VantagepVantagePoint Magazine February 2017 - Dorking & Leatherhead

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Dorking & Leatherhead • February 2017

VANTAGEPOINT YO U R B E ST V IEW OF W H AT ’S GO ING O N LO C ALLY

Grow your own

Inside: DORKING SCRABBLE CLUB WHAT TO WEAR THIS SPRING BUTTERFLIES IN THE GLASSHOUSE FREE DRINKS VOUCHERS FOR SQUIRES GARDEN CENTRES The local magazine produced by local people for the local community, delivered by your local postman

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|| YOUR LOCAL TEAM Our walk this month is a real treat. I did it with Humph and friends after Christmas.

It was one of those wonderful cold, frosty and blue-skied days and the views from both Holmbury and Pitch Hills were stunning. I had never been to either and think that the smashing view from Blackdown has now been supplanted in my affections by these two. Very well worth a journey on a clear day.

Some advance notice of a Travel Fair we will be running in Godalming on 1st April from 1pm to 4pm at the Wilfrid Noyce Centre. There will be a number of travel companies exhibiting and giving brief talks about the holidays they can offer. This is a great opportunity to discuss your travel

Stefan Reynolds Editor & Publisher

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ideas and wishes with the experts and get answers to any questions you might have.

Free entry, a prize draw and there will be a complimentary drink on arrival. See you there!

This month sees the first of special days which usually involve you spending more money. I refer of course to Valentine’s Day, which seems to get ever more commercial.

The best gifts I think are those which treat both the giftee (yes, it is a word!) and its doner. So here’s a gift idea for any special day - tickets to one of our wine festivals. Three different venues and various ticket options.

Visit www.vantagepointevents.co.uk to find out more.

Contact the editor: stefan@vantagepublishing.co.uk

Marcus Atkins, Sales Director 01483 420173 / 07702 132157 marcus@vantagepublishing.co.uk

Lauren Broughton, Sales 01483 661088 / 07852 041227 lauren@vantagepublishing.co.uk

Contributors: Phil Kemp, Beth Otway, Kirstie Smillie

Liz Godfrey, Sales 01483 661089 / 07788 748826 liz@vantagepublishing.co.uk

Jesse Boon, Sales 01483 418141 / 07542 710508 jesse@vantagepublishing.co.uk

Print: Buxton Press

February 2017

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Cover: Red Onions by Andrew Malone

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|| CONTENTS The local magazine produced by local people for the local community

RUGMART Surrey’s Biggest Rug Shop www.rugmart.co.uk

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6 Jottings

Your local community noticeboard

9 Butterflies

A rainbow of delights at RHS Wisley

14 Grow Your Own Phil Kemp on local allotments

Visit us for a huge range of Modern, Contemporary & Bespoke rugs

24 Fashion What to wear this spring 28 Recipes

The cheese course

32 Gardening

Compost and containers

34 Walk Hand Woven Oriental Rugs Traditional & Antique Rugs Large and Over Size Rugs Persian & Afghan Rugs Handmade Tribal Kilims Hall Runners & Hearth Rugs

Holmbury and Pitch Hills

37 Profile

Dorking Scrabble Club

Come and visit our showroom: 2-3 Woodbridge Road, Guildford GU1 4PU Be inspired by our treasure trove of rugs over 4 floors and 7000 sq ft!

01483 578874 4

38 Business Cards

Small ads for trades and services

39 Competitions & Offers

Win one of two great prizes and a reader offer!

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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.

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Surrey Home Vet - veterinary care in your own home Many owners and pets dread the traditional trip to the vets whether that be for routine or nonroutine appointments. Having spent many years working in a very busy practice I came to realise just how stressful and difficult this can be for both owners and animals. This is why I started Surrey Home Vet – to provide the care your pet needs in the comfort of their own, familiar surroundings.

I have a special interest in all things feline and was awarded the European Certificate in Feline Medicine in 2007. I also enjoy advanced dentistry, geriatric medicine, delicate soft tissue surgeries and cardiac ultrasound.

People are often surprised at how many things I can do on a house visit – from clipping your cat’s nails to vaccinations, dressing changes, blood tests or post-op checks. Sometimes we can do more with an animal at home when they are less stressed, than we can in a clinic! When needed, I can transport them to Winton Lodge Vets for advanced diagnostic tests, surgery and treatment. Winton Lodge is run by my husband Simon Neuhoff and a fantastic team of vets, nurses and receptionists.

I have been a practicing veterinarian for more than 20 years now. Apart from a love for dogs,

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I offer a friendly caring service, putting the needs of your pet first.

Tel: 07872 042047 Email: info@surreyhomevet.co.uk

Get 10% off your first visit at www.surreyhomevet.co.uk February 2017

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|| JOTTINGS YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

JOTTINGS

Jottings is your community noticeboard for local events and information, compiled by Jane Gosden. To feature here, please email us at jottings@vantagepublishing.co.uk by the copy date shown below. Please note that space is limited and inclusion cannot be guaranteed.

I cannot believe it’s February already! Where did January go? Christmas and New Year seem a distant memory and we now need to focus on what to do for Valentine’s Day and half term ideas for the those little cherubs. Luckily we have a few suggestions in our Jottings this month, along with some new clubs, events and activities for you to take part in.

I particularly love all the musical events - so uplifting during these winter months.

Dorking Scrabble Club Every Wednesday 7.30 pm For a friendly game of Scrabble, pop along to The Roy Currie Room, United Reformed Church, West Street, Dorking. You will be welcomed whether you are a beginner or an expert.

For more details ring Priscilla (01737 767072) or David (01306 889308).

Cyclamen Society – Early Spring Show at RHS Wisley Sunday 5th February 10am-4pm A lovely splash of colour with exhibits of flowering cyclamen; expert advice on cyclamen planting, care and companion plants and plant sales including flowering cyclamen and bulbs. For more details visit their website www.rhs.org.uk/wisley. Normal garden admission applies.

RHS Garden Wisley. Woking GU23 6QB. Telephone 0845 260 9000.

Vintage Jive Lessons at North Leatherhead Community Centre Every Thursday Learn to Jive to the music of the era, authentic 40s and 50s style. Everyone is welcome for these fun and friendly lessons. There is also a bar available. Held at North Leatherhead Community Centre, Kingston Road,

Leatherhead KT22 7NX. The lessons are £7 per person, payable weekly. For more information please call 07854 621522.

Workers’ Education Association (WEA) Courses Various dates throughout the year The WEA have courses running on International Affairs, followed by Grand Houses and Stately Homes, Astronomy - The Modern Universe, An Introduction to Dressmaking, First World Civilisation and the British Empire (Accident or Design?). In addition, for the Summer Term, from the 4th May Europe’s Royal Families. All courses are of 10 weeks duration with the exception of Astronomy, which is for 7 weeks and are either held in the Barn Hall, Bookham or the Leatherhead Institute. For further information contact Joy Tapping on 01306 713355, www.weafetchamandbookham.org.uk or email enquiries@weafetchamandbookham.org.uk.

Dorking Friends of Cancer Research UK Wednesday 8th February 9.30am-11.30am Please join Dorking Friends of Cancer Research UK for a Coffee Morning at Betchworth Park Golf Club on Wednesday 8th February in support of Cancer Research UK. There will be coffees, teas, Danish pastries and a raffle with fabulous prizes. In addition there will be local artisan stalls selling handmade gifts and cards. Tickets are £10. Betchworth Park Golf Club, Reigate Road, Dorking, RH4 1NZ. For tickets call 01306 711688 or 01737 842084 or email dfcancerresearchuk@btinternet.com.

First Stage ideas for new skate park at Kingston Road Recreation Ground.

Votes to be submitted between 6th and 28th February Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) will be revamping

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JOTTINGS - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD the skate park at Kingston Road Recreation Ground in Leatherhead this year. The new facilities will challenge and delight skaters for years to come. MVDC is inviting local residents and skate park users to choose their favourite three from a number of preliminary skate park designs submitted by play companies. The range of first-stage designs can be viewed at www.molevalley. gov.uk/kingstonroadskatepark. Votes can be submitted in person at a number of locations between Monday 6th February and 5pm on Tuesday 28th February. The designs and voting slips will be available at the Help Shop in Leatherhead and the Council’s offices in Dorking.

The designs will also be available to see and vote on at a series of public drop-ins during February. Locations, dates and times for those drop-ins can be found by visiting www.molevalley.gov.uk/kingstonroadskatepark.

Once the voting has closed, the public’s votes will help decide which three designs will make it through to the next stage. The companies whose designs have made it into the final three will be given the opportunity to make amends to their designs, taking into account feedback from the pubic consultation. Residents will then be able to vote once again to choose their favourite design in mid-March. The winning skate park design will be announced at the beginning of April and work will start on the new facility in the summer.

February 2017

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Dorking Museum exhibition: ‘Medieval Betchworth’ Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays throughout February The museum’s new spring exhibition, in association with the Betchworth Village Archives team, gives a flavour of life in a medieval village. Drawing from manorial records, the exhibition examines life on a medieval manor: the lords of the manor, working the land, the mill and replacement of the millstone, the role of the church in the community. But it also features the experience of the Black Death, royal visits to the village (including the French Crown Prince Louis, from whom The Dolphin may take its name) and the Battle of Agincourt, to give a surprising view of this neglected period.

The museum is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10am to 4pm, at 62 West Street, Dorking RH4 1BS. For more details, visit www.dorkingmuseum.org.uk. Email admin@dorkingmuseum.org.uk or phone 01306 876591.

Ballet screening at Dorking Halls Wednesday 8th and Tuesday 28th February Dorking Halls offers a number of screenings this month.

Live from the National Theatre is a production of Peter Schaffer’s play Amadeus. Set in Vienna, this tells the story of court composer Antonio Salieri, who is intensely jealous of the young prodigy Wolfgang Mozart with his God-given gift, and who sets out to destroy his rival. Live from the Royal Ballet is Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty (28th), as well as Woolf Works (8th) - a triptych based on the work of

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JOTTINGS - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

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Virginia Woolf. There is also a recording of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake from Russia’s Bolshoi ballet. Tickets are £17.50. For more information and bookings please call 01306 881717.

Farnham Wine Festival Friday 7th and Saturday 8th April 2017

Farnham Maltings, Bridge Square, Farnham GU9 7QR

Guildford Wine Festival Friday 12th and Saturday 13th May 2017

Guildford Cathedral, Stag Hill, Guildford GU2 7UP

Dorking Wine Festival

Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd September 2017 Dorking Halls, Reigate Rd, Dorking RH4 1SG

Book now at: www.vantagepointevents.co.uk Follow us @vpwinefestival and www.facebook.com/vpfestivals • Over 120 international wines • Champagnes and premium wines • Wine experts on hand • Local wine producers with their wines • Charity blind wine tasting and raffle Plus live music, entertainment, concessions, food, money-off wine vouchers and more.

