book £20; 18th March - Sue Smith; and 25th March - John Carol.

Watermill Jazz meets every Thursday evening with a different group of big-name performers on each occasion. The dates are: 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th at 8.30pm at Friends Life. Call 07415 815784 for more information.

On 6th March there will be a Women’s World Day of Prayer service to be held at 2pm at St Martin’s Church, East Horsley, K24 6RL. Followed by tea and cakes. All welcome. www.easthorsleychurch.org.uk.

Join the Volunteer Information Session on Saturday 7th March 10.30am- 12.30pm at Leith Hill Place. National Trust property, Leith Hill Place, opens its doors to the public again on Friday 27th March for another season of

12>

music, inspirational views and delicious teas. Discover the childhood home of composer Vaughan Williams and his connections to the Wedgwood family and Charles Darwin. Opening hours are Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon 11am – 5pm. Go to www.nationaltrust.org.uk/leith-hill-place for more information. If you would like to join the happy band of volunteers who help to keep this special place alive, please email gabrielle.gale@nationaltrust.org.uk to find out more or call 07795 256657 to book a place.

The Dorking Camerata, a small and enthusiastic chamber choir, has a fun concert entitled ‘Animal Antics’ on the 7th March. Conducted by Amy Bebbington and with St Teresa’s junior chamber choir plus violin and piano soloists, the choir will be exploring the amazing and comical world of cows, panthers, kangaroos, canaries, swans, tortoises, elephants, butterflies and moths! It takes place at the United Reformed Church and costs £15. Call 01306 881479.

On 7th March Vivace Chorus welcomes international violinist Tasmin Little to G Live. She has performed on every continent in some of the most prestigious venues of the world. Tasmin has an unbridled passion for music and music education and this is a great opportunity to see one of the UK’s best-known musicians in action.

Mendelssohn’s violin concerto is often considered to be the first romantic violin concerto and we are sure you will enjoy Tasmin’s playing of the serene melodies and

All types of standby generator systems supplied and installed. All work carried out in-house by our own time served NICEIC electricians and GAS SAFE fitters.

Benefits: • Uninterrupted power • Peace of mind • No loss of lighting • No loss of heating • Added security • Choice of Gas, LPG, Petrol, Diesel • 24 hour technical support after installation

Tel: 01438 222073 Mob: 07951 069979 www.backuphomegenerators.co.uk March 2015

11

<11

Jottings - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

wonderful tunes. She will be accompanied by the fine musicians of the Brandenburg Sinfonia. Other items on the programme follow a nautical theme: Delius’s sad and beautiful ‘Sea Drift ’, the lusty and patriotic ‘Songs of the Fleet’ by C.V. Stanford and the intense and rolling melodies of Mendelssohn’s ‘Fingal’s Cave’. There will also be another Mendelssohn favourite, ‘Hear My Prayer’, which contains the much loved treble solo ‘O for the wings of a dove’. Tickets are from £10-£32 and are available online at www.GLive.co.uk or by phone 0844 7701 797. Further details at vivacechorus.org .

There is a lunchtime recital at St Martin’s on the 7th March. Please note that these concerts are now being held on the first Saturday of each month, starting at 12 noon.

The Leith Hill Musical Festival begins in March with two events - a performance of Handel’s Messiah on the 8th March and the youth choirs competition on the 14th March, both at Dorking Halls. Ralph Vaughan Williams began the Leith Hill tradition of performing a Bach Passion during Lent, and the practice is still followed with the addition of Handel’s Messiah every third year.

A large festival choir will sing this marvellous work, one of the cornerstones of the choral repertoire. The youth choirs day is always extremely popular with many schools and young people’s choirs taking part, and the standard of performance is guaranteed to be high. Call 01403 240093.

Plenty on at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford.

Following its record breaking West End run, a powerful new production of Reginald Rose’s gripping courtroom thriller ‘Twelve Angry Men’ (Monday 9th – Saturday 14th March) stars Tom Conti. What appears to be an open and shut case soon presents a huge dilemma. Marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War, ‘Birdsong’ (Monday 16th – Saturday 21st March) is a mesmerising story of love and courage, based on the world famous novel by Sebastian Faulks. In pre-war France, a young Englishman Stephen Wraysford embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with the beautiful Isabelle Azaire.

Joan Littlewood’s legendary musical ‘Oh What A Lovely War’ (Tuesday 24th – Saturday 28th March) has been revived to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War One. Wendi Peters, Ian Reddington and Christopher Villiers star in this musical tribute to the men and women who saved our nation over 100 years ago. Finally, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Agatha Christie Theatre Company, ‘And Then There Were None’ (Monday 30th March – Saturday 4th April) returns to the stage starring BAFTA nominated stage and screen star Paul Nicholas, Colin Buchanan, Susan Penhaligon, Mark Curry, Frazer Hines and Ben Nealon. There is also a packed programme at the Mill Studio. For more information, visit www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk or call 01483 440077.

Horsley Decorative & Fine Arts Society’s next lecture on 11th March will be ‘From Leonardo to You: The History of Art and Science’ by Sally Hoban. They meet at East Horsley Village Hall on the second Wednesday of the month from October to July for lectures on a wide variety of subjects. Coffee 9.45am to 10.15am. Lecture from 10.30am to 11.30am. Visitors (£5) and new members welcome. For more information and the full programme visit their website www.horsleydfas.org.uk or phone Chris on 01483 280021.

There are three screenings at the Dorking Halls cinema this month: a live relay from the English National Opera of Verdi’s La Traviata on the 11th March, a tragic and moving story with music that is both beautiful and dramatic; a live relay from the Royal Ballet of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake on the 17th March; and a recording from the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet on the 22nd March. Call 01306 881717 for more information.

The Dorking & District U3A holds its monthly meeting on Wednesday 11th March at 2.30pm in the Christian Centre beside St Martin’s Church in Dorking. Civil engineer Rob Baldry will give a talk entitled ’Where does our water come from?’. Mr Baldry is Sutton and East Surrey Water’s operations manager. Admission is free.

For more information on the range of activities offered by the Dorking U3A visit www.dorkingu3a.org.uk.

www.architecturesurrey.co.uk

12

Beare Green and Newdigate (BGN) Choral Society is now well into rehearsals for this year’s Leith Hill Musical Festival (LHMF). ‘Their’ day will be Saturday 11th and vantagepointmag.co.uk

Jottings - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD they will be really pleased if you would come and support them. Please book through the LHMF booking office: boxoffice@lhmf.co.uk, 01403 240093, where there is no booking fee and more of the profit is directed to the festival fund. Please do not forget to mention that you are a BGN supporter. This year their main works will be ‘Spring’ from Haydn’s ‘The Seasons’, Schubert’s ‘Magnicficat’ and ‘A Fancy of Folksongs’ by Cecilia McDowell. In the meantime some of the choir will be taking part in the LHMF’s production of Handel’s Messiah at the Dorking Halls on 8th March. The singers have been inspired and encouraged by a new Messiah rehearsal conductor, Ben Costello, whom they are already hoping will be involved with the Festival again in the future.

17>

in the restaurant. £3 charge for activities. At Claremont, you can stroll through the landscape garden and visit the Camellia Terrace in bloom. The cafe at Claremont is open for hot lunches and afternoon teas.

Renowned English comedian, Milton Jones, will perform at G Live on Friday 13th March. ‘Milton Jones and the Temple of Daft ’ starts at 8pm and tickets are £25/person. Milton is a patron of Chance for Childhood, a children’s charity working to empower and strengthen communities, and to protect vulnerable children in East Africa. All proceeds will go towards Chance for Childhood’s work. To book your tickets, please call 0844 7701 797. Visit www.chanceforchildhood.org for more information on the charity. See you there!

Wey & Arun Canal Trust have a Guided Walk on Monday 16th March. This walk will be guided by Alan Johnson, The Wey & Arun Canal Trust’s Technical Liaison Officer, and leaves at 2pm from the Gunpowder Store, Stonebridge, Shalford near Guildford on the banks of the River Wey. The walk will then continue along part of the old route of the Wey and Arun Canal and cross over the A281 road and through into Hunt Park along the riverside path which has recently been built by the Trust’s volunteers. At the end of the walk, visitors will have fine views of the three oaks which are more than 100 years old and a chance to see the new viewing platform being installed. Parking is available in the public car park next to Trunley Heath Road on the A281. From there it is a short walk to the Gunpowder store at Stonebridge. The walk is approximately 1.5 miles and with a level surface, although suitable footwear is recommended. The Gunpowder Store reference is GU4 8EP. Further details available from support@weyandarun.co.uk. No booking required.

Churches Together in Horsley and Ockham are having ‘A Lent Lunch’ of soup and a roll in East Horsley Village Hall on Saturday March 14th, from 12.15pm-1.45pm.

Proceeds will go to the charity Mary’s Meals.

There is Family Saturday Activity on 21st March from 2pm - 4pm at Dorking Museum and Heritage Centre.

Join in an exciting Easter Egg Hunt by following the clues around the Museum. For families with children up to age

Lots on at RHS Wisley now that it is spring! Events include Lindt Daffodil Pot Decorating on Saturday 14th March from 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3.30pm. Go and see the carpets of spring flowering bulbs, including the crocus extravaganza by the garden entrance and decorate a daffodil pot to take away. The Orchid Society of Great Britain’s Spring Show is on Sat 21st March from 11am-4pm featuring competitive classes and displays by members and affiliated societies. This show will be held in the Glasshouse Gallery. There will also be unusual species for sale and advice for all. The Glasshouse is open from 10am-5.15pm (last entry at 5pm). Then there is the Spring Plant Fair from 27th-29th March from 10am-5pm.

This is a must for all plant lovers. Meet the growers and choose quality plants from specialist nurseries. Finally, the Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt is from 28th March-12th April from 10.30am-4.30pm. Hop through the garden on the trail of the Lindt Gold Bunny. Follow the clues to lead you to a delicious Lindt treat for the hoppiest Easter ever! See birds of prey soaring above the garden as well (11th-12th April). There are activities every day, visit www.rhs.org. uk/wisley for what’s on when.

Clandon Park, near Guildford and Claremont Landscape Garden are both offering free entry to mothers when accompanied by children on Mothers’ Day, 15th March.

At Clandon, join in their arts and crafts activity and make a special gift for mum. Then take a stroll in the garden, enjoy the beautiful house or relax with an afternoon tea March 2015

Kickstart 2015 with a new website and grow your business online We specialise in small to medium size businesses and business start ups

Online Jungle are: Local Family run Friendly Pride ourselves on our reputation

01737 457 999 info@onlinejungle.co.uk www.onlineJungle.co.uk/vantage No monkey business, just business!

13

In 1508, Loseley Manor was bought by Sir Christopher More, a lawyer of Derbyshire extraction. He was an exchequer official in Henry VII’s reign who rose to be King’s Remembrancer under Henry VIII. He lived in the medieval house situated on what is now the South Lawn, and took an active part in the affairs of the country. He was twice High Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex.

