TADWORTH and WALTON-----------------------------------------------------------------------Marathon successHazel Hewitt, the owner of 'Flower Pot', the flower shop in Station Approach, Tadworth, and her daughter Elise took part in the recent London Marathon. Hazel completed this most exhausting challenge in 5 hours and 19 minutes, with Elise only five minutes in front.Between them they have raised, by sponsorship, an estimated sum of £2,500 for the charity 'Sense'. A most wonderful result. Table Top saleThe indefatigable Norma Darter of Walton-on-the-Hill is once again organising a table-top sale which is taking place in the Lord Riddell Hall, Deans Lane, next Saturday, 11th May from 10 am until 2 pm. There will be a variety of stall, including one with plants for sale. Refreshments will also be available. The cost of admission will be only 50p, with children being admitted without charge. All proceeds from this event will be donated to The Teenage Centre of the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton and to Mid-Surrey Mencap. New notice boardsTwo new notice boards have been erected alongside the 'Flower Pot' shop in Station Approach, Tadworth. The first is a large notice board, made of oak, bearing the name of the Tadworth & Walton Residents' Association. It has two glass panelled opening windows to its front, and will be a great asset to the village. The money to purchase this was donated by Pfizer as part of their Community funding.The second notice board is much smaller, but is also of a smart appearance, and is for the Tadworth Court Women's Institute. The smart double steel gates alongside the Wine merchant' shop on the opposite side of the road, is making the whole of this road look so much more pleasant and tidier. Potential Chair to the foreAt the well attended meeting of the Walton Village Forum, held on Tuesday of last week and chaired by Charles Harvey, it was announced that five people have offered to fill the vacancy of the Forum chairman. Charles is arranging a meeting with the five volunteers in order that they fully understand what is resolved. Ken Ohlson emphasised how important it is for the village to maintain it own identity, and said he is so pleased that people have now come forward to take on the Chair. At the same meeting it was decided that the planting of a tree, or provision of a seat/bench, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee is not practical for various reasons. It has now been decided to use the available funds to enhance the approaches to Walton with a iron sign, similar to that at the approach to Banstead. The local blacksmiths have been asked to provide an estimate for two signs. Footpath cleaningBoth Cllr. Rachel Turner (Tadworth & Walton-on-the-Hill) and County Councillor Michael Gosling are reported to have pledged, at the Forum meeting, to get the paths cleaned. It was suggested that local prisoners could possibly help as they did last year. Both councillors also said that they would take some action to improve the state of the bus stop in Howard Close, where the buses turn round. Tadworth & Walton Residents' AssociationThe annual general meeting of this association will be held on Tuesday, 15th May, at St.John's Church Hall, The Avenue, Tadworth at 8 pm. It is hoped that as many residents as possible will be present, for there is much to be heard concerning many important matters that can affect the local community. Feedback from residents is also much appreciated by the Association's committee. Honour for choirMembers of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Tadworth, choir (adults and children) are honoured to have been invited to sing at St Paul's Cathedral for Evensong on Saturday, 11th May, at 5 pm. "Members of the church, and other local residents, are all most welcome to come and support the choir in such a prestigious place of worship,"says David Fitch, a choir member who can be contacted on 01737 812047 for further details. Ducks eat tadpoles?For the past seven days a pair of Mallard ducks have flown into my garden and settled on the pond; a small pond of about 3 metres long by two wide. I have not fed them and was not aware as to what had attracted them to such a small area of water. Before their first arrival the pond my teeming with tadpoles. Now there is not one to be seen. The pond has been my contribution to nature as every year frogs have bread there. As there are now no tadpoles, there will be no frogs, so my pond, I fear, will have no further use! Epsom hospital downgradingThere is likely to be much concern by local residents, as this is the hospital that serves the people of this part of the Borough, when they learn that last Friday it was announced, by Better Services Better Value (BSBV) that this hospital should be downgraded. The Rt.Hon. Christopher Grayling MP for Epsom has written to Surrey Downs Clinical Commissioning Group, now running health services in this area, to express concerns at plans which would see the Epsom General Hospital losing its accident and emergency (A&E) and maternity units. Apparently options being considered include Epsom becoming an elective care centre. Mr Grayling opposes this, arguing that other hospitals being able to pass patients onto Epsom hospital as and when they wished would slowly lead to its services becoming redundant. It is reported that the joint medical director for BSBV, David Finch, has said that one of their key recommendations is that the best way to meet quality standards would be to concentrate emergency and maternity services at three hospitals. He says that their process involves modelling every possible option for where these services would go, including Epsom Hospital. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Chiles
john@johnchiles.plus.com
John Chiles
john@johnchiles.plus.com