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Walking in Dorking – historic guided walks Group bookings throughout February Take a trip into Dorking’s history with a guided walk of the town to see hidden Dorking. Your knowledgeable museum guide will reveal the forces, events and personalities that have shaped the town and its architecture and reveal the secrets that lie behind the streets of modern Dorking. Hear about the medieval town, the markets, the churches, the inns, the great estates and the ancient cottages. Discover the people who have built the town’s reputation – Charles Dickens, William Mullins, Thomas Cubitt, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Laurence Olivier and more. Tours last 90 minutes.

Group tours (minimum of 10 people) can be arranged by appointment, £3 per person. For details, visit www. dorkingmuseum.org.uk/guided-walks-around-dorking or email admin@dorkingmuseum.org.uk.

Horsley Decorative and Fine Art Society Wednesday 8th February 2017 10.30am Horsley DFAS’s February talk is by Anne Sebba, entitled ‘William Bankes: the Exiled Collector and the Man behind the Creation of an English Country House’. The talk takes place in East Horsley Village Hall, Kingston Avenue KT24 6QT at 10.30am (coffee available 9.45am-10.15am). Visitors (£5) and new members welcome. For more information and the full programme phone 01372 451015 or visit their website: www.horsleydfas.org.uk.

Dorking Museum: The Deepdene Trail Group tours by appointment throughout February and virtual reality tour Dorking Museum is very pleased to have worked alongside the MVDC Hope Springs Eternal team to bring the revitalised landscape of the Deepdene alive. The museum walks team runs guided walks on the Deepdene Trail. Tours last for an hour and a half and take in the grotto, woodland walks, parterre and temples, featuring spectacular views across the Weald. But the real highlight is exclusive access to the Grade II* listed family mausoleum, constructed by Thomas Hope on the death of his young son. Group tours can be arranged by appointment through the museum website, £4 per person, and look out for upcoming tours for individual bookings. For details and booking visit www. dorkingmuseum.org.uk/the-deepdene-trail or email admin@dorkingmuseum.org.uk. Visitors to the museum itself (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 10am-4pm) can also take a Virtual Tour of the Deepdene estate in 1825, from the lodges to the mansion and out around the gardens and Betchworth Castle, controlling the screen by means of a games controller.

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Butterflies Seek out a rainbow of delights with Butterflies in the Glasshouse at RHS Garden Wisley Escape into the warmth of the tropical zone in the Glasshouse at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey until 5th March 2017 and feast your eyes on a thousand butterflies flying all around, feeding from fruits and sweet liquids at special feeding stations. They also feed on plants such as Caliandra, Lantana with their dainty clustered flowers, Justicia, Pavonia and Pachystachys.

These free-flying beauties will captivate visitors, as they glide around the cathedral-

Top: Giant Swallowtail (Pinterest). Left: Tiger Leafwing (JungleDragon).

February 2017

like building, which will be home to over 50 different species of butterfly, 15 of which have never been seen at Wisley before.

These include Blue Waves, Giant Swallowtails and the Tiger Leafwing, to name but a few. All the butterflies on display originate from tropical areas of the world like the Philippines, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Belize, Thailand and Africa.

Having butterflies in the glasshouse is the perfect antidote for the midwinter blues and provides a welcome escape to tropical climes Each species offers a visual treat to behold, like the blue wave from Central America, which comes from the Nymphalidae family. They have brightly-coloured sapphire-blue iridescent wings, delicately patterned with white. The giant swallowtail is the largest species found in North America and it has a distinctive flying style that makes it look like its hopping. It also looks similar to its cousin the UK swallowtail, however, as the name suggests, it is much larger with a wingspan of up to 18cm (double that of the UK species). Tiger leafwings come from the Charaxinae family and have amazing camouflage. They tend to be medium sized with bright tiger-like orange upperwings and mottled brown underwings. When their wings close, they look remarkably like a dead leaf.

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Bred at the Stratford Butterfly Farm, the butterflies are brought into the Glasshouse at the pupae stage, and carefully attached to canes with safe glue to emulate their natural habitat, where they hang from small branches attached by silk. They are kept in a special emerging cage called a puparium, which provides the perfect living conditions for them to stay warm. Once they emerge they hang on the cane to dry out their wings.

“For me, having butterflies in the glasshouse is the perfect antidote for the midwinter blues and provides a welcome escape to tropical climes,” says Christopher J Young, Glasshouse team leader, who is responsible for managing the successful operation of the Glasshouse and organising the transition of the butterflies, from when they arrive on site in their pupae, to emerging in all their colourful glory in the glasshouse.

In the tropical zone of the Glasshouse they’ve designed an environment similar to a rainforest that mimics the perfect conditions to allow huge leaves and flowers to grow. Visitors will also find bananas and bromeliads, as well as aquatic and wetland plants floating in the jungle pool. The tree ferns, tall palms, lush-leaved creepers and dazzling flower displays that make up the tropical paradise of the Glasshouse provide an exciting and dramatic backdrop to the event.

Wisley invites visitors to take a tour through the world of plants on display in our tropical hot house and catch a glimpse at the extensive range of wild species, as well as garden hybrids and cultivars. It’s a great chance to marvel at the myriad of vibrant colours and patterns that flutter before you and take the opportunity to photograph these stunning creatures up close.

Go and learn all about the life cycle of a butterfly in our interactive Education Zone, the perfect place to pick up fascinating facts and become a butterfly expert. Children have been encouraged to enter a drawing competition to be in with a chance to have their winning design created into a 30cm x 30cm metal butterfly sculpture, produced by artisit Alison Catchlove.

The winning entry will go on display from 11th February to 6th March.

There will also be a special sculpture trail throughout the garden leading towards the Glasshouse, created by Alison Catchlove.

Visitors will get the chance to see Alison demonstrating her extraordinary skills as a sculptor in the Glasshouse Gallery every Friday to Sunday during the event (excluding Friday 17th February).

During February Half Term, 11th to 19th February, there will be a range of free family events focused on Whatever the Weather for Butterflies, with activities such as create your own butterfly watering can, make a bubble-art butterfly or bring in your outgrown wellington boots to decorate and plant up with flower seeds.

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Blue Wave (Pinterest)

Wisley will be running tutored butterfly photography mornings on 1st and 10th February. These workshops are ideal for any budding photographer keen to learn how to capture beautiful images of our tropical butterflies with expert advice from tutor Adrian Davies. On 24th February they will be running an untutored butterfly photography morning, all courses are charged and include early access (spaces limited).

Make the most of your day out by selecting a timed ticket to beat the queues and don’t forget to stop by the Glasshouse Café for a tasty teatime treat inspired by these winged beauties, including butterfly-decorated cookies and cupcakes and refreshments. Or the Wisley Gift Shop and Plant Centre for a souvenir to remember your day.

FIND OUT MORE Entry to Butterflies in the Glasshouse is free with normal garden entry. Adults £14, children under 5 years, free, children 5-16 years £7. Family 2+2 (2 adults + 2 children) £36. Free for RHS members. For full details about Butterflies in the Glasshouse and February Half Term events visit rhs. org.uk/wisleybutterflies

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Free Coffee Concert at Guildford Cathedral Thursday 9th February 11.15am-12 noon Operatic Moment: Their 2017 season of free informal concerts starts with welcoming talented local ‘Singing Diana’ to entertain you in the heated marquee at Guildford Cathedral. Free refreshments served from 10.30am. All welcome. Guildford Cathedral, Stag Hill, Guildford GU2 7UP. For more details please visit the website: www.guildfordcathedral.org.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain comes to G Live Friday 10th February 7.30pm The world renowned all-singing, all-plucking superstars, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, return to G Live on with their toe-tapping music, hilarious banter, and sheer superlative entertainment. A concert by the Ukulele Orchestra is a funny, virtuosic, twanging, awesome, foot-stomping obituary of rock-n-roll and melodious light entertainment featuring only the ‘bonsai guitar’ and a menagerie of voices in a collision of post-punk performance and toe-tapping oldies. Pure entertainment with deadpan British humour and foot-tapping music, they are always doing the unexpected - whether re-imagining folk songs, twisting classical music favourites, uncovering quirky versions of rock covers, or playing the performers’ own all-original compositions. Tickets: £24.50, £26.50, £28.50, G Live Friends: save £2.50. Visit www.glive. co.uk for bookings and information.

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Rumours of Fleetwood Mac at Dorking Halls Saturday 11th February The ultimate tribute to one of rock and roll’s most remarkable groups. Having performed to over a million fans since they formed over a decade ago, Rumours of Fleetwood Mac returns to the UK in late 2015 and early 2016 to launch its stunning new stage production, performing in meticulous note-for-note detail all the classic hits from one of the most outstanding and enduring catalogues in the history of rock music. Recognised internationally as the world’s leading Fleetwood Mac tribute show, and with the priceless golden seal of approval from founding member Mick Fleetwood, plus recent guest appearances from Fleetwood Mac’s very own legendary guitarist Rick Vito, this stunning new show takes you on an epic musical journey through changing eras and styles, from the exciting sound of the sixties London blues scene right through to the staggering commercial success of the seventies and eighties, and beyond. Replicating perfectly the power and subtlety of Fleetwood Mac at their brilliant best, Rumours of Fleetwood Mac perform all the classic hits live including ‘Black Magic Woman’, ‘Albatross’, ‘Go Your Own Way’, ‘Dreams’, ‘Gypsy’, ‘Say You Love Me’, ‘Sara’, ‘Oh Diane’, ‘Little Lies’, ‘Everywhere’ and many more. Reigate Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1SG. Tickets are from £25–£35. Book by calling Dorking Halls on 01306 881717.

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Mag half page landscape Roundabout 180815.indd 1

February 2017

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<11 JOTTINGS - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD A royal love story: Valentine’s Day at Claremont Landscape Garden From Saturday 11th to Tuesday 14th February Visitors to Claremont Landscape Garden this February can enjoy a romantic Valentine’s walk with a regal twist. In the first of a year of events commemorating the life and times of former resident Princess Charlotte, the National Trust estate is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a special lovers’ walk.