His son, Sir William More, held many high offices at Court and within the county. He was a personal friend and trusted adviser of Queen Elizabeth I. He was knighted in 1576. Sir William inherited Loseley in 1549 and commenced building the present house in 1562. He supervised the building work himself and his accounts of the building work still exist. The total cost of the house was £1,640 19s 7d.

Most of the building stone, now over 800 years old, came from the ruins of the Cistercian Waverley Abbey, near Farnham, which was pulled down in the reign of King Henry VIII. The stone contributes greatly to the mellow appearance and atmosphere of the house. (The clunch facings came from a quarry in Guildford and pillars built from stone from the quarries of Hascombe Hill.)

Loseley and

Garter by King James I who twice visited Loseley. Sir George was also Lieutenant of the Tower of London and Treasurer to Henry, Prince of Wales. He consolidated the family’s position by buying the ‘Manor and Hundred’ of Godalming from the crown in 1601 for £1,341 8s 23/4d.

As can be seen from the old paintings of Loseley, there was a further wing to the northwest, containing a chapel, picture gallery which was 121 ft long, and a riding school. Built by

Queen Elizabeth I stayed at Loseley on four occasions and a letter to Sir William giving strict instructions concerning the preparations for one of the visits has been preserved. Straw was to be strewn on the drive to avoid jolting of the carriage, Sir William was asked to ‘avoyade his family’ (i.e. move his family and servants) to make room for the Queen’s retinue, and the house had to be cleaner than on the last occasion.

After Sir William’s death in 1600, it was inherited by his son Sir George More who represented both Guildford and Surrey in parliament and was created Chancellor of the Order of the 14

vantagepointmag.co.uk

House Garden

Sir George More at the beginning of the 17th century, it fell into disrepair and was pulled down in 1820. To the north-east stands the original garden wall, in which can be seen the archways which matched those in the wing opposite. The original moat is still in existence and was connected by a secret passage to the cellars (now sealed off).

On Sir George’s death in 1632, his grandson, Poynings More, succeeded to Loseley. He was created a baronet shortly before his death in

1642, the title becoming extinct on the death of his son and successor, Sir William More, without issue in 1684. Loseley passed to Robert More, the son of Poynings More’s younger brother, but in 1689 he too died without issue, and so the property was inherited by his sister Margaret and her husband, Sir Thomas Molyneux. Thence forward the family name became More-Molyneux.

Their son was Sir More Molyneux, who went on to have 11 children. He is depicted in a large painting in the Great Hall alongside his wife Cassandra and eight of their children. Their two sons and two elder daughters were to die young and unmarried, and the house was looked after for more than 20 years by another daughter, Jane, who supervised every detail of household and estate management. On her death in 1802, the estate passed to her nephew James More-Molyneux who died in 1823. He was succeeded by his son James, who became a JP and Deputy Lieutenant and was very active in public service. His younger son William, also a JP, inherited in 1874 and in 1877 he added the Nursery Wing on the south side of the house. He died unmarried in 1907 and was succeeded by Gwendoline, the daughter of his younger brother.

Gwendoline married Brigadier General Francis Longbourne (who assumed by Deed Poll the additional names of More-Molyneux) and they started the Jersey herd and home farm in 1916. Francis saw active service in WW1 and was highly decorated for bravery.

They were to live in the house during the difficult war years with Top left: Loseley House Top middle: A general view of the gardens looking back towards the house Top right: The Great Hall Far left: A painting showing the old wing before it was pulled down in 1820 Near left: The tennis lawn border

March 2015

15

Relationship’, ‘Midsomer Murders’, ‘Churchill, the War Years’ and ‘Amazing Grace’.

The Rose Garden

no electricity, heating or hot water. When in 1946 the house was inherited by their son, James More-Molyneux and his wife, there was no money, no heating or electricity, a leaking roof and death duties to be paid. They accepted the challenge: Loseley had been in the family for over 400 years and was worth working for. The farming business was developed and they also founded Guildway Limited, which started with the production of concrete blocks and progressed to the construction of pre-fabricated houses which were exported all over the world.

The house was opened to the public in 1951, and in 1968 Loseley Dairy Products was started, with the production of cheese followed by yoghurt and then ice cream. At its peak, it was supplying some 1,500 customers in London and the Home Counties, exporting to the Far East, Middle East and also Italy.

Customers in the UK included Harrods, Fortnum & Mason’s, and British Airways. In 1985, due to increased overseas competition, the business was sold to Booker plc and in 2010 the Jersey herd was dispersed. The buildings used for yoghurt and ice cream production now house a variety of small businesses. In 1998, James More-Molyneux passed on the running of the estate to his son Michael who lives there to this day with his wife, children and mother. His eldest son Alexander and his wife live and work on the estate together with their daughter and twin sons.

The estate is currently 1,400 acres, comprising 140 acres of woodland and 650 acres arable crops farmed under a Farmed Tenancy business. It employs 25 full-time members of staff and double this number during the summer months.

Loseley welcomes over 100,000 visitors every year who come to see the house and garden or attend some of the events which include a gardening show, craft fair, dog show and a ploughing match and country fair. Loseley also host more than 80 civil weddings and receptions, and have been used as a film location for productions including ‘Emma’, ‘Foyle’s War’, ‘The Special 16

On Monday September 29th 2014, work began on erecting scaffolding over Loseley House. To hide the scaffolding, a large screen covers the front with a photograph of the house printed on it. The last time the house was re-roofed was in 1856 and a partial re-roof took place in 1956. The slates are being replaced with tiles which will be more in-keeping with the house when it was built in 1562. All the events will continuing to take place and the work will be completed by May 20th. By this time all the scaffolding will have been removed from site and Loseley will stand proudly with its new roof which hopefully will last for another 120 years.

The gardens The 2.5 acre Walled Garden has had many lives since it was laid out formally in the 16th century, including an organic vegetable garden, orchard and designs by the renowned Gertrude Jekyll. The Walled Garden has been carefully restored over the past few years and is now one of Loseley’s main features. It contains a series of ‘rooms’ including an award winning rose garden with over 1,000 bushes, an extensive herb garden, a colourful fruit and flower garden, a white garden with fountains and an organic vegetable garden. It also features a Mulberry tree reputedly planted by Queen Elizabeth I. The herb garden is divided into four separate sections – culinary, medicinal, household and decorative and contains over 200 herbs, some of which date back to ancient times. Other features include a magnificent vine walk, ancient wisteria and the moat border. The most recent addition is a 2.5 acre wild flower meadow, planted on what used to be the Loseley cricket pitch.

FIND OUT MORE

Loseley gardens are open to the public from May and the house in June – entrance to the house ends in August and to the grounds in September. Visits to Loseley House are by guided tour only and last around 50 minutes.

Key dates: Spring Garden Show - 17th-19th April; May Craft Fair - 13th-14th May; Summer Garden Show 24th-26th July; Teddy Bears Picnic Day – Sunday 9th August; and Country Fair and Ploughing Match - 27th September.

For more information, please call 01483 304440 or visit www.loseleypark.co.uk.

vantagepointmag.co.uk

Jottings - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

<13

10. All materials provided. No need to book - just drop in.

All children must be accompanied please. There are also activities during the School Easter Holidays. The Museum is open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday (10am – 4pm) with quiz trails available, children’s historically-themed dressing-up outfits to try on, interactive exhibits and a gift shop. Normal admission applies: Adults £2, children £1 (under 5’s free), family ticket £4.50. Tel 01306 876591 or visit the website at www.dorkingmuseum.org.uk. The Old Foundry, 62 West Street, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1BS. The Newdigate Friends of St. Catherine’s Hospice will be holding an Easter Fair and Craft Sale on Saturday 21st March between 10am and 12 noon in Newdigate Village Hall. Items on offer include gifts, toys, cakes, savoury rolls, books and prize draws including raffle. Entrance £1 to include coffee and hot cross bun. There will also be items for sale from the St. Catherine’s Hospice workshop where members have been preparing recycled greetings cards and craft items, including cushions and knitted and beaded goods. The workshop takes place fortnightly in St. Peter’s Church Bell Tower, anyone is welcome to join and put their craft skills to good use and have a chat over a cup of coffee.Further details of the sale and workshop please ring 01306 631115.

The Dante string quartet gives a concert for the Dorking Concert goers on the 21st March, with music by Haydn, Beethoven, Bartók, Debussy and Sibelius. Alongside

20>

classical works by Haydn and Beethoven, Debussy’s quartet is a ravishingly beautiful piece, Sibelius’ quartet is intense and emotional, and Bartók’s fourth is experimental and innovative in its sound-world. An excellent opportunity to savour the wide range of music written for a string quartet. It is at the Dorking halls. Call 01306 740619.

On Saturday 21st March, at Betchworth Castle, as the sun sets due west, and the day which is ending is exactly the same length as the night that is to come, the community of Dorking will gather to celebrate the spring equinox. A fire will be lit on the dramatic escarpment overlooking the river Mole. Martin Higgins, the owner of the castle, will give a tour of the site, and announce findings of recent archaeological excavations. It is known that King Edward I stayed at the castle in 1294, and that the estate stretched from Box Hill to Forwents Pond on Holmwood Common. Most of the remaining structure that can be seen today dates from the 1570s, and was left to become a romantic ruin by the owners, the Hope family, in the 1830s. It is thought that the site may have been used as a hillfort in the Iron Age. Martin Higgins, dubbed the modern-day ‘King of the Castle’, bought the crumbling ruin from Mole Valley District council for £1 in 2011. Since then, he has stabilized the site by clearing the structure of brambles, ivy and trees, and set up bird and bat boxes to encourage wildlife. There is a Lottery bid pending, which if successful, will enable further

We are an international carpentry business with a state-of-the-art CNC-equipped factory.

We manufacture, deliver and fit staircases anywhere in the UK.

• Bespoke stairs • Free professional advice • Free site visits • A full service from start to finish

Email: info@vonka.co.uk Tel: 0800 011 9798 Mob: 07746 119138 www.vonka.co.uk

March 2015

17

Out with the old Spring always instigates a fresh start and with this in mind I would like to encourage you to refresh your winter wardrobe and make room for uplifting new additions for the new season.

Be Ruthless When working with a new client, I always have to be mindful of how honest they want me to be. I normally start off an appointment fairly carefully, so I can work out exactly what the end result needs to be. A gentle discussion or a ‘it’s gotta go’ approach depends on the quantity of similar items, or if there are bulging wardrobes in every room. Have plenty of bin bags at the ready...

Try on or tip!

If it doesn’t fit now, put it away. If you can’t bear to part with it (probably because you can remember how much it cost you a few months ago!) put it in a suitcase in the attic. It’s a halfway house to see if you really pine for it.

If you don’t - it’s charity or dress agency time.

What do you need?

Do you work fulltime or need dog walking casuals? Your

own wardrobe has to reflect your own lifestyle so write down a daily list of ‘looks’ that you wear and it will soon become apparent if you own too many business suits from a previous job. Research online first to get a feel for what’s in store, and focus on what you need. Remember to check if they are washable if it’s an everyday casual item. Business clothing needs to be flexible to offer alternatives so keep the mainstays classic black, navy or charcoal and then add colour and direction with the layers.