Visitors to the Grade I-listed garden can hang a memento for their loved one at the venerable old beech known as the “kissing tree”. A specially decorated trail around the 49-acre estate takes in period features such as the turf amphitheatre and serpentine lake, and quotes hanging in trees along the walk tell the heartwarming story of Charlotte’s romance with her beloved Prince Leopold. Claremont was given to Charlotte and Leopold as a wedding present at a time when it was regarded as one of the foremost estates in the country. Their love blossomed in their new home, and the couple were often seen walking hand-in-hand together enjoying the garden. Make your Valentine’s Day one to remember this February at Claremont. The lovers’ walk is free with normal admission, plus a suggested £1 donation for a memento. For more information on this event and other days out for 2017 go to: www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

Dorking Folk Club Every Wednesday 8.30pm Greg Harper will be performing on the 8th February. Greg is

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

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an English singer-songwriter, based in Sussex, who writes with passion and honesty about a variety of issues and has the ability to combine evocative melodies with thoughtprovoking lyrics. www.gregharpermusic.com. Entry £9. On the 15th February it will be Singers’ Night (£3 entry) and on the 22nd Feb Triage will be performing. This trio have been performing together since 2014. Dean and Kevin both sing and play guitars and melodeon. Malcom plays mandolin, Weissenborn & dobro and as well as writing some lovely tunes. Entry is £9. www.facebook.com/triagetrio. Finally, on the 1st March there will be the next Singers’ Night. All events will be held at Dorking Golf Club, Deepdene Avenue, Dorking RH5 4BX. For more details please contact Jackie on 07754 853171 or go to www.dorkingfolkclub.org.uk.

Basketball for Learning Disabled Young People Every Monday 6pm-7pm The Scorchers Foundation charity, who run alongside the Surrey Scorchers Pro Basketball team are delighted to announce that they are running basketball sessions for young adults 16+ with intellectual (learning) disabilities.

They aim to get these young people active and to have fun in a team environment. There will be opportunities to become part of a Surrey Special Olympics Basketball team should they want to do this. The first session will always be free and then they will be at a reduced rate of £2 per person for the time being. The basketball takes place at St Peter’s School, Merrow on Monday nights. They would be delighted to see more young people coming along to join in and have some fun. For more information please call 07810 122389 or email the foundation at foundation@surreyscorchers. co.uk.

Horsley Garden Society Horsley Garden Society and its predecessors have encouraged the gardeners of the Horsleys and surrounding villages since 1924. They hold flower and produce shows, meetings, lectures and visits to bring together those with an interest in gardening - from beginners to experts.

New members and visitors are always welcome. Anyone interested in membership at the modest cost of £5 per annum should contact the chairman, Roger Lindsay via email: r.lindsay339@btinternet.com or the membership secretary, Terry Lazenby via email: terrylazenby@ terrylazenby.plus.com.

Whatever the Weather Half-Term Butterfly-Themed Activities at RHS Wisley Saturday 11th to Sunday 19th February Butterflies are sensible creatures and don’t come out in the rain. Join RHS Wisley, whatever the weather, to create butterfly-themed weather crafts. Make your own rain stick decorated with butterflies, create your own butterfly watering can, make a bubble art butterfly or bring in your outgrown wellington boots to decorate and upcycle, by planting them up with flower seeds to attract butterflies.

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St Catherine’s Hospice: There when life comes full circle St Catherine’s Hospice cares for people in the comfort of their own homes in Dorking and beyond. Here, Dorking resident, Dave Rose, shares how the hospice’s expert care helped keep his wife at home for as long as possible.

“When my wife, Sheila, was diagnosed with pancreatic and lung cancer we were put in touch with St Catherine’s Hospice. From that point, St Catherine’s Community Team and local nurses supported us at home, to keep Sheila as comfortable as possible. You might expect that Sheila would be told to stay home, and not do anything that would exhaust her, but St Catherine’s encouraged us to make the most of our time together and enjoy it as much as we could. We were even able to enjoy two family holidays with our sons to Sussex and Dorset.

In Sheila’s last days, she was transferred from Guildford Hospital to the hospice’s Inpatient Unit.

When we arrived, the nurses wheeled Sheila’s bed into the patient garden. It’s a beautiful place with colourful flowers and a goldfish-filled water feature; Sheila absolutely loved it, and

when a volunteer caricaturist came by with an offer to draw us, it really raised our mood during a difficult time. Our sons brought their children to visit too, and we were able to play games and spend time with them.

At St Catherine’s it’s more than just being a patient or relative, it’s a feeling of being welcomed.”

Care for the next generation

To find out more: 01293 447333

andyperry@stch.org.uk www.stch.org.uk

Registered charity no: 281362

February 2017

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Please remember St Catherine’s in your will.

It costs nothing today, to provide care tomorrow.

We’ll be there, when life comes full circle.

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Grow your own Our local allotments are alive and well and, as Phil Kemp discovered, provide much enjoyment and a vibrant sense of community Allotment holders enjoy the chance of taking a break from the stresses and strains of everyday life to grow their own vegetables and fruit, whilst benefiting from healthy exercise in the fresh air and rewarding their family and friends with freshly-picked food for the table.

According to The National Allotment Society, there is archaeological evidence of organised allotments dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, although the modern system we recognise today had its roots in the Nineteenth Century, when land was given over to the poor to help them feed their families. But it wasn’t until the end of the First World War that the current system of allotments was founded.

I said to Mum that I’d take over if she bought the plants. In a weak moment she not only said yes, but also offered to pay me half the shop price for any tomatoes I produced. The next summer I got a terrific crop and I was totally hooked!”

And that is where our own local allotment story starts. In December I visited two sites to find out for myself what it is that makes allotments so special for their communities.

Over in the allotments in Wrecclesham, near Farnham, I was given a personal tour by Robert Green, the chair of the Farnham Allotments Liaison Group. “Mostly the allotments are used for growing vegetables, with some also producing soft fruit. Many of our holders haven’t got their own gardens, or only have a small one, but overall it’s people who are simply interested in the idea of growing their own vegetables.”

“The Farncombe and District Allotment Association was set up in 1919 for the sole purpose of letting soldiers returning from the war feed their families,” explained Seymour Baker, as we stood in the midst of the well-maintained allotments of Maplehatch in Godalming’s Busbridge. “One of the association’s seven sites was given to us at that time and the rest are leased from the local town council.”

The benefit of working an allotment at the end of the day is that you are out in the fresh air, and you know the exact provenance of the crops you are growing

Seymour, who is chairman of the association, caught the growing bug very early on in life. “I have been an allotment holder for over 25 years, with my initial interest starting as a nine-year-old when my father, who wasn’t particularly interested in gardening, decided to stop growing the half-a -dozen tomato plants we had in our back garden every year. So

As we walked alongside row after row of well-tended plots, Robert talked me through a typical allotment growing year. “Now in the month of December you’re just thinking about next year. One thing that the liaison committee does every year is organise to buy seeds

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together so that we get those at a discounted price of 50% off. At this time of year they’ve all got their seeds and you’ve sown things like broad beans and winter onions. These will overwinter and start early in the spring as soon as the growing conditions are good.

And then in the spring the first things that you would be sowing would be, for example, spring broad beans, early potatoes, and parsnips as you need to put those in early. These would be followed by things like salad crops, carrots and brassicas of all sorts.”

Not being an allotment-holder myself I was surprised at just how large a full-sized

allotment is when you convert the typically quoted, and to me meaningless, ‘ten rods’ into a Wellington-booted-paced-out measurement on the ground.

“That does seem a lot, especially to a newcomer,” said Seymour. “Here we often split plots down to half-plots because a full plot does take a lot of working – and typically we start them on a quarter plot so that they can get a flavour for themselves of what work is involved. Then, if they’ve got the bug for it, if a half-plot or another quarter-plot becomes available they can upsize. It should be enjoyable, and people come up here to have a bit of fun growing their own. If it gets to a point of just viewing it as a ‘Oh no, I’ve got to go up to the allotment again’ then quite simply you shouldn’t be doing it.”

Seymour's view was shared by Robert, as Wrecclesham has a similar start-up policy. “One of the things we’ve done when we’ve had a waiting list is to divide allotments, as the traditional allotment was too big for most people, particularly those with young families. But you’re not alone as there is always help at hand. All our allotments have site representatives, and it’s part of their job to get to know the new people and give them guidance, for example on where to get manure and answer questions as what to grow and when. They will also find other allotment-holders to be friendly and approachable, sharing information, especially on specifics like what is and isn’t suited to the locality or the soil.”

Looking across the neat grid of plots in both the Wrecclesham and Maplehatch allotments I could see just how intensively the sites were being worked, and could get a pretty good idea as to just how much thought and effort goes into turning the land into productive plots. Dotted across this productive garden landscape was a network of protective netting, small greenhouses and sheds, and neat rows of winter vegetables interspersed by strips of bare ground under preparation for the arrival of spring.

Top images: Maplehatch allotment in Godalming (Andy Jeffery).

Above top: Seymour Baker. Above: Robert Green (both Phil Kemp).

February 2017

Chatting with both Robert and Seymour on their own allotments I quickly got the vibe that working an allotment isn’t hard lonely work. There was a great community spirit evident across both sites.

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“Our association has a competition each year for the best kept ten rods and five rods plot – and one for the best beginners,” said Seymour. “And within those categories people are awarded first, second, third and highly commended. It’s a friendly competition run by the committee, and we change the judges each year to ensure it’s always fair.”

Over in the Farnham area each site has similar competitions, with an overall winner for the best allotment across all of the eight sites. “Our judges are looking at a range of criteria including tidiness, a good variety of things being grown, new crops being tried rather than the same old thing all the time, and overall good allotment husbandry,” said Robert. “We also have a winter lecture with guest speakers who are garden experts, for example from RHS Wisley. In the spring we have a barbecue for our allotment holders, and in July an Allotment Show. All of our events are actively supported by the town council.”

I was keen to find out what is being done to encourage children to catch the growing bug, having heard worrying reports of fewer and fewer young people having an understanding of where their food comes from.

“Introducing children to growing at a young age and giving them the chance to tend their own crops,” explained Seymour.

“They need to be quick-growing crops, for example radishes that could be ready in weeks rather than months. And crops that are ideally colourful and tasty.” Robert shared the view that children can get easily bored and need active encouragement.

“One of the best ways is to give them a corner of your allotment and get them growing things themselves, just a few carrots or a few lettuces or something, so they can see the results of their own efforts.” He added: “We have competitions too that particularly appeal to the kids. A scarecrow competition, one for the biggest pumpkin and another for the tallest sunflower.

These encourage them to become more interested.”

By now my own reputation as being a stubbornly reluctant gardener, as is reportedly highlighted every spring by my apparent lack of interest in my partner’s earnest activities in our back garden, was beginning to melt. Seeing first-hand just what can be done so productively with a plot of land – and especially where you are surrounded by supportive, knowledgeable and friendly fellow-gardeners - had sparked a glimmer of hope…

Robert in Wrecclesham summed up what makes growing your own so catching. “The benefit of working an allotment at the end of the day is that you are out in the fresh air, and you know the exact provenance of the crops you are growing. People today are very keen on local supply and knowing where it’s come from. You know exactly how it’s been treated and you come down here, you pick it, you take it home, cook it. That freshness is something you just can’t buy.”

Allotments are run either directly by the local council or by an independent association, mostly on land leased from the council. Permanent allotments are regulated by parliament which includes the need to seek ministerial consent if the council

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To find out more about allotments in your area: Cranleigh Parish Council (Two sites) http://www.cranleighpc.org Dorking Allotment Holders’ Association (Five sites) www.daha.org.uk Farnham Allotments Liaison Group (Eight sites) www.farnhamallotments.co.uk Farncombe and District Allotment Association (Seven sites) www.facebook.com/Farncombeand-District-Allotment-AssociationLtd-264443990242195 Godalming Town Council (Two sites) www.godalming-tc.gov.uk Guildford Allotments Society (Fourteen sites) www.guildfordallotments.org.uk Haslemere Town Council (Three sites) www.haslemeretc.org Leatherhead – Mole Valley District Council (Two sites) www.molevalley.gov.uk Midhurst Town Council (Three sites) www.midhurst-tc.gov.uk Petworth Town Council (Three sites) www.petworth-tc.org.uk wants to sell off the land. There is an annual rent payable by allotment holders which varies by authority. In Wrecclesham this equates to £50 and in Maplehatch £27 for a full-sized plot.

There is also a small contribution towards the cost of the allotments' piped water supply if the site you are working on isn’t lucky enough to have its own supply from perhaps a spring or local stream.

Phil Kemp is a freelance writer and photographer based in Godalming. www.weyriver.co.uk.

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Activities vary daily, all activities free. RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, GU23 6QB. For more information telephone 0845 260 9000 or visit www.rhs.org.uk/wisley.

Surrey County Walkers Surrey County Walkers is a walking group offering walks predominantly in Surrey and neighbouring counties. Walks are usually 6-8 miles long for morning walks and 10-15 miles for all day walks. They have walks every weekend, usually in West Surrey, in the Farnham, Guildford, Woking or Dorking areas. Some walks are held in neighbouring counties, such as Hampshire or Sussex. Most walks are completed in a morning, followed by a visit to a local pub.

Some walks, particularly in summer, last all day. This is often the case for walks along long distance paths, such as the North Downs Way, South Downs Way, Thames Path and the Mid Sussex Border Path. For a full schedule of their walks throughout the year please visit www.surreycommunity. info/surreycountywalkers.

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use cameras, Apple MacBooks, professional stop-motion software, modelling clay and lots of imagination to create your very own short films. The Girl & the Giraffe is on Saturday 11th, 11.30am and 2.30pm. This charming story about love and friendship combines puppetry, an enchanting soundscape and beautiful storytelling in this sensitive show about love and friendship, perfect for ages 3-6. And finally, Family Day: Awesome Animals on Saturday 18th, 10am-4pm. Inspired by their half term show, The Girl and the Giraffe, these animal-themed free family activities will include face painting and make-and-take art. No need to book a place, just drop in. For booking call 01483 369350 or go to www.GLive.co.uk.

Horsley Floral Decoration Group 14th February 1pm (lunch and AGM) and 14th March 2pm Demonstration The Horsley Floral Decoration Group (affiliated to NAFAS) is a friendly afternoon flower arranging club. They meet at East Horsley Village Hall on the 2nd Tuesday of each month (except August) at 2pm. They have a varied programme of demonstrators, speakers, in-house entertainment, trips, internal competitions (optional), a sales table and refreshments. Visitors and new members very welcome (Feb/AGM Members only). Join them (first visit free) for fun, flowers and friendship. For more details please phone Beryl on 01483 831422 or email bjg317@virginmedia.com.

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Oliver! A Dramatic and Operatic Society (DDOS) Dorking Halls Production Wednesday 15th to Saturday 18th February 2017 One of the most popular family musicals of all time. It really is a wonderful musical full of songs you all know and love.

Based on Charles Dickens best-known novel, Oliver Twist, Lionel Bart’s musical adaptation was an unprecedented and phenomenal success. Opening in London on 30th June 1960, it received 23 curtain calls and ran for 2,618 performances. DDOS are proud to bring this legendary show to the Dorking Halls stage. Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, Oom-Pah-Pah and Who Will Buy to name just a few of the uplifting and heart-warming musical numbers you’ll be singing all the way home. Oliver was born and lived in the workhouse until one day when he was about twelve years old he dared to ask for more, more gruel that is, at the meagre workhouse meal. After being sold by the workhouse to work for an undertaker, Oliver ran away to London where he meets the Artful Dodger who took him to the ‘fence’ Fagin. Oliver became one of Fagin’s gang of child pickpocketing thieves. Book your tickets now to see what lay in store for young Oliver. An adventure you will never forget.

Performances are on Wednesday to Saturday evenings at 7.45pm with Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm.

Tickets are from £12 (concessions available) from Dorking Halls Box Office 01306 881717 or book online at www. dorkinghalls.co.uk. Dorking Halls, Reigate Road, Dorking RH4 1SG. You can also visit the DDOS website at www. ddos.org.uk.

Dorking Walkers Every Tuesday and Thursday How about walking regularly with a friendly local group.

On the 7th and 9th February they will be at Deepdene and Chart Park, on the 21st and 23rd at Colley Hill and the 28th February and 2nd March Goose Green. For more details on the walks please contact Ann on 01306 888745 or visit their website: www.surreycommunity.info/dorkingwalkers.

Sharp Shots Kids Photography Courses Thursday 16th and Friday 17th February Fun and informative courses that are suitable for 7 to 15 year olds, on how to take great photographs. Thursday 16th February at Hatchlands Park, East Clandon GU4 7RT and Friday 17th February at the Brookland Museum, Brooklands Rd, Weybridge KT13 0QN. For more information please visit www.sharpshotsphotoclub.co.uk or email info@ sharpshotsphotoclub.co.uk.

Local Artists have Joined Forces to Host an Affordable Art Exhibition in Surrey 20th February to 5th March Two local artists have teamed up to organise an affordable art fair in Surrey – affordable for both artists and art collectors. Tracey Jane Cooper from Tadworth and Kirstin Wood from Merstham met via Twitter when they were vantagepointmag.co.uk

JOTTINGS - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD both searching for new avenues to display their artwork.

They both produce vibrant contemporary art from their home studios and have searched online for events and exhibitions locally. There seemed to be a gap in the market and so the artists approached another local businesswoman with the idea of setting up a pop up art gallery. Carolynne Farrer owns TEA in Reigate and is very keen to support other local businesses and agreed to provide the venue for their first few art exhibitions. Tracey Jane and Kirstin put on several events at TEA through the year and have now decided to continue their success by finding larger venues and inviting other artists to join them. Speaking about the lack of local events Kirstin said “it’s hard to find a local event to display my art as the choice is between a £20 stall at a craft fair in a church hall or a £700 stand at a national art fair, there is no middle ground.” Tracey Jane adds “we decided to provide artists with the opportunity to display their work for a more reasonable price, which means that the price of the work can be kept affordable for the art collector.” It seems that everyone’s a winner! Surrey Art Fairs have hosted several successful pop up art galleries in Guildford, Dorking, Reigate and Redhill and will be returning to Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking for a two-week exhibition from the 20th February to the 5th March. The exhibition will feature the work of 16 local contemporary artists with a variety of styles and themes – from vibrant pointillist landscapes to

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colourful semi-abstracts; paintings that evoke memories of past holidays; landscape photography with a twist and gorgeous contemporary pet portraits. All the work is held together with one common thread – affordability and accessibility. Come along to chat with the artists, even watch them at work and buy affordable original art, prints and greeting cards. Surrey Art Fairs are keen to hear from local artists looking for affordable art fairs as well as unusual local venues interested in hosting exhibitions – please get in touch via email at surreyartfairs@aol.com.

Dorking Choral Society & Quartonal at St Martin’s Tuesday 21st February 7.30pm February sees an imaginative concert arranged by the Dorking Choral Society when they join forces with Quartonal, a quartet of German singers, for a joint performance.

Quartonal, who have established a very high reputation in Germany, will be making a tour of the UK and this concert has been specially organised as part of the tour. Both groups will perform some separate items and the choir and quartet will also join together to sing some music arranged specifically for the occasion. The programme will include music by Mendelssohn and Vaughan Williams, as well as items by Richard Wilberforce, the choir’s conductor. The combination of choir and quartet should make for a most enjoyable concert. Tickets are £15, please call 07847 477052 for bookings.

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West Horsley Parish Council’s monthly Parish Council Meeting Tuesday 21st February at 8pm This takes place on at West Horsley Village Hall. Everyone is welcome. For more information please see www. westhorsley.info or contact clerk@westhorsley.info.

is also where they first met ! Handel, Brahms, Debussy, and Billy Mayerl are among the many composers whose music the duo will be playing. This concert in Leatherhead Methodist Church is free to enter, with a retiring collection to cover costs. In the morning the duo will be playing two short concerts for pupils at Leatherhead Trinity School too.

Horsley Garden Society Wednesday 22nd February 8pm Horsley Garden Society and its predecessors have encouraged the gardeners of the Horsleys and surrounding villages since 1924. They hold flower and produce shows, meetings, lectures and visits to bring together those with an interest in gardening - from beginners to experts. Their February talk at West Horsley Village Hall is by Mr Rob Grist on his work as a tree surgeon. Visitors are welcome. Anyone interested in membership at the modest cost of £5.00 per annum should contact the chairman, Roger Lindsay, email r.lindsay339@btinternet.com or the membership secretary, Terry Lazenby, email terrylazenby@terrylazenby.plus.com

Dorking Folk Club Meeting weekly on Wednesday nights from 8.30 pm Dorking Folk Club enjoyed a very successful first year at its new venue in Dorking Golf Club on Deepdene Avenue. It has proved to be a very popular venue with a well stocked bar, comfortable surroundings and great acoustics. The weekly program roughly alternates between booked guests and “Singers’ Nights”. The club’s “Singers’ Nights” showcase local non-professional musicians and performers who get together and perform in an informal, friendly and supportive atmosphere. These evenings are open to all types of performance and acoustic music styles; musicians, singers, poems and monologues are all welcome. If you are not a performer please come along, join the audience and enjoy the evening. There is a lot to look forward to for 2017 including well-known names such as Steve Tilston and Jez Lowe, Coope Boyes and Simpson, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman and Martin Carthy. For further details please check out their website www.dorkingfolkclub.org.uk. You don’t have to be a member of the club to come along or

Piano Duo Concert - 4 Hands on 1 Piano Thursday 23rd February 3pm Popular local musicians and piano tutors Jan and Ian Assersohn will be playing duets by a wide range of composers in this 35-45 minute afternoon concert. Ian and Jan are graduates of the Royal College of Music - which

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Visitors are welcome at glass artist Adam Aaronson’s incredible studio in West Horsley, where you’ll find a wide range of collectable glass to buy - vases, tumblers, paperweights, baubles, bowls, sculptures and more.