Get fit By this I mean, get your clothes to fit you. Be prepared to spend a little to reduce sleeve lengths or take waistbands in to make sure you look finished and well dressed. A simple alteration can add such a difference to the end look and for £15-20 you will look more polished and together.

Great spring/summer trends

1

2

3

4

1. Are you ready for an invasion of smart denim? MIH denim kimono for a grown-up weekend look. Note the return of double denim and bootleg cut.

2. Dolce & Gabbans show how multi-coloured prints work in separates - remember heels are essential for midi skirt lengths.

3. The jumpsuit is still growing in popularity - apart from the inconvenience, it is super slimming and elegant(see Richard Nicoll).

4. Wide trousers are back, an elegant alternative to your skinnies shown here by Donna Karan (or go for ‘cigarette’ length to the ankle for a slim line) All Fashion trends from www.net-a-porter.com

18

vantagepointmag.co.uk

FASHION FOOD

Children too...

Quick wardrobe refresh

ing for s, automatically uplift *Add nautical stripe n by ow sh as s new gingham spring or look at the . ns jea th wi ct rfe rg. Pe Diane Von Furstenbe eve - I ts, long and short sle *Buy new white T-shir any. love The White Comp out everyday bag - empty ur yo th wi er all sm *Go Look at ! ed us en be t still haven’t those ‘essentials’ tha Afia bag.

Jones Bookmaker tan will - neat-fitting jackets ing *Wear a bit of tailor jeans. th wi en ev re, tter postu cut give the image of a be er ort bbs and H&M for sh Look at Jigsaw and Ho versions. from a ality - whether that’s *Always buy better qu designer. charity shop, chain or 10 for - Primark velour ones, ers ng *Buy slimmer ha ts. ke jac for £4. Keep shaped ones st opinions a friend to give hone ask lp he me so et *G . on ti ec dir for fresh or work with a stylist

Our ever-growing children need a clear-out too and it’s not a bad idea to make some money back at the same time. Second Thoughts, new to Chiddingfold since September 2014, is crammed of with ‘previously loved’ clothes and shoes from 0-teens. Once you have registered as a seller you will receive 50% of the sale price which can also be sold on their eBay store.

They only accept good quality clothing. This will stay in the store for 6-8 weeks before a reminder email for collection is sent. After that the clothing is taken to charity shops or to an orphanage in Uganda. Buyers are offered a one week’s return policy, if agreed at time of purchase, to give you a chance to try the item on ‘little Jimmy’ at home after school.

Owner Nicki, and Lisa run the business during school term time only, Monday-Friday and the first Saturday of each month, 9.30am-4pm.

Stock up on some branded gems for teens, Hollister from £8

Second Thoughts, 1 Chiddingfold Galleries, Petworth Road, Chiddingfold GU8 4UF. Contact nicki@secondthoughtschiddingfold.co.uk or call 07765 428005.

It’s a destination shop for your kids wardrobe, but with a handy coffee shop nearby, Treacle’s Tea Shop for that all important refreshment break, The Green, Chiddingfold, Telephone 01428 684859.

Ladies Dress Agencies A great way to sell those pieces that are still in great condition. It varies but most agencies sell your items for four weeks and will pay you 50% of the selling price. Some are closed Mondays, so telephone for opening hours and full details of service.

5

6

5. Lace, macrame, crochet and embroidery, in preparation for summer sunshine, EMAMÓ coverup 6. Suede - from these Lanvin boots to bags and jackets - the softer option to leather.

Kirstie Smillie is a fashion stylist. Feel relaxed and confident in your own style with a wardrobe full of clothes you love.

Email: kirstie@kirstiesmillie.com Call 07773 234947.

March 2015

Bramley: New 2 Vous, 11 High Street - 01483 893305 Dorking: Style Connect Dress Agency, 22 West Street - 01306 886430 Michele’s Dress Agency, 11 High Street - 07585 896831 Farnham: The Posh Dress Agency, 3 Ridgeway Road - 01252 717713 Godalming: Change of Address, 2 Church Street - 01483 429996 Haslemere: Plum, 66 High Street - 01428 643349 Petworth: Eternal, 88a New Street - 01798 344434 19

<17

Jottings - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

improvements to the site, including a wheelchair-friendly path linking the castle to Deepdene Terrace and the Hope Mausoleum. Martin said “The ‘Hope Springs Eternal’ project will be a fantastic boost for walkers in the Dorking area. It’s very muddy at the moment, but once work is finished visitors will be able to picnic by the ruins as they did in the Hopes’ time.” The event runs from 4.30pm7.30pm. Tickets must be purchased in advance. They are £10 (£5 for children). Contact email jeff.mvgp@gmail. com or telephone 07766 390790. The event is organized by the Green Party.

The professional freelance orchestra Southern Pro Musica is now mid way through its second year as the ‘resident’ orchestra providing Music for Guildford and on 22nd March, the orchestra will perform for the first time at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. Under its conductor Jonathan Willcocks, the orchestra performs major orchestral concerts in many Guildford venues including Holy Trinity Church and G Live. This concert ‘The Genius of Mozart’ forms the final event in the Guildford International Music Festival and features the talented and popular pianist Lucy Parham who hails from the Guildford area and is known to theatre audiences for her beautiful interpretations of the lives of the great composers, with words spoken by famous actors accompanied by Lucy’s inspiring piano performances.

Lucy will take centre stage with the full Southern Pro Musica orchestra in an all Mozart programme including

24>

his magnificent Piano Concerto in C minor. Tickets start at £22 and all those under 18 go free. www.yvonnearnaud.co.uk or call 01483 440000.

March is the month for grand designs in Surrey!

Four gardens will be holding charity openings for the National Gardens Scheme. The first three showcase the style of famed British garden designers John Evelyn, Capability Brown and Gertrude Jekyll, providing unique historic insight and great spaces in which to enjoy the first flowers of spring. Children go free at Albury Park (22nd March 2pm-5pm. Adults £4) and can explore 14-acres pleasure grounds designed by John Evelyn in 1670. Enjoy the views from amazing terraces stretching for ¼ of a mile. The daffodil field at Clandon Park, Guildford looks stunning in spring.(22nd March, 10.30am-5pm. Adult £5, children £2,50). Parkland, laid out in the style of Capability Brown around 1770, offers lovely walks and a children’s adventure trail. Pause and reflect by the Dutch garden’s formal ponds or have tea in the Undercroft. The fairytale woodland vale at Vann in Hambledon sparkles with snowdrops, hellebores, spring and chequered snakeshead fritillaries. The historic house is a picturesque backdrop to this 5-acre English Heritage-registered garden, at its spring best and open between 29th March and 4th April 10am6pm (Adults £6, children free). Go for gold at The Chalet –a vista of yellow daffodils, celebrity cars, fascinating

Mark Twain might have said that “golf is a good walk spoilt“.

But if this were the cases then how would he explain why nearly 4 million people in the UK enjoy playing the game on a regular basis.

Have you considered taking up the game, but are not sure where to start?

Do you play but struggle to put value on a full membership?

Then consider no more, as Betchworth Park Golf Club is the place for you.

The Betchworth Park Golf Academy has helped over 400 players get into the game in Surrey. Flexible membership has attracted over 100 back to golf who struggle to find the time. There are also limited Full memberships available. Please contact the team to discuss the best option for you..

Betchworth Park Golf Club, Reigate Road , Dorking RH4 1NZ Tel: 01306 882052 www.betchworthparkgc.co.uk 20

vantagepointmag.co.uk

Wedding Hints & Tips

by Lyn Sanders, Lily-Marie Wedding Planner

Just got engaged? Congratulations! ….but still confused about where to start?……worry not; hopefully I have everything you need here to keep you calm with tips from the local industry insiders, in the order you need to consider them, with tips from the local industry insiders!

Choosing your venue can be one of the most stressful, time-consuming parts of the process because it not only dictates the style of your day, but heavily impacts the overall cost.

For those wanting the freedom to create their perfect wedding without being tied to what a venue permits there is an exciting new website to help you choose the more original venue in Surrey….www.blankcanvasweddings.co.uk.

“Blank Canvas was created to offer a selection of individual, flexible venues and spaces that allow you to create your day your way. A day suited to you, fits your vision and your budget” says owner Heidi Teague.

Once you’ve fixed the location and date you can concentrate on the finer detail, but make sure you tick off the big items first, like your dress.

Charlotte from Amaryllis Bridalwear suggests that you “speak to your friends for recommendations, take someone with you to your appointment who will be helpful but honest (but not too many people as this can have a negative affect…too many opinions can be stressful). Remember to have an open mind about styles of dresses – they all look different when they are on. Ideally you need to start searching approximately 8-12 months prior to your big day, allow plenty of time and don’t be pushed into purchasing a dress if you’re unsure– you want to make sure you’ve found the one!”.

Once you have your venue and dress sorted you can start to think about flowers; you will need these details to give to your floral designer as it will really help determine the style of the flowers and overall scheme.

Hannah from Hannah Berry Flowers explains that “we will take all factors into con-

March 2015

sideration such as natural light, space and venue decor and will advise the best designs to suit the venue. Of equal importance is your bridal bouquet; it is a key accessory to your outfit; it has to work with your dress and not take the eye away from the overall look”.

With all aspects of planning, the earlier you start the longer you have to make decisions that suit you as a couple. Photographer Ginny Marsh recommends that “you start to narrow your photographer choices down by picking work you love; not just some of their images, but ALL of their images and don’t get too worked up over what ‘style’ you’re looking for (such as reportage / contemporary / traditional) keep an open mind”.

So what else helps you choose when there are so many photographers out there? Ginny suggests trying not to shop on price! “It’s easy to narrow photographers down by cutting out the ones who you think are too expensive, but generally with photographers, you get what you pay for. You don’t want to wish you’d paid a bit more for a better photographer, because after your wedding it’ll be too late. Finally meet with a few photographers in person to find out who you get a good vibe from and get on well with. You’ll be spending your whole day with this person, and it’s important you feel comfortable and at ease in their presence”.

Your wedding photographs are so important! After your cake has been eaten, your flowers are wilting, your dress is dirty; your wedding photographs are the only thing that last to remind you of how much fun you had, the details and the emotion.

To look your wedding day best, take some tips from inside the pro make-up bag!

Natasha Wiggins is a professional wedding hair and make-up artist and she’s kindly revealed her secret to creating a flawless bridal glow. “A product I couldn’t 21

be without and simply love using with my brides is Bare Escentuals ID Mineral Veil. It’s an amazing powder that will stop any shine coming through, as it absorbs oil on the skin, but it doesn’t create a thick layer like some pressed or loose powders can do, which are often bulked out with talc and other nasties! Mineral Veil leaves you with a translucent, soft finish and it is completely sheer, so it softens the make-up finish, minimising the look of fine lines and pores. I simply love using it. Hopefully you’ll love the results on your wedding day make-up too.”