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Apart from creating his artwork and working on commissions, Adam loves teaching his popular half-day glassblowing course for beginners.

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<20 JOTTINGS - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD perform but members do get a reduced price for entry on Guest Nights. Entrance is usually £9 for Guest Nights and £3 for Singers’ Nights. Dorking Golf Club, Deepdene Avenue, Dorking RH5 4BX. Learn a New Skill for the New Year at RHS Garden Wisley Various dates throughout the year Choose from more than 110 adult education courses and workshops, including 25 new courses. Learn new skills including garden design, photography, creative crafts and horticulture. Learn how to weave willow bird feeders, identify trees in summer and winter, or develop your photography skills in the beautiful surroundings of the RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey. Many of the courses and workshops offer an opportunity to enhance your experience and understanding of plants and gardens and learn about Wisley. Alexis Pym, Education & Learning Manager at Wisley said: “We’re offering 110 courses throughout the year, including 25 completely new courses, so whether you enjoy creative days out or short courses for building your practical skills and gardening knowledge, you are sure to find something to suit. “They’re also a fantastic opportunity to meet new and like-minded people; many of our regulars come back time and again and have made lifelong friends.” New courses at Wisley include: Designing Gardens for Dementia, Botany and Beer or you could study Social Media for Gardeners or Understanding Your Soil. Many of the courses involve both classroom and practical outdoor sessions. Wisley’s Courses and Workshops 2017 brochure can be downloaded from the RHS website or email adult learning@rhs.org.uk to request a pdf or posted copy.

To book a place on any of the 2017 courses, call 020 3176 5830 or visit www.rhs.org.uk/wisley. All events are subject to normal garden admission; for RHS members admission is free unless otherwise stated. RHS Garden Wisley GU23 6QB. Leatherhead Youth Choir Every Thursday 4.30pm-5.30pm Leatherhead Youth Choir is a new choir open to everyone aged 7-11 who wants to sing. It is run by Leatherhead Choral Society; one of the area’s best known and most successful amateur choirs. There are no auditions, and it doesn’t matter if you can’t read music or have no previous experience. The aim of the choir is to have fun, meet new people, to learn the basics of choral singing and reading music. Rehearsals take place on Thursdays from 4:30pm to 5:30pm at Christ Church (United Reformed), Epsom Road, Leatherhead KT22 8ST. For more information or to sign up, please visit www.leatherhead-choral.net/lyc.

Rotary Club of Croydon Jubilee - Charity Classic Car Run This year they start the Annual Classic Car run of The Rotary Club of Croydon Jubilee at Denbies Wine Estate, London Road, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6AA. Taking a stunning route over two counties, through country roads and lanes of parts of Old Surrey and Kent, incorporating most beautiful villages and hamlets. There are plenty of sights on the way for you February 2017

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to enjoy and pubs for lunch. They end at Chatham Historical Dockyard, The Sail & Colour Loft, The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TE. Please allow plenty of time at the Dockyard to see the old naval ships and visit the museum.

The entry price is £45,which includes the car, the driver, one passenger, a run pack, route guide, finisher’s plaque and entrance to the museum. Additional passengers are £15 each including entrance to the museum. Space is limited to 250 cars. The closing date for entries is 20th April. They had a successful event in April last year and managed to raise a staggering £3,400. Monies raised were split between several charities. For further details email croydonjubilee@ virginmedia.com. Telephone Dhiraj on 020 8686 7757 (between 9am-5.30pm), 020 8654 4545 (between 6pm9pm) or David on 020 8688 0273 (between 6pm-9pm).

Capel Women’s Institute Jumble Sale Saturday 25th February 2pm-4pm Capel WI are holding a fabulous jumble sale In the Memorial Hall, Capel. Refreshments are available and there will be a 50p admission. Offerings of jumble can be brought to the hall between 9.30am and midday on the morning of the 25th. Unfortunately they cannot accept large items of furniture, magazines and electrical items. For enquiries please phone 07775 340409.

The Unattached Group (TUG) Spring Activities TUG are now looking forward to a Spring of new activities.

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What to Wear this Spring Sales are finishing (thank goodness), making way for new styles, so Kirstie takes a look at what we will be wanting to wear this spring.

Hopefully you have been savvy with your sale shopping and not bought too many items just because they were reduced. I tried to buy carefully, picking items that were a good bargain but also ones that I knew I would wear more than once. As always, there were a few mistakes under our ‘fluorescent coloured belts’, so let’s look forward to Spring 2017.

Since noticing more and more colour on the catwalk, my own wardrobe was looking decidedly grey! So I started adding a few colour-blocked sweaters and scarves during the winter, perfect for the ease into vibrancy. Trousers are growing up but I’ve always loved wide trousers as they suit my pear-shaped posterior, and skirts are definitely returning since pleats appeared on the scene last year. The new off beat skirts can be so flattering once you find the one for you.

I spoke to our local boutique owners to find out what they see as exciting directions for 2017: Elaine Graham “Green in all its shades is the newest colour for the season, freshest with white but looking great with blues or denim. The staple item for the season: the classic biker jacket in fringed faux suede or in the softest burnt orange leather from Oui. ‘Athleisure’ trend looking hot in formal pants made casual with great knitwear shapes or Asian inspired pyjama prints.”

ONE FORTY, 140 High Street, Cranleigh 01483 272627 Liz Trendle “Winter 2016 was a riot of prints, colour and patterns, the 70s vibe back with a bang! However going into spring we will still see these prints, patterns and a lot of colour but in a minimalistic style, thus making these trends easier to wear whatever age you are!”

CATWALK, 29 High Street, Godalming 01483 527634 THE GATE, 57 North Street, Guildford 01483 453466 Julia Jaconelli “This coming Spring/Summer season embraces femininity and colour. Our bestselling collection Mala Alisha now includes pretty maxi dresses and kaftans as well as their iconic scarves. I am also excited to be introducing two new designers to Courtyard ... Rachel Zoe and Intropia... adding more depth to our selection of dresses and special occasion wear.”

COURTYARD, 5-6 Angel Gate, Guildford 01483 452825 Audrey Filtness “We are especially excited by our knitwear ranges from American Vintage, Wyse Cashmere and Maison Scotch. So much colour from pastel chunky knits to rainbow-striped cashmere, all teamed with the best denim from MosMosh and Scotch and Soda. Stay warm and bright this Spring at Ordri x” ORDRI, 12 Upper Church Lane, Farnham 01252 891555 Mel Rollinson “We’re bringing in a new Dutch clothing brand called Zilch with its collection of pretty prints in really gorgeous colour combinations and new footwear brands from Italian label Lumberjack and Danish leather sneaker label, Woden. There will be a lot of new, little and often from Parisian labels as we will be sourcing in-season to ensure we have what our customers need at the right time.”

WOODIE & MORRIS, 7 Petworth Road, Haslemere 01428 641771 24

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FASHION || tCATWALK INSPIRATION

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Bold Colour Catwalk Inspiration Designer, Rochas Spring/summer 2017 Street Inspiration Think rainbow shades, go bold in one statement colour or just start with a hint of a bright accessory.

High Street Karen Millen Pure Collection

Wider Trousers Catwalk Inspiration Designer, Delpozo Spring/summer 2017 Street Inspiration Slouchy with ďŹ&#x201A;ats or cropped with heels, but tuck in to show the waistline as worn by Olivia Palermo.

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Creative Skirts Catwalk Inspiration Designer, Versace Spring/summer 2017 Street Inspiration From pleats we now see asymmetry, ruďŹ&#x201E;es and soft wraps. Keep the tops simple and shoes strappy.

High Street Anthropologie Coast Kirstie Smillie is a Personal Fashion Stylist. Follow her style blog www.kirstiesmillie.com. For appointments, email kirstie@kirstiesmillie.com or call 07773 234947. All images found on www.pinterest.com.

February 2017

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The Unattached Group (TUG) is a Surrey-based group of about 70 single professional people aged 49-69 who enjoy times together, including informal weekly pub meets as well as meals out, theatre and cinema trips, walks, quizzes, bridge, opera and book clubs and the occasional leisure weekend away. New members welcome. For information www.theunattachedgroup.co.uk or call Maggie on 07855 008897.

The Friends of St Mary Magdalene host Gilbert & Sullivan’s ‘Patience’ by Utopians Unlimited Saturday 25th February 7.30pm ‘Patience’ is a comic opera in two acts which satirises the aesthetic movement of the 1870s and 1880s in England, when the output of poets, composers, painters and designers was prolific but, some argued, “empty and self-indulgent”. It was first performed on 23rd April 1881 at the Opera Comique, in London. St Mary Magdalene Church, South Holmwood, Dorking, RH5 4JX. Tickets are £12 (children under 12 free). For tickets and information contact Pam Chiverton on 01306 888922, pam.chiverton@ btinternet.com or Virginia Smith on 01306 885349, rev. virginia.smith@talktalk.net.

Simply Scones Cream Teas at The Grange, Bookham Tuesday afternoons 2.15pm-3.30pm Simply Scones cream teas are back in the Victorian Bourne Buildings May 14_Layout 1 11/05/2015 14:51 Page 1

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‘Meet the Vineyard Manager’ - Pruning Demo & Wine Tasting at Albury Vineyard 25th February 10.30am-12.30pm Join their vineyard manager, Alex, on Saturday 25th for an informative and insightful pruning demonstration, have a go at pruning some vines yourself and take a little bit of Albury Vineyard home with you. Tickets are £25 and can be booked online at www.alburyvineyard.com. Wine club members receive 10% discount. The Albury Wine Club - Membership is now open. The Albury Wine Club is for local wine and food lovers who are interested in English wines, particularly those produced by Albury Organic Vineyard. The membership runs from 1st May 2017 to 30th April 2018 (the vineyard year) and includes two bottles of wine, invitations to member’s events, the chance to pick grapes with us, discounts on wine and events. You can sign up online or by emailing lucy@ alburyvineyard.com. And don’t forget, on Saturdays from February onwards the vineyard is open for tastings - pop in anytime between 11am and 4pm, children, muddy boots and dogs welcome!

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The Cheese Course After your month of dieting or at least being good, why not have a bit of a treat and enjoy cooking with that most versatile of ingredients?

Cheese is something I could never be without but it is a bit of a treat. Here are a few easy recipes to try - perfect for winter evenings! SR

West Country Homity Pie A traditional West Country open pie that’s cheap, filling and quick to make. It’s best eaten warm rather than hot, and it is really good cold so ideal for picnics or lunchboxes. It is a great recipe for using up leftovers and comes via www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.