To create perfect lips all day long, Natasha always apply a lip tint under the lipstick to help it to stay on longer, with all that kissing and champagne sipping!

To fix it all in place one of her favourite products at the moment is ModelCo’s BEAUTY FIX Airbrush Face, a magic make-up fixing spray.

“It is amazing! It helps the bride’s makeup set and it also seals it so that it does not come off - all day! All you need to do is spritz it on like a toner after applying all your make-up and it will be smudge proof.

Ta dah!”

Debbie from Debs Makes Cakes explains: ”the size of your cake will most likely be determined by the number and size of portions you need. The flavour and level of detail in the decoration will be determined by the amount of money you have to spend. Whatever your cake budget, decide which of size, style and flavour are most important to you so that your money can be spent in a way that you think matters”.

Many venues have neutral décor and an all-white or ivory cake may disappear into the background. Have your wedding cake on its own small table and have fun styling the background. Introduce your suppliers to each other; your wedding coordinator, florist, venue stylist, caterer and cake supplier will need to work together to create a cohesive event for you. Also, don’t forget the cake knife! An engraved cake knife can be a wonderful keepsake from your day.

According to a recent survey by confetti. co.uk. 81% of couples say cutting the cake is their top wedding day tradition, so as the cake is a significant centrepiece at the reception it’s definitely worth asking an expert for advice.

Whilst on the subject of food it is worth noting that from your guests perspective, the food and entertainment tend to be the most memorable parts of the day. But don’t be afraid to tailor your menu to your tastes. Joe from Keeley’s Kitchen loves to create a personal menu “if, as a couple you have precious memories of eating bangers and mash…. have bangers and mash! It is your day after all. However, if you are going to do something simple just make sure your caterers use the best quality locally sourced

A Different Breed of Estate Agent in Dorking

Get a FREE Instant Valuation Report Find Out What Your Home is Really Worth!

Hrs

1306 B U Y 0 6 506 M E 40 Call 24

n g gnikroD Dorki "

01306 406 506 22

REN

T

ME

406 051306 06 Call

24 hrs

W e ' rne ope 24/7!

simply visit EweMove.com/Dorking vantagepointmag.co.uk

products; the last thing you want is a bad simple dish!

And don’t forget to have a taster; you may have to pay for it but it will be worth it!”

Another tip is if you do want something simple maybe look at going for more expensive crockery; even bangers and mash can look different on a beautiful plate and may only cost as little as 20p extra per person.

Joe specialises in making your wedding breakfast that little bit different; do involve your guests, something as simple as a self-carve roast dinner. Maybe put a chef’s hat on one of your guests chairs at each table and that person has to carve the meat for everyone. This works very well if you have a table of mixed guests as it is a great ice breaker. It is also good for fussy eaters as they can pick what they want on their plate.

Last but certainly not least, the entertainment. “How do we get everyone on the dance floor”? “What song shall we have for our first dance”? “We want a band and a DJ but can’t quite justify it within our budget”?

These are all questions I am frequently asked and this is where experts can advise. Lemon Entertainment have a wide selection of artists to choose from, some of their bands can also DJ in-between and after the live band sets. It’s all included in their price and is much cheaper than booking both a band and a DJ separately.

tance on the entertainment when in fact it can be the making of an event. Use a reputable company who deal with professional musicians and you are more likely to have a positive experience than if you find a part time band in your local pub” Remember; break the rules, have fun and celebrate your day your way.

For further advice on any aspects of your day please don’t hesitate to get in touch: Lily-Marie – www.lily-marie.co.uk – 07824 809664 Amaryllis Bridalwear - www.amaryllis-bridal.co.uk 01420 80552 Hannah Berry Flowers - www.hannahberryflowers. co.uk - 07871 037536 Ginny Marsh Photography – www.ginnymarsh.co.uk - 01252 856 937 Natasha Wiggins - www.nwmake-up.co.uk - 07841 511409 Keeleys Kitchen - www.keeleyskitchen.co.uk – 07776 235206 Debs Makes Cakes - www.debsmakescakes.co.uk 0751 8011 731 Lemon Entertainment - www.lemonentertainment. co.uk - 07753 496308

Lucy at Lemon Entertainment explains: “You only have one wedding day, some people don’t put enough impor-

• Caring Independent Practice • Advice on all aspects of Pet care • Discounted Health Plan available • Consultations by appointment • Own 24hour emergency service

www.breladesvets.com

Opening hours: Monday – Friday 0830 – 1830 hours, Saturday 0900 - 1100 hours Sunday emergency Clinic 1000 – 1100 hours 20 Knoll Road, Dorking RH4 3EP - 01306 883086 Rothwell House, Church Road, Bookham KT23 3JP - 01372 452531 Station Road, Gomshall GU5 9LE - 01483 205066

March 2015

23

<20

Jottings - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

koi carp and acres of ancient woodland. (29th March 11am-4.30pm. Adult £5, children free). For more details go to www.ngs.org.uk.

Are you a local business looking to gain new clients or maybe a start-up in need of some real business advice?

Whatever your reason, the Target Business Exhibition should be the most important date in your diary. It is on 25th March from 10am-4pm at Dorking Halls, Reigate Road, Dorking Surrey RH4 1SG. Free to attend. This business- to-business exhibition is a unique local event, bringing together organisations from all sectors from insurance and HR to design and SEO. A diverse range of exhibitors will be available to discuss their products and services directly with you. The Target Business Expo offers delegates the opportunity to meet and talk to a range of organisations all in one place. Throughout the day, why not take advantage of our free seminars and workshops or book a place on the pre-event Networking Breakfast.

For more information please call 01293 773021 or visit www.targetbusinessexpo.co.uk.

After their hugely successful production of ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ last November, Guildburys Theatre Company will be returning to the Electric Theatre in Guildford from the 25thMarch. Their next show is set in a similar period, but couldn’t be more different. ‘Blue Stockings’ premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2013 to great reviews and is already becoming a popular choice for

24

local theatre companies. It is 1896 and at Girton College Cambridge, feisty Tess joins the vanguard of women’s higher education. She studies hard, dances the cancan, has her heart broken and passionately embraces education, but unlike her male counterparts she and her colleagues are denied a degree. The Girton Girls fight to become bachelors rather than spinsters, but they leave with nothing save the title of ‘blue stocking’, a name which has attached to bright academic girls ever since.

This is an uplifting, amusing and inspiring play which shares with us the ups and the downs the girls go through as they threaten to outshine the young men brought up in a very different tradition. ‘Blue Stockings’ is at the Electric Theatre from March 25th to 28th. Don’t miss it. Tickets are £12 and are available from the box office on 01483 444789 or online at www.electrictheatre. co.uk. Group bookings: buy nine tickets for the same performance and get the 10th free. You can see more details about the show on Guildburys’ website www. guildburys.com.

After a long career in Westminster, former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe is now a successful novelist, and after her wonderful routines on the hugely popular Strictly Come Dancing, she also became a bit of a ‘national treasure’.

On Tuesday 26th March at 7.30pm the Guildhall in Guildford will be playing host to Ann Widdecombe when she takes the stage once again for one of her hugely popular one-woman shows. Ann will be sharing stories

vantagepointmag.co.uk

Jottings - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD from her life and career. During the evening there will be an opportunity to ask Ann questions on any topic, anything from current government policies to her dancing days on ‘Strictly’. All proceeds will go to Safe Haven for Donkeys in the Holy Land, the British-registered charity which cares for working and abandoned donkeys in Israel and Palestine which is celebrating its 15th anniversary by aiming to adopt ‘215 donkeys in 2015’. Those animals which have been rescued are cared for in the Safe Haven sanctuary in Israel. Tickets cost £20 each, please call 01444 831117 or go online at www.safehaven4donkeys. org/shop.

From 28th March- 5th July 2015, The Lightbox gallery and museum in Woking will host ‘Damien Hirst: New Religion’, an exhibition of silkscreen prints and sculptural editions by one of the world’s most significant contemporary artists, in association with Paul Stolper Gallery and The British Council. The exhibition will explore the relationship between science, art and religion which has dominated Damien Hirst’s 25-year career as a thought-provoking and at times controversial artist. First exhibited at Paul Stolper Gallery in 2005, ‘New Religion’, has been the subject of shows in Oslo, Moscow, Venice, Sofia, and at All Hallow’s Church in London. For further information please visit www.thelightbox.org.uk.

The Horsley Floral Decoration Group (affiliated to NAFAS) is a friendly afternoon flower arranging club.

25>

They meet at East Horsley Village Hall on the second Tuesday of each month (except August) at 2pm. They have a varied programme of demonstrators/speakers/ in-house entertainment, trips, internal competitions (optional), sales table, refreshments etc. Visitors and new members very welcome. Go and join them (first visit free) for fun, flowers and friendship. For more details please phone Yvonne on 07976281060 or Beryl on 01483 831422.

The Amazing Bubble Man brings his hit family show with bubble art, magic, science and lots of fun, to G Live on Wednesday 1st April. Audiences can expect square bubbles, bubbles inside bubbles, fog-filled bubbles, bubble volcanoes, bubble trampolines, and even people inside bubbles! Louis Pearl is the world’s leading Bubbleologist, and has been delighting family audiences with his unique show for 30 years. Fabulously entertaining, he explores the breath-taking dynamics of bubbles, combining comedy and artistry with audience participation and enough spell-binding bubble tricks to keep everyone mesmerised. The Amazing Bubble Man has written books about bubbles, made a film called ‘Lights, Camera, Bubbles!’, has appeared on Blue Peter (he always wears his Blue Peter badge on stage), and has so far produced 21 fantastic bubble inventions including the Mega Bubbles, a patented huge bubble maker. He is also a firm favourite at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where his show has sold out for the past eight years.

• Air, road and sea freight to 220 countries worldwide • Specialists in fragile , large, awkward or valuable items • Art & Antiques • International moves & personal effects • IT, medical and laboratory equipment No other company offers our extensive range of packaging, domestic & international freight & shipping solutions which enables us to live up to our claim of being able to send anything, anywhere.

March 2015

25

A GOOD Book

In this column we feature books that we, and our reviewers, like. They may not necessarily be new books, but they’ll be fiction and non-fiction books that we have enjoyed. We’ll always include at least one children’s book in the selection each time. We’d love to hear your thoughts on anything you feel we should be reading and sharing with others.

Handmade Baskets

– from Nature’s Colourful Materials

By Susie Vaughan Published by Search Press £9.99. Paperback. www.searchpress.com

I will admit right now that I do have a weird passion for baskets. I don’t know what it is – whether it’s the natural materials, the lovely shapes and colours, the delightful creaking noise they make, but I am always absolutely thrilled if someone gives me a gift of, or in, a basket.

So, having acquired some basic willow-weaving skills courtesy of Stefan Jennings’s wonderful willow sculpture workshop recently (you may have seen it advertised in The Onion) I was delighted to see this lovely book by Susie Vaughan and now feel inspired to have a go at making a basket myself. I haven’t actually tried it yet, but it certainly makes my fingers itch. It is a ‘how to’ for beginners - half of the book tells you how to identify and collect the right material, and that’s followed by the instructions 26

to make a simple round basket, an oval basket, a frame basket, how to add handles, how to make interesting borders, how to make lids, and then some inspirational pictures at the end to get your creative juices going.