West Country Soufflé with Keen's Extra Mature Cheddar

Don't be scared by making a cheese soufflé, it is very easy. The trick is to not over-fold in the cheese sauce with the egg whites.

You can also make one big soufflé if you prefer. Recipe from the British Cheese Board (www.britishcheese.com).

Ingredients: 150g flour, 75ml sunflower oil plus a dash, 50ml cold water, salt and pepper, 250g cooked root vegetables (e.g. potatoes, parsnips, carrots), 2 onions or leeks, chopped, 2 unpeeled apples, chopped, 3 rashers bacon, shredded, 75ml milk (or cream, or plain yoghurt), 100g grated cheese, 1 egg.

Serves 4 Method: 1. Mix flour, oil, water and a pinch of salt into a dough.

Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Then sprinkle with flour and roll out ½ cm (¼in) thick, to line a lightly oiled 20cm x 4cm (8in x 1½ in) deep metal tin.

2. Meanwhile, add a dash of oil to a pan, add the bacon and onions, and stir regularly until onions start to brown. Add the apples and potatoes and cook a further 3-4 minutes, still stirring regularly.

3. Now add the milk, ¾ of the cheese, a little salt and pepper, stir for 1 minute then mix in the egg and put the mixture into the pastry case.

4. Top with the rest of the grated cheese and bake 2025 minutes in a preheated oven 180°C/Gas 6/ 400ºF until golden brown.

Variations: Use any cheese, including blue or goat’s cheese. Use pears instead of apples; add walnuts. Try ham, chorizo or smoked haddock. For vegetarians, omit the bacon and add mushrooms. Add herbs, such as basil, parsley, oregano, chives or tarragon. Add a teaspoon Dijon mustard or a teaspoon of curry paste. Or add crushed garlic.

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Ingredients: 50g butter, 150ml milk, 100g West Country Keen’s Extra Mature Cheddar, 60g mixed breadcrumbs, 50g plain flour, 2 egg yolks, 5 egg whites, 40g ground walnuts Serves 4 Method: 1. Butter four ramekins with soft butter and freeze – repeat three times to ensure a good coating. Coat the inside of each ramekin with breadcrumbs and walnuts mixed together.

2. Melt butter in saucepan and add flour, stirring until the mixture becomes a light coloured roux.

3. Still stirring, gradually add the milk and then add the grated cheese.

4. Pour this mixture into a bowl and beat in the egg yolks. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Whisk the eggs whites to soft peaks and add a little lemon juice. Carefully fold the egg whites into the mixture.

6. Gently pour the soufflé mixture into each ramekin.

Smooth with a spatula and place in baking tray filled with boiling water.

7. Place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C and bake for 15 -20 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately with a green salad.

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RECIPES || Swiss Cheese Fondue A retro classic and a wonderfully satisying, if rather rich, quick supper or starter. You can dip radishes, carrots or cooked new potatoes if you want to be a bit more healthy.

Ingredients: 1 clove garlic, halved, 290ml/½ pint white wine, 225g/8oz emmental cheese grated, 225g/8oz gruyère cheese grated, 1tsp cornflour, 1tbsp kirsch (optional), ground black pepper, ground nutmeg, cubed bread pieces, for dipping.

Serves 4 Method: 1. Rub the inside of your pot with the halves of garlic.

2. Add the wine to the pot and heat until boiling. Lower the heat and gradually stir in the cheeses until melted, stirring all the time.

3. If using kirsch, blend with the cornflour, otherwise use water. Add to the cheese mixture and cook gently until the mixture is smooth - don't let it boil or it will burn.

4. Using the fondue prongs, dip the bread cubes into the cheese and serve.

Cheddar, Stilton and Caramelised Onion Soup

This recipe is a British version of classic French onion soup. And it tastes wonderful! Recipe from the British Cheese Board.

Ingredients: 50g butter, 3 medium brown or red onions, thinly sliced, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp plain flour, 1 litre reduced salt beef or vegetable stock, 8 small slices rustic bread (such as a French stick), freshly ground black pepper, 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, 80g mature Cheddar cheese, grated, 80g blue Stilton cheese, broken into chunks.

Serves 4 February 2017

Method: 1.Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan and add the onions, cooking them over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the sugar and cook for another few moments to really brown them.

2. Stir in the flour, then add a little stock, stirring until combined. Gradually stir in the remaining stock, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Preheat the grill. Toast the bread on one side only.

4. Season the soup with black pepper and stir in the parsley. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls that will withstand the heat from the grill (and check that they fit under your grill!).

5. Float the pieces of bread on top of the soup, toasted sides down. Sprinkle the cheddar on top and add the chunks of stilton. Grill for 2-3 minutes until melted and bubbling. Serve at once, though take care when eating – it’s hot!

Welsh Rarebit A lovely light supper or a splendid, if rather old fashioned, end to a dinner party or replacement for the cheese course. This recipe comes courtesy of Nick Crisell, one of our Jotters, and is excellent!

Method: For 4 people, melt 2oz (55g) butter in a pan then stir in 2 heaped tbsp flour to make a thick roux. Beat in 4 tbsp Guinness and when amalgamated, add 1tbsp mustard, 3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce and 1 tsp pepper, then 7oz (200g) grated cheddar. Cook, stirring over a low flame, to the point where the cheese has melted and you have a smooth, elastic mixture. Pour and spoon into a Swiss Roll Tin and leave to set. This can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. When you are ready to eat, cut the crusts off 4 slices of bread and toast under the grill. Cut pieces of rarebit slightly smaller than the pieces of bread and lay on top. Put under a medium grill until bubbling hot and golden brown. Serve at once.

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JOTTINGS - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

Affinité the Surrey-based social club for active mature singles The club concluded the festive season with a New Year dinner at the Onslow Arms, West Clandon and will be continuing with the club’s usual programme of lunches, Saturday night dinners and informal club nights. Plus visits to the theatre, cinema, concerts and places of interest. If you would like to get yourself a social life and a bunch of new friends, contact the club through their recently relaunched website www.club-affinite.co.uk.

Walking in Dorking – Historic Guided Walks Group bookings throughout the year Take a trip into Dorking’s history with a guided walk of the town to see hidden Dorking. Your knowledgeable museum guide will reveal the forces, events and personalities that have shaped the town and its architecture and reveal the secrets that lie behind the streets of modern Dorking. Hear about the medieval town, the markets, the churches, the inns, the great estates and the ancient cottages. Discover the people who have built the town’s reputation – Charles Dickens, William Mullins, Thomas Cubitt, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Laurence Olivier and more. Tours last 90 minutes. Group tours (minimum of 10 people) can be arranged by appointment, £3 per person. Email admin@ dorkingmuseum.org.uk or visit www.dorkingmuseum.org. uk/guided-walks-around-dorking.

Leatherhead & District Local History Society Lectures Various dates Just over 70 years ago, a group of residents founded the Local History Society, backed by the Leatherhead & District Countryside Protection Society, whose advocacy of a local green belt around the town helped inspire the national policy on preserving green space between conurbations. In the winter of 1946-7, the new Leatherhead & District Local History Society set itself the task of researching archaeology, historical records, architecture, maps, natural history, and folklore in the town itself and the neighbouring villages of Ashtead, Great and Little Bookham, and Fetcham. It was quite an ambition and the society soon established a reputation for its professional work spreading far beyond its own small area of Surrey. Thirty years later the society decided to revive the derelict 17th century Hampton Cottage in Church Street, Leatherhead, and turn it into a museum for the district.

Leatherhead Museum opened its doors to the public for the first time in June 1979 and has been fascinating visitors with its collections of historic photographs and memorabilia ever since. The museum reopens on 6th April 2017 with a brand new theme celebrating the society’s 70th anniversary. But the society itself continues throughout the year, producing a quarterly newsletter packed with news of its activities and local history features, as well as an annual proceedings containing more heavyweight research studies. From September to May, lectures are held on the third Friday of each month at the Letherhead Institute’s Dixon Hall, covering February 2017

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both local and wider topics. Visits are also organised to places of historical interest and guided walks. At 8pm on Friday 17th February there will be a lecture on The Birth, Life and Death of the River Mole by Professor Richard Selley. Professor Selley, a foremost authority on the application of geology to petroleum exploration, also identified the Surrey Hills chalk Downs as ideal for the vineyard we now know as Denbies and has mapped the impact of climate change on UK vineyards.

Coffee served from 7.30pm. Admission is £2. Visit www. leatherheadlocalhistory.org.uk for more details on the society.

The Launch of the PENfriend in every Surrey Library Visual impairment and Sight Loss is a circumstance that, according to R.N.I.B. statistics, affects over 2 million people in the United Kingdom. In Surrey alone estimations for those with this reach nearly 40,000! With the extensive supply of talking books in all 52 Surrey libraries, many visually impaired readers rely on these to enjoy the benefits of storytelling but rely on accompanying people or staff to help make their selection. That is about to all change with the arrival of an innovative new device called the PENfriend. The device works by reading the coded label on each audio book to play back the author, title, narrator and book synopsis. Every audiobook has been added to allow borrowers to make their selection independently. The PENfriend is available to any library user on request. Surrey’s libraries have over 9,000 audio books available to borrow, so why not take advantage

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|| GARDENING

With Beth Otway

Compost and Containers Peat Free Compost Last summer, I ran a Peat-Free Compost Trial to compare the different peat-free composts available, and find out how well each of the composts performed growing dwarf French beans under the same conditions. In my trial, Dalefoot Composts Wool Compost for Vegetables and Salads, and Dalefoot Double Strength Wool Compost were the clear winners, producing healthy plants with a great harvest.

fragrance of this Sarcococca’s long-lasting flowers from winter to spring each year.

I’ve been using Dalefoot Composts for a while now. I have been so impressed with the quality of their products that I have used Dalefoot Compost for my Sweet Pea Trial and other trials I have run. Dalefoot Double Strength Compost is a fantastic product; it’s a highly concentrated compost that’s rich in nutrients. I have used this compost in previous trials mixed 50/50 with a spent compost that was unable to sustain any plant growth when used on its own with fantastic results - the plants grown in the compost mix thrived. Dalefoot Double Strength Compost is also ideal to use in a compost mix for plants like hellebores that require a rich soil to grow well. I have used this compost for growing vegetables, salads, as well as flowering plants, with great results every time.

An ideal choice for a sheltered spot, near a doorway or path where its fragrance can be appreciated, is Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’. The fragrance that this Daphne’s pretty pink blooms produce is divine! Don’t make the mistake of cutting the flowers to bring indoors, they don’t last and your plant won’t thank you for removing them. This slow-growing, evergreen shrub hates disturbance, so do ensure you plant it in a permanent position.

Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ is a winterflowering honeysuckle that comes into its own during the late winter and early spring, providing nectar for bees, and fragrance for gardeners.

If you are lucky enough to have room to plant a small tree, do consider Prunus × subhirtella ‘Autumnalis Rosea’, which flowers on and off, from December until the end of March. This tree has a delicate beauty, which will charm and uplift you, warming your heart during the winter months.

Snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, hellebores, polyanthus and primroses are other earlyspring joys that provide food for bees. Look for single flowers that have accessible pollen and nectar.

Winter Container Ideas If your garden is looking a bit dreary or lifeless this month, you might like to plant up some early spring containers to bring some seasonal cheer to your garden and to the bees, as nectar and pollen is in short supply at this time of year.

Sarcococca are a genus of slow-growing shrubs that look rather inconspicuous. For much of the year you’ll walk past them without so much as a second glance, but when Sarcococca are in flower, these shrubs really turn heads, for their perfumes are powerful, sweet, and heady. One of my favourites is Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna ‘Purple Stem’, a super shrub for a shaded spot, which will thrive whether grown in the ground or in a container. I have grown Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna ‘Purple Stem’ in a container in deep shade; I’ve never once watered the container, even through the driest of summers, yet my plants have flourished, and I have enjoyed the intoxicating 32

Far left: Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’. Above from left: Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna ‘Winter Gem’ and Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’. Images by Beth Otway.

FIND OUT MORE To see the full results of my 2016 Peat-Free Compost Trial, visit my website www.pumpkinbeth.com, where you’ll also find more information about container gardening, details of beautiful snowdrop gardens, snowdrop nurseries and events, information about orchids, gardening advice for the month ahead, and much more besides.

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JOTTINGS - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

of their request service that operates across the county? For all enquiries please phone Surrey County Council libraries on 01483 543599, text (07968 832414) or email libraries@ surreycc.gov.uk. Details can be found on the website at www. surreycc.gov.uk/libraries. Planned launches for the device are being made for March at Godalming, Epsom and Woking Libraries with details to follow.

The Nuts Challenge, Dorking Saturday 4th March, 12pm Looking for a new challenge in 2017? Why not sign up to the 7km Nuts Challenge to raise money for the ‘One in Five appeal’. The Nuts Challenge is perfect for those of you that want to take on a fun challenge with little experience in obstacle racing whilst raising money for charity. It’s the perfect excuse to just have a go and try something new.

Registration fee is £45.99 (discounted charity rate) and Sponsorship of £100 is required. A Nuts Challenge T-Shirt and medal included. You can register today at http://tinyurl. com/RoyalSurreyNuts. Please contact Katie Ledger on katie. leger1@nhs.net or call 01483 464146 for more information.

Dorking Local History Group Monday 6th March 7.30pm.

Dorking local history group meet on the first Monday of every month at the Crossways Community Church, Junction Road, Dorking. Their next speaker on 6th March 2017 will be local historian Susannah Horne whose recently published book, “Medieval Dorking’ is the topic of this month’s talk. All are welcome. It’s £2 on the door or an annual membership fee of £8. Please contact John Patterson on 01306 888401 for more information.

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Willow Basket Making Workshop Friday 10th March 10.00am-3pm You will learn how to weave a two-hooped frame basket that is ideal to use when picking berries, gathering nuts or collecting eggs. Of course you can always simply display your creation on the kitchen table filled with fruit. People with limited mobility please contact organiser in advance Nower Wood Educational Nature Reserve, Leatherhead KT22 8QA. £60 per person for members, non-members £65. Go to www. surreywildlifetrust.org/reserves/nower-wood for details.

The Kelly’s Clandon Park Run Saturday 18th March Starting and finishing at George Abbot School, Guildford, this popular annual 10k & 4k, with teachers and pupils of the George Abbot School taking part alongside hundreds of others from the local community, heads out on the road and into Clandon Park with it’s stunning fields and lakes.

Runners will get to experience exclusive parts of the Estate, open especially for the event. At HQ there will be stalls and activities to cater for all the needs of the runners and spectators who come to enjoy the atmosphere and cheer the runners in! Kelly’s Storage is proud to be primary sponsors February 2017

FORTNIGHTLY NETWORKING MEETINGS HARTSFIELD MANOR, BETCHWORTH VISITORS WELCOME! FOR DATES AND TIMES VISIT

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Holmbury and Pitch Hills Two hills for the price of one! This walk shows off some of the best views in Surrey from two of its best hilltops overlooking the Weald of Sussex. It seems longer than it really is because of the enjoyable ups and downs. It is a fine walk, well worth the trip! SR

The walk

1.From the Peaslake car park, go out to the road, Walking Bottom, and turn right. Immediately take a footpath right running parallel to the road and then rising. At the top you have a good view over the whole point your feet village of Peaslake. Turn left onto a metalled track that on a new path goes past the church on your left, leading down to the road in the centre of the village.

At the road, turn right and cross the village centre Pitch2.

Hills to the shop. Turn right facing the shop and fork left on few metres, after a driveway, take a miles Radnor Road. In aeasy-to-moderate walking marked footpath left steeply up a grassy bank, through Date written: 21-feb-2009 a wooden barrier. At the top, by a bench, go through 2-oct-2014 posts and straightDate overrevised: a lane to a lane facing you. You pass some fine properties where the roadway ke Last update:and, 16-sep-2016 turns right into the last house, continue along a narrow Guildford) and 146 (Dorking) through a barrier. this guideenclosed should bepath, sufficient 3. The following notes will take you more or less straight depend on your feedback: feedback@fancyfreewalks.org on for over 2 km to the Holmbury YH car park. Where to printing, copying distributing through this document exactly as barrier into fine the pathoremerges a wooden thout any cutting or editing. See Principles on main webpage. open woodland, continue straight on. It immediately sive views crosses a path, descends and crosses three more paths in the valley (two narrow, one wide). At a post indicating Shere Parish Millennium Trail (SPMT), take a narrow rising path straight ahead. After 100m, this path gets quite stony, narrow andof sunken. canininstead take a f one! This walk shows off some the bestYou views parallel path through pleasant woodland by going right est hilltops overlooking the Weald of Sussex.

It ally is because of the enjoyable ups and downs. up a bank; the path re-joins the main path after 120m.

As you emerge open forest, you pass a post slake's free Hurtwood carinto parkthe 2 (Walking Bottom), with yellow arrow a SPMT disk. In another 60m, 9RR, grid ref aTQ 083 446, justand outside the village. you a T-junction another post is behind thereach Hurtwood Inn. Youat can also begin thewith blue and yellow arrows. ar Holmbury Youth Hostel, postcode RH5 6NW 4. Turn and case immediately Youth Hostel !), left in which begin thefork walkright at in the direction the yellow arrow.

In 50m, at another post, go ile start of is Hurtwood Control Car Park No. 1 (by details of how to over get toathe start of the walk, seepath descends, is straight crossing path.

The e end ofjoined this text. by other paths, runs between banks for a while grassy and widens to a very broad sandy track. Ignore a blue arrow and a bridleway on your left and keep straight any Bird's Eye View e are no dogs Peaslake

Holmbury Car Park

The Low Road

The High Road

Holmbury Hill Pitch Hill

www.fancyfreewalks.org 34

Page 1

ahead, following the yellow arrow. The path soon runs between two ponds and winds upwards left and right.

100m from the ponds, at a junction of wide paths, continue straight on, a fraction left. Soon you reach the Holmbury car park. Continue straight on, with the car park on your left, to the far corner.

5. Leading away from the back of the car park, take a narrow path in the direction of a blue arrow and an electricity pole. Continue on this sunken sandy path parallel to a line of electricity poles. The following notes take you for nearly 2km straight to Holmbury Hill. The path passes through some fine pinewoods and in 500m crosses a path diagonally. In 250m, it crosses a wide sandy track and runs for 500m through deciduous woodland, now partially felled leaving a delicious veldt of young birch and heather, after which you pass a junction of of several minor paths.

6. In 150m, your path veers right before a large conifer and in 30m meets a crossing track. Turn left here on a wide grassy path, soon regaining your original southerly direction. In 150m, the path crosses another major path diagonally. In 100m, at a fork, choose the lefthand, more sandy, path. This path curves left and right and rises to the top of Holmbury Hill with its circular seat and, down to the right, a triangulation point. The view from here over the Weald is magnificent.

7. After admiring the view, walk back from the main stone seat/compass point overlooking the Weald and approach the smaller concrete pillar (a donation box) set back from the edge of the hill. Take the sunken sandy path immediately to the left of the pillar. Keep to the wide path with the edge of the hill on your left, avoiding paths that fork off to the right. You pass a seat and at junctions, always keep to the left path, staying on the edge of the hill. All this time, you are following the Greensand Way, as indicated by an occasional GW sign. Stay on the main sandy path until at a left fork you pass through a barrier marked “Footpath Only”.

You are now on a beautiful path along the edge of the hillside, with fine views left across the Weald. Your path goes through a wooden barrier, across a wheelchair circular route with a circle of benches and down two steps to a stony sunken path. Turn left on this sunken path.

8. Follow this wide stony sandy path down to a lane and turn right. In 30m, just past a house, turn left on a signed footpath. Shortly you reach a bench on the left with a captivating view of the pine-topped hillock, the Weald and the South Downs. Continue to a T-junction with a path at a bend and go left through posts, back on the GW. Fork left before a farm gate onto a narrow path running between fields across a lovely valley, passing through the wooden “McKinney Gate”. To the

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right is Coverwood, a farm-hamlet and riding centre with famous gardens and lakes. Cross a second valley, then an enclosed footpath and a stile and reach a road.

9. Cross the road and continue on the driveway of the Duke of Kent School. As the driveway curves left, take a tarmac parallel path on the right leading gradually upwards on steps, through a wooden barrier and into woodland. Go straight on up through rhododendrons and turn left beside railings up to a wooden swing gate in a fence. Continue ahead up steps in the same direction, cross a level path and continue up more steps the other side, still on the GW. At the top, turn left on a very broad path. Immediately after a house on the right and some tarmac, turn right at a post on a path which goes uphill and along a ridge. At a T-junction at the top turn left on a wide path with a seat and fine views to your left. At a fork, keep left by a footpath only sign through a barrier on a narrow path, keeping to the side of the hill. Shortly you go past a similar sign to the open area of Pitch Hill. Turn left to reach the seat, information board and viewpoint.

10. Return from the viewpoint to the open area and keep left up to the trig point where there are two concrete pillars. Turn right opposite the pillars into the woods on a bridleway marked with a blue arrow. In 40 metres, fork left on a clear path. In 180m, turn right on a wide crossing path. In 100m you come to another wide crossing path.