It has made me want instantly to reach for the secateurs and start attacking the shrubs and trees in the garden for materials. Look out family, you could all be getting very dodgy-looking baskety objects as presents this year.

Reviewed by Carol Farley

Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes

By Tom Kerridge Published by Absolute Press £25. Hardback. www.absolutepress.co.uk

I don’t know if you saw, tried or kept Tom Kerridge’s Roast Red Pepper Soup recipe reproduced in this magazine recently (November 2014 edition), but a reader of the magazine said that she’d made it as a result of its appearing in the magazine

and had had very satisfied lunch companions who all asked for second helpings. I made it for a lunch party of 12 friends last weekend. I followed the recipe to the very letter and honestly, I have never been so popular – everyone wanted second helpings and it became a real talking point. I have also made the Treacle Tart which was absolutely delicious and am about to work my way through the rest of the recipes in the book.

I think it’s about to become my favourite cookery book - I absolutely love it. The recipes are all ‘ordinary’ dishes that, in the hands of Kerridge, are elevated to something sublime. His writing is almost exactly as he speaks, although I was disappointed not to find an “amazin’” written anywhere. So if you want to surprise someone with an extraordinary cottage pie or crispy duck salad, then look no further than this fabulous book with it’s fabulous recipes and photographs.

Amazin’.

Reviewed by Jessica Harding

vantagepointmag.co.uk

BOOKS FOOD Mapp & Lucia and other books

by E F Benson Lucia Rising - paperback ISBN: 9780140119626 Lucia Victrix – paperback ISBN: 9780140119633

Mapp and Lucia once again brought Rye to our television screens over Christmas in the lavish new three-part production of E F Benson’s cruelly amusing satire of life in the mid to upper social strata of Rye in the 1920s. I say “in Rye” but in the books Rye is thinly disguised as Tilling. E F Benson lived in Rye and despite changing its name he barely concealed the town’s identity in his books.

It is inevitable that in dramatising novels for television, especially novels with such complex relationships as these, much is going to be lost and that is why I urge you to read these wonderful and funny books. The two central characters are each intent on controlling those around them and until they meet each other March 2015

they have both been successful in doing just that. The busybody, interfering Mapp and the arch-snob Lucia are like two heavyweight fighters circling each other in the ring before landing a few blows and then retiring to their corners to draw breath and plot anew, and they both manage to involve everyone else in their sharp games.

and three). Penguin conveniently publishes the six books in two compendiums of three: Lucia Rising which comprises the first three books and Lucia Victrix the last three.

These books are beautifully written and apart from their intricate plotlines and superb characterisations they are a window on what life was like in Rye and similar places not so very long ago. Apart from being very funny they must also have been quite daring books when they were first published including as they do such characters as ‘quaint Irene’ and ‘Georgie’ neither of whom would cause an eyebrow to be raised today but who would have been seen as quite daring in the less ‘aware’ twenties and thirties. Benson himself had quite an interesting family background too: he was the son of an Archbishop of Canterbury; he was homosexual and his mother had a long affair with the daughter of another Archbishop of Canterbury.

When Findus Was Little and Disappeared

Much as I enjoyed the new TV dramatisation it was simply not a patch on the original books which are among my all-time favourites and all of which I have read many times. There are in fact six books: Queen Lucia, Miss Mapp, Lucia in London, Mapp and Lucia, Lucia’s Progress, and finally Trouble for Lucia. The first was published in 1920 and the last in 1939, and only in the last three do both characters appear together. The first three books are about either Mapp (book two) or Lucia (books one

Noel Coward said “We will pay anything for Lucia books.” Me too.

Reviewed by Nick Farley

By Sven Nordqvist Published by Hawthorn Press www.hawthornpress.com £10.99 Hardback

This was one of the early books in the ‘Findus and Pettson’ series by Nordqvist. I have now read every one of the eight books in the series and I think they’re all an absolute delight.

This book has a particular attraction for me because it tells of how Findus, the talking cat, came to live with Pettson, the farmer. The stories are charming and amusing and the illustrations are busy with lots of animals and detail for children to look for and discover.

Children love these books, so do parents and grandparents as they can read them safe in the knowledge that they’re harmless and gentle but are also fun, wellwritten stories which are great for girls and boys.

Reviewed by Chris Elrick 27

<24

Jottings - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

More information at www.GLive.co.uk or call 0844 7701 797 (10am-6pm, Mon-Sat).

With the Leith Hill Musical Festival little more than a month away, Capel Choral Society is starting to put the finishing touches to the music which has been set for the competitions and concert on the Division 1 day, on the 10th April. The time for ‘note bashing’ is past and our conductor, Peter Ford is now concentrating on making sure all adhere to the nuances of the music – ‘No, no – there’s a crescendo there, you should be aiming for the forte in the next bar!’ Such details are of prime importance when the group stand on the stage of the Dorking Halls in front of the adjudicator.

The three days in April are really only part of the Festival which starts with a performance of Handel’s Messiah on Sunday 8th March. This is given by singers drawn from all 12 festival choirs and a number of ‘independent’ singers, and promises to be a great occasion. The following Saturday the Festival hosts the Youth Choir Competitions when up to 30 school choirs of all ages sing music of their own choice in competition with each other. The enthusiasm and commitment of the young people is always inspiring. Please do come and support one or more Leith Hill Festival events, particularly on Friday 10th April when Capel Choral Society will be doing their stuff! See information about, and pictures of, the choir at www.capelchoralsociety.com. Contact the secretary at secretary@capelchoralsociety.com or phone 01306 712365.

Head2Head Theatre will be staging more interactive performance storytelling events for children with disabilities (ages 2-19), their siblings and family members during the Easter holidays. ‘Toad on the Road’ is a multi-sensory drama experience based on Kenneth Grahame’s ‘The Wind in the Willows’. Led by a team of Head2Head’s actors, participants will move around the venue and grounds discovering scenes and meeting characters from the story. With rhyme, rhythm, repetition, reduced dialogue, puppetry, movement-tomusic, role play and sensory moments, ‘Toad on the Road’ is accessible and appropriate for varied levels of disability. Advance Packs will be distributed to familiarise participants with storyline, characters and rhymes. If weather permits, some of the action may take place outdoors. As usual, Head2Head will be providing giant games, craft activities and their ever-popular sensory tent for all participants to enjoy, with an eating area available for families that wish to bring along a picnic.

Morning or afternoon sessions are available. Tuesday 7th and Thursday 9th April at The Children’s Trust, Tadworth, Surrey. All venues have accessible toilet facilities (some with hoists) and free parking. £3 per person (ages 2+).

To book a place, please contact Head2Head Theatre: Tel/Fax: 01372 278021 oremail: h2hoffice@gmail.com.

Further details: www.head2headtheatre.co.uk/familyholiday-activities.

28

31>

Churches Together in Dorking (CTD) is organising a hustings event for constituents to meet all candidates for the Mole Valley parliamentary seat on Friday 17th April. The venue is Dorking Quaker Meeting House, Butterhill, South Street, RH4 2LE. Doors will open at 7pm.

Enquiries to 01306 885250.

Members of Dorking Bowling Club are looking forward to the start of the new season in April. Established in 1912, the club has a long history and continues to thrive today.

They are based in Drill Hall Road on the westerly approach to Dorking town centre. Their beautifully kept green and clubhouse are hugely popular. Although the club play in competitive leagues, they also enjoy casual games for club members and always welcome newcomers whether they have played before or not. The club also enjoys many social events in their delightful clubhouse that has a bar and kitchen facilities. The season opens on the afternoon of Saturday April 18th when newcomers are welcome to call in and either have a go at the game or merely have a look around. For further details contact the club secretary Alan Eveleigh on 01306 500466 or email: awilliameveleigh@ hotmail.co.uk.

‘Pullin’ the Wool’ is the latest production from West Horsley Players (WHIPS) and runs on the 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th May 2015 at West Horsley Village Hall at 8pm.

Soft suburbanites Martin and Gail are selling their house to working class toughs Ray and Sheila, who in turn plan to sell their house to ex-con Dave and his girlfriend Di. At the same time - as is the nature of the house-buying chain - Martin and Gail have exchanged contracts to buy the house of Audrey Roberts-alike Denise and her henpecked husband Barrie. When the next link in the chain collapses, Denise and Barrie face having to move into rented accommodation, unless they can persuade Martin and Gail to pull out of the contract. On the evening that Ray and Sheila come round to try and con Martin into knocking £10,000 off the asking price with the aid of a dodgy survey, Denise and Barrie decide to do everything in their power to put Ray and Sheila off buying - starting with dismantling the boiler! Author Frank Vickery has a lot of fun playing with time. The story covers two different evenings, with the two time lines switching to and fro, and often running in parallel. With its use of non-linear time and a split set which shows two living rooms simultaneously. Tickets can be booked online at www.horsleyamdram.ticketsource.co.uk or by calling 01483 284141.

The Probus Club of the Horsleys gives a warm welcome to retired professional and business gentlemen who may wish to meet up with like-minded people. A monthly three-course lunch is followed by a talk, which can cover a number of interesting topics. Recent speakers include Peter Alliss and the Chief Constable of Surrey.

Forthcoming talks include ‘Early Flying at Farnborough’, ‘Guildford and Surrey Attractions’ and ‘Reminiscences of a Punch and Judy Man’. Occasional outings are arranged and twice yearly there is a ladies lunch when wives, vantagepointmag.co.uk

 Bumper Scuff Repairs  Dent Removal  Paintwork Scratches & Chips  Alloy Wheel Scuffs

T: 01306 400060 / 07967 778232 www.smart-pro.co.uk Have you ever returned to your car and found it has been damaged?

Maybe a small, but annoying dent, caused by a door being opened against it?

A scrape from another driver’s parking error? A vandal scratch on the paint work?

Or maybe you have misjudged a gateway, brushed a kerb with an alloy wheel, or scuffed a bumper corner?

Smart Pro offers a mobile dent removal and paint repair service, specialising in small to medium area repairs, to body shop standard, at your home or place of work. Most repairs take only a few hours to complete and cost less than your insurance excess!

The customer of this Honda Jazz was facing an insurance claim, which would have resulted in the bumper being replaced and the loss of their £250 excess. Smart Pro was able to repair the damage for much less than the excess and with no insurance claim on their record!

GARDEN

Daffodils

With Beth Otway

For many, daffodils epitomise spring; historically they symbolised chivalry and new beginnings.

Today for many of us daffodils represent hope.

The quintessential daffodil is often pictured as bright yellow in colour, with a trumpet-shaped flower. However the daffodil has a long history of extensive breeding and consequently today there are a huge variety of daffodil flower colours - yellow, white, orange, pink and green.

There are many different flower types, and sizes of daffodil available. Indeed there are over 30,000 names in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Daffodil Registration Database. All daffodils belong to the genus Narcissus; they are part of the Amaryllidaceae family, which also includes snowdrops and alliums.

Daffodils are wonderfully versatile; they can be grown successfully in containers, flower beds and borders, parks, meadows and grassy areas, woods and orchards. They are very resilient and come back each year heralding the start of spring, with no need to lift and replant. Rodents and squirrels leave daffodil bulbs alone, which is a real boon if you suffer with these pests!

Thriving in a sunny or partly shaded spot, they are very easy to grow and can be propagated by seed, division of the bulbs and chipping.

I utterly adore scented daffodils and revel in their delicious fragrance each spring. Narcissus ‘Fragrant Rose’ has, as its name suggests, a definite rose character to its fragrance at times, although the scent essentially reminds me of the sweetness of hyacinths. If you enjoy the heady scent of hyacinths and jasmine, you may also enjoy growing narcissus ‘Cheerfulness’, N. ‘Geranium’, N. ‘Sweetness’ and N. ‘Bridal Crown’. These daffodil varieties have all been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit and are superb daffodils that I just couldn’t be without. These scented varieties and indeed all daffodils make ideal cut flowers and a wonderful gift.

Daffodils can bring hope to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, as the plant 30

compound galantamine can delay the onset of symptoms. Trials found that daffodils grown under stress at high altitude in the Black Mountains in Wales produced more galantamine than those grown under normal conditions. Narciclasine, another compound present in daffodil bulbs, may be used in the future to treat aggressive brain cancers; studies have also suggested that compounds found in daffodils could help treat leukaemia, skin and ovarian cancer and depression.

August and September are ideal months to plant daffodil bulbs giving enough time for the roots to get established before the cold weather sets in. Now is the ideal time to make your selection as daffodils are in flower. Visit botanical gardens now to see different varieties in flower, inhale their scent and get an idea of their character. Many gardens will even have a handy plant label, so you can take down the names of your favourite varieties and order bulbs to plant later in the year.

Many different varieties of daffodil can be enjoyed at RHS Garden Wisley, at The National Trust’s Winkworth Arboretum in Godalming and Nymans in Handcross, West Sussex. West Dean Woods near Chichester has a large colony of wild daffodils; it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a working woodland and a private estate, so access is restricted. However a public bridleway running along the western edge provides an excellent vantage point to view the daffodils.

Beth Otway FIND OUT MORE

For more information about daffodils, details of gardens, shows and events and for tips and advice on what to do in your garden this month, see my website www.pumpkinbeth.com.

vantagepointmag.co.uk

Jottings - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD - NOW IN DATE ORDER!

<28

partners and friends can attend. Potential members are welcome to come along free as a guest before joining.

Please contact David Lush on 01483 280267 or David Harrison on 01483 280260.

Test your spelling ability by playing Scrabble! The Dorking Scrabble Club welcomes players of all abilities.

The Club meets every Wednesday at 7.30pm. Opponents are paired to play three games in the course of the evening. Help is given to new players and everyone is provided with a list of all the two and three letter words (there are over 1400!) If you are interested ring Priscilla on 01737 767072 or David on 01306 889308 or just go along any Wednesday to the Roy Currie Room at Dorking United Reformed Church ,West Street, Dorking.

Horsley Garden Society holds flower and produce shows, meetings, lectures and visits that bring together those with an interest in gardening. They hold a plant sale which is open to the public, along with three shows at which members compete for awards and trophies with their flowers, fruit and vegetables, home crafts and handicrafts. All activities take place at the West Horsley Village Hall. Anyone interested in membership at the modest cost of £8 per annum should contact the Chairman, Roger Lindsay, email r.lindsay339@btinternet. com or the Membership Secretary, Terry Lazenby, email terrylazenby@terrylazenby.plus.com.

34>

Energy customers can save more than £140 by switching their suppliers and also help raise funds for Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance. Householders can visit shopping and price comparison website ‘Give as you Live’ and compare every available tariff from all UK suppliers to ensure they get the best deal. By changing their gas and electricity provider they can make a free £17 donation to the air ambulance which relies almost entirely on public donations. Just switching one utility supplier will result in an £8.50 donation for the life-saving charity which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. Director of Income Generation Lynne Harris said: “While energy costs may be going down, the cost of our operation has increased significantly in recent years with major developments of the service we provide. We therefore have to come up with new income streams and ‘Give as You Live’ is a simple and easy way to raise funds for the air ambulance.

It doesn’t cost you anything and it actually saves you money.” A £17 donation to the air ambulance would buy almost two doses of a drug essential to suppress adverse heart rhythms. An £8.50 donation would pay for eight sheets of bubblewrap which is used to keep patients warm.

Dorking Christian Centre has some new activities – everyone welcome! These take place on Tuesday at 11am. Chair exercise for the frailer elderly person and for people with disabilities. It is designed to prevent falls, improve mobility and general health. It is done to music

FROM THE LOCALLY BASED PUBLISHING TEAM “ADVERTISING WITH THEM IS A GREAT INVESTMENT FOR ANY BUSINESS” CREATIVE BLINDS & SHUTTERS

“

DELIVERED BY ROYAL MAIL TO

YOU CAN TELL VANTAGEPOINT IS OUT BECAUSE OUR

PHONE STARTS RINGING WIZARD VIDEO



“ HELPFUL

AND ENTHUSIASTIC SHINE CREATIVE

March 2015

107,714 HOMES 

”

DELIVERED AND MY GOODNESS,

IT LOOKS

FANTASTIC!  CONTACT US NOW

”

“ VANTAGEPOINT HAS JUST BEEN

marcus@vantagepublishing.co.uk - 01483 420173 carol@vantagepublishing.co.uk - 01483 418141 trish@vantagepublishing.co.uk - 01483 661089

WWW.VANTAGEPOINTMAG.CO.UK

NATIONAL TRUST



“H I G H L Y READABLE SEAFORD COLLEGE

” ” 31

Easter with Jack Easter is a great time to get family and friends around for teas and dinner. Jack Sturgess, from Bake with Jack, has kindly provided our Easter recipes. Jack hosts bread and pasta making experiences in your own home. He also sells gift ideas and vouchers.

Find out more at www.bakewithjack.co.uk or contact him as follows: E: info@bakewithjack.co.uk T: 07840 561 635

Hot Cross Bun Loaf I love hot cross buns at Easter. For something a little different why not make your dough into a loaf, then you can have it toasted for breakfast with berries and yoghurt, or even turn it into French toast with a little beaten egg.

Just dip a slice in the egg and fry in butter until golden both sides. Great as a dessert with an apple compote and ice cream.

Ingredients 500g strong white flour 60g unsalted butter 10g salt 40g sugar 2tsp mixed mpice 15g yeast 220g milk 2 eggs 150g mixed peel and sultanas 2 tbsp apricot jam 1 tbsp water

1. Weigh your flour into a bowl, rub your butter into the flour and then mix in the salt, sugar and spice. Use the microwave to take the chill off your milk, warm it only very slightly and add the yeast giving it a stir to help it disperse. Add the eggs to the bowl along with this yeasty milk.

2. Mix everything until your dough comes together and there is nothing dry left in the bowl. Get your dough out onto an un-floured surface and knead for 15 minutes. Pick up the side furthest away from you and stretch it out along the table with the heel of your hand, then fold the dough back onto itself. Every now and again bring your dough back together with a dough scraper.

3. When 15 minutes is up, stretch your dough as far as you can across the table. Sprinkle over your fruit and fold the dough around it like 32

an envelope. Work the fruit into the dough by kneading exactly as before. Then lightly flour the surface next to your dough. Place your dough onto the flour and make into a ball. Take the side furthest away from you, give it a little stretch and fold it back towards you. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat until you are happy with the shape, and you can feel tension in the dough.

Turn your dough over and allow it to rest back in the bowl, covered with a cloth for one hour.

4. After resting your dough, turn it out of the bowl, upside down, onto a surface dusted with flour. Using fingertips and knuckles, press it out flat into a large portrait rectangle about the width of a 900g loaf tin.

Fold the side furthest from you into the middle, then pick up the side closest to you and fold it up to meet

it. Then fold the whole thing in half bringing the top edge to meet the bottom. Give it a pinch at the seam to seal the edges together and dust your dough with flour. Place it into the loaf tin seam side down and allow to rest for another 45 minutes to an hour. Your dough will rise nicely and soften.

5. Mix a little flour and water together to make a paste and use a piping bag to pipe a large cross over the top of your loaf, then bake it in your oven at 170C for 30 minutes.

After this time, remove the loaf from the tin and bake for 10 minutes more on the oven shelf. Rest your loaf on a cooling rack, warm some apricot jam in a pan with a little water and brush it over the top of your loaf for a sticky glaze.

vantagepointmag.co.uk

FOOD Roasted Breast of Lamb with Rosemary, Raisin & Red Wine Sauce Breast of lamb is an underrated cut. It is packed with flavour and really benefits from a slow roast, much like a pork belly. It makes a nice sized joint for a small family roast; a lamb breast weighing 800g – 1Kilo is perfect for four to five people.

1. Soak your raisins in the red wine. 4. While your lamb is roasting, the string, carve it into four or five Allow an hour or so, or you can do pour your leftover wine into a small nice thick slices, one per portion, this the day before if you like. saucepan. Add a squashed clove of and serve with your red wine sauce 2. Unroll your lamb breast, keeping garlic and a sprig of rosemary, set and vegetables of choice. My the string, and season inside and the pan over a medium heat and favourites are roasted garlic mash, out with salt and pepper. Pick the reduce the wine by half. Set this buttered savoy and roasted carrots. rosemary from the stalks (keep aside for later. these) and finely chop it with 5. When your lamb is ready it should one clove of garlic, mix these two be nicely golden and soft to touch. together and sprinkle evenly over Remove it from the tray, wrap it in the inside of your lamb. Drain your tin foil and put it on a plate to one raisins and sprinkle them on too, side. but make sure to keep the left over 6. There should be quite a good wine! Roll up your lamb breast nice amount of liquid in the tray below. and tight and tie back up with the If not top it up with a little water. Put string you saved. You can do this bit the tray onto the hob and simmer all the day before too if you like. the vegetables and juices together, Ingredients 3. Pre-heat your oven to 200C. No use a wooden spoon or potato 1 breast of lamb, boned need to peel your onion, carrot and masher to squeeze all the goodness A few sprigs of rosemary celery, just roughly chop them up from the veg. Then strain this 2 cloves of garlic and put them in your roasting dish liquid through a sieve into a clean 50g raisins with the lamb stock. Add your bay saucepan. Boil and reduce this until 150ml red wine leaf and any rosemary stalks left the flavour is nicely concentrated, 1 bay leaf from earlier. Set your lamb on a rack but not too salty! Then, strain your 1 onion over the tray, put it in the oven and reduced red wine into the pan too.

1 carrot immediately turn the temperature With your fingers mix your flour A few sticks of celery down to 140C. Roast slowly for three and butter together, whisk small 1 litre of lamb stock hours. Your vegetables shouldn’t amounts of this into your boiling 1 tbsp flour dry out in this time, but keep an eye sauce until it has thickened nicely.