WALK ||

left downhill on this track. Follow this track, avoiding all side paths, left and right, until the track ends at a T-junction at the bottom in the woodland. Turn right here. This path takes you, after a long woodland walk of nearly 1½ km, to the Peaslake car park where the walk began.

The High Road - Continue straight over the wide crossing path on a rising path. In 200m or so turn left on a wide diagonal crossing path. In 280m, at a junction of forestry tracks, keep straight on on a very wide sandy track. After nearly 1 km and some more crossing paths, a very wide track joins from the right. After another 100m there is a fork in the track. Otherwise, fork left downhill and, at the bottom, turn right to reach the Peaslake car park where the walk began.

Walk courtesy of www.fancyfreewalks.org

Decision Point. Here you have a choice of routes back to Peaslake. The Low Road is through deciduous woods but may be a little more muddy in some seasons. The High Road is on wide forestry tracks and has a short cut in case you began the walk at the Holmbury YH Car Park.

The Low Road - Turn left on the wide crossing path.

Follow this valley path for 400m until you are joined by an even wider forestry track at a hairpin. Keep

DISTANCE: 6½ miles OS MAPS: Explorer 145 (Guildford) and 146 (Dorking) STARTING POINT: Peaslake Walking Bottom Car Park GU5 9RR, grid ref TQ 083 446.

Image: Panoramic photo from Pitch Hill, taken December 2016 by Stefan Reynolds 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.

February 2017

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<33 JOTTINGS - YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD of the event this year. You can sign up today by visiting charity.kellystorage.co.uk and all the money you donate to enter will go to George Abbot PTA supporting the school.

Brockham Choral Society Concert featuring Opera Choruses and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria Saturday 18th March at 7.30pm The choir will be accompanied by soloists and orchestra conducted by Musical Director Patrick Barrett. This concert will be taking place at St Martin’s Church, Dorking. Tickets are £15 (£12 in advance) and £5 for under 25s in full time education. Call Pauline Whitehead 01306 881821 or Maria Chadwick on 01306 882728. Book online at www. brockhamchoral.org/tickets.

Special Mothering Sunday Cruises on the Wey & Arun Canal, Loxwood Sunday, 26th March Special cruises will be running on the canal on Mothering Sunday. A ‘Coffee & Danish Pastry Cruise’ will depart at 11am and Cream Tea Cruises will depart at 2.30pm and 4.30pm. Black tie service will enhance the relaxing treat for Mums (and all passengers)! The trips take 1½ hours.

Tickets cost £14 for adults and £10 for children and must be booked in advance. They will also have themed Easter Cruises running on Good Friday, 14th April, Easter Day, 16th April and on Easter Monday, 17th April. Plenty of Easter characters will be on the canal to entertain you – go along and join in the fun! The trips take 40 minutes and depart at 11am, 12 noon and 2pm. Children will receive a chocolate gift from the Easter Bunny while adults can enjoy the chance to unwind and enjoy the scenery. Tickets cost £10 per person and include refreshments. Booking in advance is advisable. Bookings for special events and weekend public trips can now be made online via the website. For enquiries and bookings please call the Wey & Arun Canal Trust Office on 01403 752403, email office@weyandarun.co.uk or go to www.weyandarun.co.uk.

The Surrey Hills Challenge 2017 Sunday 24th September The series of running and walking challenges will return

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to the beautiful landscape of the Surrey Hills, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) raising awareness and funds for the Community Foundation for Surrey and the Surrey Hills Trust Fund. People of all ages and fitness can participate in four different running and walking challenges.

The Greensand Way will form the backdrop to the event where the super fit can face the ultimate challenge with ‘The Ultra’, a 60km run, ‘The Half’, no ordinary walk (or run) in the park of 21km, ‘The Ten’, a fast and furious 10km or ‘The Five’, a family challenge 5km event. All four routes encompass some of the most picturesque views across the Surrey Hills along the Greensand Way and are designed to test participants’ stamina and strength. As well as support from their dedicated Events Team before and during the event, participants will also receive a medal, chip timing, aid stations, professional first aid cover, car parking, WC facilities and sports massage. The event is open to everyone. Participants under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult or guardian. For more information or to register visit www.surreyhillschallenge.com or call 01483 542221.

To Hire - Walliswood Village Hall, RH5 5RJ The recently refurbished hall is ideal for holding birthday parties, family gatherings and business meetings. It is now fitted with new bi-fold doors leading onto a large, securely gated playing field via wooden steps with handrails fitted on either side. This grassed area can accommodate bouncy castles, five-a-side football or other similar entertainments.

The hall also boasts a newly-restored polished wooden floor and present usage of the hall includes art classes, keep fit, yoga and meditation classes. There is wheel-chair access to the hall via a ramp and a new separate toilet for people with disabilities. They have a fully-equipped kitchen with sufficient china and cutlery for 80 people. The hall can accommodate up to 72 people for a seated meal for which they have sufficient folding tables and chairs. They can cater for buffets for 100 people. There is also a meeting room situated between the kitchen and hall with hatches opening onto both the hall and kitchen. The meeting room can seat a smaller group of up to 12 people. Walliswood Village Hall lies on the corner of Froggetts Lane and Horsham Road 2.7 miles south west of Ockley and 2.3 miles east of Ewhurst.

The hall is adjacent to a public car park that also serves The Scarlett Arms on Walliswood Green Road. WWVH is double glazed throughout and has full gas central heating. For further information or to arrange to view the hall please contact Valerie Miles on 01306 627248, Moira Cassidy on 01306 627786 or email valerie@fivemiles.co.uk alternatively visit the website www.walliswood.org.

GET IN TOUCH

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PROFILE ||

Dorking Scrabble Club

between West Street and Church Street in Dorking.

Players come not just from Dorking but also from the towns and villages around. While the games are competitive, the meetings are very friendly and there is a good social atmosphere.

Three games are played during the evening, which runs from 7.30pm and generally finishes at 9.30pm.

Each game has just two competitors – that is one against one. If there is an odd number of players, one player will play two opponents simultaneously, so that no one is left sitting out.

In the depression of the 1930s, an unemployed architect in America called Alfred Butts invented a game to keep himself and his friends amused. Over the next few years it underwent various refinements and improvements and then emerged as the now well-known and well-loved game of Scrabble. It appeared in its present form in Britain in 1954. It has grown in popularity globally ever since – and not just in the English speaking world; it is now played and sold in 121 countries and is available in 29 languages. Approximately 150 million sets have been sold worldwide.

But Scrabble is no longer a game just played at home. With the advent of the internet and apps, many people now play online via smart phones or tablets. There is also a Postal Scrabble Club, in which a games master (GM) sends one player letters to play on a ‘paper board’. This is then returned to the GM to post on to the opponent. Games can take several weeks(!) but there is the advantage of plenty of time to think up the best word!

The Dorking Club players are a friendly group of mixed abilities. It quite often happens that a player will win a game spectacularly, only to lose the next one equally spectacularly. Scrabble is not just a matter of skill and knowledge of words. There is also a certain element of luck involving which tiles are drawn from the bag and no player has any control over that.

The Dorking Scrabble Club is keen to enlarge its membership. Players of all ages and abilities are warmly invited to attend for three evenings without obligation to join. There is a weekly attendance fee of £2, but it is free on the first evening. If after the third visit a new player decides to join, the membership fee of £10 is payable.

Help is given to newcomers in developing the best techniques of play and they are provided with a list of all the many two and three-letter words. Making good use of them can help to win a game.

For a face-to-face experience, Scrabble is now played up and down the country in over 300 clubs (including at The Dorking Scrabble Club) week in and week out. Some enthusiasts take their interest to spectacular heights, such as Brett Smitheram from East London, who became World Scrabble Champion 2016, beating fellow Brit Mark Nyman to the title at a nail biting final in Lille, France with the word ‘braconid’, which scored him a healthy 181 points.

The Dorking Scrabble Club started in 1992 and an enthusiastic group has met ever since on Wednesday evenings in the Roy Currie Room in the United Reformed Church, which is situated

February 2017

FIND OUT MORE Anyone interested in playing Scrabble is welcome to come along any Wednesday evening to find out how enjoyable it is to play with others in a club. If after reading this you would like more information, ring either Priscilla (01737 767072) or David (01306 889308).

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|| BUSINESS CARDS

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Home dog boarding company looking for dog lovers to join our team of carers. Must be at home during the day with not more than 1 dog of your own. Ideal for someone working from home, house person or retired.

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For the cleaning of domestic ovens, hobs, extractors, microwaves and freestanding cookers. We specialise in AGA /Rayburn/Range cleaning Prices from £38.00 for a basic single oven, Racks £1.50 each, Hobs & Extractors £15.00, AGA’s and Ranges priced accordingly.

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WIN TICKETS TO THE FARNHAM WINE FESTIVAL ON SATURDAY 8TH APRIL

The Farnham Wine Festival is one of three wine festivals being run by VantagePoint Events in 2017. It will showcase over 100 international wines including champagnes and premium wines, alongside wine experts and producers. Local wines and producers will also feature with their own special section to celebrate the strength and diversity of wine production in Surrey and West Sussex.

In addition, there will also be music, entertainment, concessions, food, money-off wine vouchers and more.

Each festival will also host a blind wine tasting and raffle which will support two local charities, namely Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care and Disability Challengers.

For more information or to buy tickets for this or the other festivals in Guildford and Dorking, please visit www.vantagepointevents.co.uk.

To win one of five pairs of tickets with wine vouchers (worth £25 each), please answer the following question: Q: How many wines will be showcased at this festival?

Please enter online at www.vantagepointmag.co.uk by 28th February 2017.

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO THE BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL, G LIVE The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is returning to the UK in 2017, with an unforgettable evening of adventure films coming to G Live in Guildford on Saturday 1st April.

Viewers can expect incredible cinematography, epic scenery, mind-blowing journeys and some hair-raising moments in the last wild corners of the planet. Plus there’s a free prize draw as well. The Banff Tour is more than a series of exhilarating film nights. Each screening offers a real sense of community, bringing together people with a wide range of outdoor passions. And we guarantee that viewers will leave with new enthusiasm and inspiration for their own adventures too!

The short films, starring the world’s top adventurers on exciting journeys in mind-blowing destinations, are selected from hundreds of films entered into the prestigious Banff Mountain Film Festival held every year in the Canadian Rockies. For more information or to book tickets: www.banff-uk.com For your chance to win a pair of tickets, simply answer this simple question: Q: Where is the Banff Mountain Film Festival held?

Please enter online at www.vantagepointmag.co.uk by 20th February 2017.

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Valid 1 – 14 February 2017 Please present this voucher to the cashier before they begin to ring in your purchase.

Available daily between 1 – 14 February 2017. One voucher per transaction and per customer. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer or voucher. Only original vouchers accepted. Offer subject to availability and while stocks last.

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