1 tbsp butter on them and top the tray up with 7. Your lamb will be at its best after water if you need to. resting for an hour or more. Remove

Cream Egg Cookies This is a great recipe to do with the children. After you slicing your cookie dough, you can freeze the rounds in a plastic container ready for cookie emergencies! These can be baked straight from frozen, just add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.

1. Use a wooden spoon to mix together your butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg and yolk and keep beating until the mixture is light and creamy.

Add all your dry ingredients, and the unwrapped cream eggs. Work everything together into a dough, the best way is to squeeze it all together with your hands. If some of the eggs break in the process that is ok.

2. Put a double layer of cling film on your work surface and arrange your March 2015

dough on top in a sausage shape about 5cm thick. Use the cling film to wrap it up nice and tightly. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour.

3. Unwrap your sausage and use a serrated knife to saw it into rounds roughly 1cm thick. Arrange these rounds on a tray with a little space between as the cookies will spread when baking.

4. Bake at 170C for 12-15 minutes until the edges start to brown.

When they are done allow them to rest and firm up a little before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

They should be crispy at the edges and gooey in the middle!

Ingredients 250g plain flour ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp salt 170g melted butter 200g soft dark brown sugar 100g caster sugar 1 egg 1 yolk 300g mini cream eggs

33

<31

Jottings - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD - NOW IN DATE ORDER!

in a friendly, relaxed and fun atmosphere. The sessions are led by a CYQ qualified practitioner. The other classes are whist on a Tuesday afternoon at 2pm; sequence dance every Thursday at 10.30am; social table tennis every Friday afternoon at 2pm; and social bridge on Thursday or Saturday afternoons at 2pm. New bigger menu for lunches Monday to Saturday – come and try their two course meals at £5 per person or use their computer free over a cup of coffee Monday to Friday mornings.

Life-saving charity Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance has launched a raffle to win a brand new car worth £15,000, to celebrate its Silver Jubilee. The red 1.2 Mini One three-door hatchback has been kindly donated

by Barretts of Canterbury. The car will go on show at shopping centres and community events throughout the counties. The charity has helped thousands of people and saved many lives after attending more than 25,000 call-outs over the last quarter of a century. Tickets for the WIN A MINI raffle cost £5 each and can be purchased online at www.raffle.me.uk. The draw will take place on December 15th, 2015, making it a perfect Christmas present for one lucky winner.

Every year March marks Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Ovarian cancer isn’t as well known as some other female cancers, yet it is the fifth most common - with more than 7,000 diagnoses in the UK each year.

A woman dies from ovarian cancer every two hours, resulting in 4,300 deaths annually. Even so, treatments for ovarian cancer haven’t progressed much in the past 20 years. Almost one in five (17%) women with ovarian cancer carries a BRCA gene mutation. We all have BRCA genes but the likelihood of developing ovarian cancer increases from one in 52, to one in two if your BRCA genes are mutated. This year leading research charity Ovarian Cancer Action has chosen the theme Right to Know. Ovarian Cancer Action believes that all women with ovarian cancer have the right to know their BRCA status, as this can help protect their family from developing the disease. For more information visit www.ovarian.org.uk.

Surrey has been named as one of the most active counties in England with 40% of adults in the region taking part in at least 30 minutes of exercise every week, the latest Sport England survey has revealed.

Having narrowly missed out on the top spot by the active people of Buckinghamshire, the people of Surrey proudly take the Silver as the second highest performing county for sports participation in England.

The results are good news for Olympic silver medallist Roger Black MBE who is supporting GoFest, the UK’s first family festival of sport, fitness, dance and health taking place 10th-12th July at Surrey Sports Park.

“There is no doubt the London Olympics inspired the nation and major new initiatives like GoFest are so important to ensure we build on that legacy. I’m delighted to be involved supporting what promises to 34

be an amazing opportunity for families to “have a go” at such a huge variety of sports and activities in one action-packed week end. As a local dad as well, I’m particularly excited that this first ever GoFest is taking place at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford so I can take my kids as well!” says Black. However, 58% of adults are still completely inactive, something that GoFest founder Paul Farris hopes to help change, “Ultimately we’d like to build a large GoFest community of likeminded families and support them throughout the year. This will help to tackle the UK’s growing obesity epidemic and simultaneously promote healthy, quality family time,” explains Farris. A whole range of sports and activities will be available for adults and children during the festival including professional coaching and classes from Harlequins Rugby, Surrey Storm, Surrey Smashers, Surrey United and Surrey County Cricket Club. Plus take part in masterclasses with Kevin Keegan, Sharron Davies, Steve Backley and Roger Black, with even more celebrity guests still to be announced.

Tickets for GoFest are on sale now, visit www.gofest. co.uk to book yours today.

Save the date! The Guildford Book Festival 2015 will take place from the 11th to 18th October this year.

Guildford Book Festival is delighted to host many of the nation’s most incredible authors, journalists and opinion leaders and after the tremendous success of 2014, they are looking forward to developing another rich programme for 2015.

The Brigitte Trust offers emotional support and practical help at home when a life-threatening illness has been diagnosed. Volunteers from Guildford are invited to join a free training course in June. Please call Sharon on 01306 881816 or visit www.brigittetrust. org.

Following its enormous success last year, C&H Guildford is running its Sewing Bee competition once again, to encourage people to explore their creative sewing talents. All entrants will receive a £5 C&H gift voucher when they submit their finished item and there are some great prizes to be won. Plus there is the chance for entries to be displayed on the shop floor or in the store window as well as on the C&H Facebook page for all to see. Judging in each of their nine stores will be based on difficulty, originality, creativity, embellishments and technical expertise, with the winners from each store entering a central company competition for even more great prizes and the prestige of being C&H’s overall winner.

FIND OUT MORE

More Jottings are available online at vantagepointmag.co.uk. To send in an entry, go online or email us at jottings@vantagepublishing.co.uk. vantagepointmag.co.uk

PROFILE

Rotary in Mole Valley On 23rd February 1905, Paul Harris, a 36 yearold attorney from Chicago, convened a meeting with three of his business associates to form a professional group of local businessmen from a variety of vocations, with the aim of supporting their local community. And so the world’s first ‘service club’, the Rotary Club of Chicago, was born.

and competitions, from Young Musician, Young Photographer and Youth Speaks, a public speaking competition for local schools, to RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards), a week-long residential activity course at the High Ashurst Outdoor Activity Centre on Box Hill, and Kids Out, where, in June each year, Rotary clubs from across the country take around 25,000 disadvantaged children for a day out, many to local theme parks such as Chessington World of Adventures.

Over a century later, Rotary International is one of the largest voluntary service organisations in the world, with over 1.25 million members, male and female, in around 35,000 clubs in over 200 countries, all working to support their communities; locally, nationally and internationally.

At the other end of the age scale, several of the Mole Valley clubs organise regular social events for the area’s more senior citizens, including films shows and tea parties, specifically aimed at local residents who might not otherwise be able to attend such events.

Throughout Mole Valley, around 130 Rotarians from the five Rotary Clubs within the area, Ashtead, Bookham & Horsley, Dorking, Dorking Deepdene and Leatherhead, meet regularly to arrange a wide range of social, fundraising and community service activities.

Between them, these five clubs raise around £100,000 each year, the majority of which is used to support local charities such as Pitstop and the Surrey Air Ambulance and to fund local community projects, from upgrading the kitchen facilities at Horsley Village Hall to providing a new Mole Valley Community Minibus.

However, as well as raising money themselves, many Rotary projects also involve clubs and their members organising events which enable other local charities and organisations to raise awareness of and funds for their own activities, from Ashtead Village Day, which now includes stalls from over 80 charities as well as providing thousands of local residents with a memorable day out, to a wide range of sponsored events, including a 10k run across Headley Heath and a ‘swimarathon’ at Dorking Sports Centre, enabling participants to raise funds for their own preferred charities.

Many of Rotary’s activities focus on supporting young people and helping them develop their own personal and professional skills. As well has having its own junior ‘clubs’, Interact for 14 to 18 year-olds and Rotaract for 18 to 30 year-olds, Rotary organises a wide range of youth activities March 2015

At an international level, Rotary works very closely with many of the well-known international aid agencies to provide hands-on disaster relief, through its network of local clubs within the area of need, in conjunction with its own range of specialist disaster relief equipment, such as ShelterBox and AquaBox. Perhaps one of Rotary’s biggest success stories, however, is ‘End Polio Now’, Rotary’s global polio eradication campaign. In 1985, around 125 countries around the world were polio-endemic, with over 1,000 children newly-infected every day. Today, only three countries in the world - Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan - remain polio-endemic, with only 339 new cases throughout the whole of 2014. Thanks to ‘End Polio Now’, India has now been polio-free for over four years.

So, whether locally, nationally or internationally, Rotary’s simple motto of ‘Service above Self’ continues to inspire men and women of all ages and backgrounds to work together for the greater good of society as a whole.

In the words of Paul Harris himself, “In common with my fellow members, I had learned to place emphasis on the giving rather than the getting”. 130 Rotarians throughout Mole Valley would certainly agree with him.

FIND OUT MORE

If you would like to find out more about Rotary within your area, please contact Simon Edmands on 07753 821964 or simon.edmands@ukipme. com 35

Ranmore to Effingham This walk takes you through fields and woods to Effingham and back across Ranmore. The walk was submitted by Guildford Rambling Club (see guildfordramblingclub.org.uk).

The walk From the car park, cross Ranmore Common Road and go into the trees on a wide grassy path. After about 250 yards, at a cross path in a clearing, take a path left to reach a wide, stony crossing track. Cross it and go up a slope with a house to your right (Hogden Cottage). Follow this path to a road and cross straight over. Continue on to cross another road and enter the drive of Friar’s Elm. Soon take a stile into a field, left. Stay on the right-hand side of this and the next field, exiting over stiles and then descend a slope in the third field. Go through a kissing gate to cross another road and up into trees for about 20 yards.

Where the path swings left turn right on an unsigned path. Stay close to the fence on your right. Go over a stile. The path swings right. Go through two kissing gates and, after the second, turn left to walk along the field edge and out onto a track. Go right, pass through a gate and then take a kissing gate left and into a field. Stay on the right-hand side and enter trees through a kissing gate. Pass the side of a house, meet its drive and turn right. Just beyond the house take a footpath left and follow it along a corridor to a T-junction with a drive at the entryway to another house. Here, go right. Keep going until reaching and forking left at a yellow arrow.

Go over a stile into a large grassy field and head up the left-hand side to the corner. (The field lies between Six Acre Copse and Hazel Bucket.)

quarter right. (You can see the buildings of Warren Farm away down in the right-hand corner.) Continue ahead to another gap in a hedge and another field. Head out half-left and to the right of two microwave towers and cross another fairway. A gap takes you to a fence and you are forced left. The path rounds the end of a building and turns right and into a short corridor which takes you to the A246. Cross and go right for 10 yards to pick up a footpath heading left. The path immediately swings right to parallel the road. Reach a drive and go left. Pass several houses. Beyond Hillside Farm, at a two way signpost, turn left and off the wide track into a field and then head a quarter right to reach and enter trees. Follow the path forward to emerge on Effingham Common Road at the side of the shops in Effingham. The Sir William Hague and the Plough are down the road to the left. If you cross the road and enter Crossways (heading towards the church) you will find Jubilee Gardens on the left after a few yards. You could picnic there or in the churchyard.

Restart at the shops. Head south (i.e. facing the shops, go left) walking up to the lights at the crossroads (with the A246). Go straight across into Beech Lane (there is no street name showing but you are walking between two very high walls. It is dangerous here, there is no pavement at first. Cross to the right-hand side.

Walk on a path in trees that parallels the road. When you reach a house named Ranmore, cross the road and take the path that continues forward on the other side, again paralleling the road.

After a while see a track going off left, you keep walking in the same direction but moving over a little to your left to walk along-

Exit the field into trees, heading right (north east) through the copse. Emerge at the edge of Effingham Golf Course. Follow the signposts across, half-right, into trees again. After 20 yards, at a T-junction with another path, turn left and out onto the course again. There are a line of trees and a concrete path stretching out ahead of you and to your right. You angle away from them slightly, straight out to pass the 12th tee to reach trees close to the 8th Tee. On the other side of this little clump of trees is a signpost pointing half-right and down a slope across a field. Reach a hedge and go through a gap (by a signpost). The gap takes you into another field where you head across about a 36

vantagepointmag.co.uk

WALK

side a Leylandii hedge (on your left). Beyond this find a stile that takes you left and along the right-hand edge of a field. Reach a road. Cross, jink right and then turn left to walk along the side of High Barn. Follow this for about ½ mile, ignoring two left turns (at a stile and a gate) and going straight across a cross paths until, about 150 yards later, you reach a wide cross track. Go across (jinking right a few yards to do so) and through a gate into a field.

Climb up a slope half-right to a gate onto a track. Go straight across this and through into a field. Stay on the right-hand side and reach a wide cross track by a house (Yewtree Farm).

Turn right and immediately fork left to walk up a gentle slope, ignoring a right turn at a three way signpost. About 150 yards later note a little inset patch, with a bench, at a field corner on the left. Sitting here gives you a good view of Polesden Lacey (an Edwardian house and estate, owned and run by the National Trust). Continue on along the wide track for about 200 yards, ignore a post on your right opposite a path into a field on your left. About 20 yards further on look for a wide grassy track going left and beyond a barrier with a faded arrow. Walk along this track to a T-junction and turn left. At a cottage turn right. At a T-junction at the YHA, go right and immediately fork left on a yellow arrow. Keep walking now until you reach Ranmore Common Road. Cross, bearing slightly left, and enter trees.

parallel to the tree line (with fine views of the Mole Valley to your left). Eventually, you are forced up right and through a gate onto a track, just past a barrier. Go left. Quickly pass a four way signpost and, later, a three way signpost.

In all you need to have walked about 700 yards from the barrier to find and take a wide track heading up to your right and back towards Ranmore Common Road. Follow this until, just before the road, you can see the starting car park off to your right.

The path emerges at a T-junction by a gate. Turn left immediately to go through the gate and out into an open area. Continue forward a little way to find a grassy path dropping right and down a slope. Follow this down to a gate. Now turn right and walk along the top of the flank of the slope, staying close to and DISTANCE: 8.5 miles

GRID REFERENCE: 5 127 1 502

OS MAPS: Explorer 146 Dorking, Box Hill and Reigate

REFRESHMENTS: There are a few options in Effingham - The Sir William Hague and the Plough.

STARTING POINT: The free car park on the south side of Ranmore Common Road about 1 mile west of Ranmore Church.

Images - top: Poleden Lacey, owned by the National Trust.

Above: Ranmore Common Sunrise Mist by Robert Steele.

Neither the publisher nor the author can accept any responsibility for any changes, errors or omissions in this route. Diversion orders can be made and permissions withdrawn at any time.

March 2015

37

BUSINESS CARDS Window Wizard 0115_Layout 1 05/12/2014 09:52 Page 1

AA Tree Care

FOR ALL YOUR DOUBLE GLAZING REPAIRS

Specialist in all aspects of tree work

DOUBLE GLAZING REPAIR SPECIALIST W W W W W W W

• Reducing • Felling • Thinning • Hedge trimming • Planting Ten million pound public liability - Council approved contractor

For free estimates and friendly advice please call 01737 813606 or 01306 252717 or email aatreecare@hotmail.co.uk

Broken down sealed units...

New hinges, fire & child safety...

New mechanisms, windows & doors...

Patio door repairs...

Broken handles....

Front & back doors dropped...

Drafts & leaks on your windows...

No call out charge.

Nicholas Neill NCH ARB

Amanda Rice Mobile Lash & Shellac Technician

07955 795132

amandarice110@btinternet.com

Lash Extensions and Party Lashes

Semi permanent extensions - Applied individually to each natural lash - Lengthens and thickens - Lasts up to 4 weeks

LVL Lashes

Gives your lashes length, volume and lift - No adhesive or

extensions16:23 used - Lasts up 1to 6 weeks Penny ad_Layout 1 14/08/2012 Page

HOLIDAY HOME SOUTH OF FRANCE Comfortable village gite to let, sleeps 8, in picturesque Languedoc ‘Cathar Country’. Near castles, dramatic gorges, Carcassonne and Canal du Midi.

Visit the website www.bugarachgite.co.uk Tel 01252 712233 or email penny.kitchen@btopenworld.com

Advertise here from just £50 per month plus VAT. Call Carol on 01483 418141.

38

Four good reasons to advertise vantagepoi

VANTAG ntmag.co.u

k

“Morning, just wanted to let you know that we have had an amazing response from your ad! Thanks so much.”

Clare Crosbie, Crosbie Foods

YOUR COMM

UNITY 

YOUR VIEW

“Marcus, I just wanted to let you know that I sold more legs of lamb this week than I’d usually sell in a month, and I know that’s all down to my offer in my advert in VantagePoint because my customers show me the advert!”

Simon Thornton, The Godalming Butchers

Haslemere

, Midhurst

& Petworth

• July 2014

MAGAZ

“You can tell Vantage Point is going out because our phone starts ringing. So many people want to transfer video to DVD now.”

Patricia Ellis, Wizard Video “Fantastic response to my first advert in the VantagePoint. Can I continue with a full page for the next six months in two editions?!”

Ian Parr, Smart-Pro (First time advertiser in February VantagePoint)

EPOINT INE

Also inside: MADHU SOUTH RST DOWNS AN INTERVI SOCIETY EW WITH JOHN SURTEES WIN WINGS & WHEELS TICKETS

BEHIND THE SCE

WITH GUIL

NES

DFORD

SHAKESPEA

RE

Contact Marcus on 01483 420173 or Carol on 01483 418141 marcus@vantagepublishing.co.uk or carol@vantagepublishing.co.uk

Direct Roofing_Layout 1 07/04/2014 13:33 Page 1

The local magazine produced by local people for the local community

R TS OF OOFING UN

SPEC

ALL A

DERT

AKEN

Direct Roofing Services

• Family Business • All work guaranteed • Free quote • References on request

No job too small or too big • Honest and trustworthy Please call

01483 789548

direct-roofing@hotmail.com DIRECT INDUSTRIAL AND MAINTENANCE LTD Office No. 266 • Guildford • Surrey • GU1 2AG • Company Reg. 8847883

We survived and Cornwall is open for business!

DOES A SECLUDED LOG CABIN OVERLOOKING THE SEA APPEAL TO YOU? YES! THEN COME TO CORNWALL Self catering – Sleeps 4 Tel: 01872 501187

No answer? Leave us your number and we’re always happy to ring you back.

Sorry, no pets & smoking vantagepointmag.co.uk

WIN WIN A BOTTLE OF GREYFRIARS SPARKLING ROSE

WIN TICKETS TO GODSPELL AT GLIVE - 7th/8th APRIL

We want to hear from you, our readers, about VantagePoint and what you think of the magazine.

April 2015 sees the sixth year since we first started publishing a local community magazine in the area and following our rebranding in January 2014 we want to engage with as many of our readers as possible to see what we can do to make VantagePoint an even better reading experience.

You can take part anonymously if you want to but if you are happy to provide us with your contact details, we will enter your name into a prize draw to win a bottle of the award-winning Greyfriars Sparking Rosé, produced locally on the slopes of the Hog’s Back.

Please complete the questionnaire on our website www.vantagepointmag.co.uk or visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/JZWD85Q Please take part by the 31st March 2015.

After an absence from the stage of more than 40 years, Godspell is back! This timeless tale of friendship, loyalty and love features a modern-day rock score, and is the perfect treat for families during the Easter holidays.

The lead cast features The X Factor runner up Andy Abraham, Sugababe Jade Ewan, finalist Leanne Jarvis from BBC‘s The Voice, and West End star Tom Senior.

This new orchestration is aided by a full live band, and features The Guildford School of Acting (GSA) singers.

To win a pair of tickets, please answer the following: Q: Leanne Jarvis was mentored by which judge on BBC’s The Voice? a) Will.i.Am b) Simon Cowell c) Louis Walsh Please enter online at www.vantagepointmag.co.uk by 27th March 2015.

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO BEEREX 2015 Farnham Beerex is the longest running beer festival in Please enter online at www.vantagepointmag. the country held at the same location since it started in co.uk by 27th March 2015.

1977. Now well established in co-operation with both the Farnham Maltings and CAMRA, this event is the major fun and fund-raising event for Farnham Lions.

You will be able to choose between about 75 beers from about 35 breweries, some of which are making their first visit to Beerex.

There are two prizes of two pairs of tickets for Thursday’s session on 23rd April. To enter, please answer the following question: Q: How many half pints of beer are there in a Firkin?

Please enter online at www.vantagepointmag.co.uk unless otherwise stated.

Postal entries can be sent to us at the address given on page three.

TERMS & CONDITIONS OF ENTRY: By entering these competitions you agree to receive periodic emails from VantagePoint Magazine,Vantage Publishing Ltd and the originator of the competition you are entering.You can opt out of receiving these at any time and your data will never be passed on for use by third parties.The prizes are non-transferable and have no cash alternative. Only one entry per person per competition and prizes will only be sent to homes with a GU, KT and RH postcode.

Spring into fitness!

3 month fitness membership for only

£99

3 month fitness membership includes: ■ 3 tailor-made 1-on-1 gym sessions ■ 1 FREE small group training session ■ Unlimited use of the gym ■ Swimming and Workout classes

Results guaranteed or your money back!

Call us today!

DORKING SPORTS CENTRE Reigate Road, Dorking, RH4 1SN

01306 870180

www.dorkingsportscentre.co.uk

Operated by Places for People Leisure Ltd in partnership with Mole Valley District Council.

Conditions apply. Offer available until 31 March 2015.

PFP98355