The Worplesdon Witness April 2024

Published on: 13 Apr, 2024
Updated on: 14 Apr, 2024

Jan Messinger with her round up of news from the parish of Worplesdon.

Winning Worplesdon Young Musicians announced

The overall winner of Worplesdon Young Musician 2024 is Connie Firth, age 13, who played piano and trombone.

The six- to 8-year-old category winner is Evangeline Hannah, age eight, who played piano.

The nine- to 11-year-old category winner is Emily Busby, age 10, playing clarinet.

The 12- to 16-year-old category winner is Oliver James, age 15, who played the drums.

Winners of the 2024 Worplesdon Young Musician competition.

Winners received a glass trophy, a certificate and an Amazon voucher for £100 for the overall winner and £50 for the category winners.

They were presented by Charity Holden. a partner from Seymours estate agents, who sponsored the event, hosted by Worplesdon parish churches.

John McLean, who chairs the competition, again repeated how high the standard of musicianship was.

Festival of Eid celebrated at Worplesdon’s mosque

Eid Mubarak (blessed feast / festival) goes to all those celebrating Eid, the festival of Breaking the Fast, to mark the end of Ramadan.

The Guildford Central Masjid (Muslim Education and Cultural Association) Mosque is at Rickford and was very busy on the morning of April 10.

Some of the men leaving the mosque.

Guildford Borough Councillor Bilal Aktar (Worplesdon) also celebrated Eid with family and loved ones.

Guildford Borough Councillor Bilal Aktar pictured top right with family and friends.

Sime Gallery’s Easter activities well attended

The Sime Gallery’s Easter activity afternoon held at St Mary’s Church was attended by more than 30 people, from babies to those aged over 90.

Above: the font decorated for Easter and below the Easter trail walk.

The Easter trail walk in the church and churchyard was available until April 7.

There’s lots going on at the gallery, click here for website.

Worplesdon’s parochial church meeting date

The annual parochial church meeting is being held on Thursday, April, 25, at 7pm at St Alban’s Church, Wood Street Village. All are welcome.

The next monthly coffee morning will be on Saturday, May 4, at 10.30am at the Worplesdon Place Hotel and restaurant. Owners’ dogs are welcome too.

The youth club at St Alban’s Church meets on Friday of May 3, from 7pm to 9pm.

On Sunday, May 12, the parish will be saying say goodbye to its rector, the Revd Alex Russell.

She is leaving to take up her new role as chaplain to a charitable foundation in Blackheath, south-east London.

St Mary’s Church has received a grant from Worplesdon Parish Council towards its appeal to upgrade the kitchen and toilets at the church.

There are a number of ways to donate, perhaps in memory of someone. For details, email the churchoffice@worplsedonparish.com

St George’s Day marked

St George’s flags will be flown at St Mary’s Church and at Worplesdon Memorial Hall on Tuesday, April 23, to mark St George’s Day.

The flag of St George flying from St Mary’s Church.

A St George’s Day event is being held at Fairlands Community Centre on April 27. See below for details.

Enjoy some tea and cake

Fairlands welcome you to a tea and cake afternoon.

New defibrillator for Jacobs Well Village Hall

Trustees of Jacobs Well Village Hall say they are grateful to Surrey County Councillor for Worplesdon Keith Witham, for providing a grant for a new defibrillator.

Unveiling the new defibrillator at Jacobs Well Village Hall.

The previous one had been gifted by Worplesdon Parish Council after the 2012 London Olympics.

All that Jazz

The Surrey Jazz Orchestra, a 16-piece big band, will be in concert on Tuesday, April 30, at Jacobs Well Village Hall.

On vocals will Alannah Hartill, of recent Ronnie Scott’s fame.

Pavement and road repairs in Jacobs Well

There is pavement reconstruction work in Stringers Avenue, carriageway patching works at Blanchards Hill and bridge parapet reconstruction works at Clay Lane.

Fallen trees removed

Slightly different views can now be seen in Jacobs Well as trees that fell in recent storms have been removed by Worplesdon Parish Council.

The new view of the pond at Jacobs Well.

Temporary parking at the play area is still suspended due to the very wet ground.

Views given on Merrist Wood Golf Club plans

A drop-in session held at Fairlands Community Centre has taken place in relation to proposed landscaping changes at Merrist Wood Golf Club. Click here for previous notice of the event.

Plans for the proposed changes at Merrist Wood Golf Club being viewed at the drop-in event.

Guildford MP Angela Richardson has sent letters to local residents encouraging them to have their say.

Comments have to be sent to Surrey County Council, but can be sent via Guildford Borough Council. However, some residents say they have had trouble with the portal not being available.

Objections to plans for new house

Forty-five objections have been lodged to Guildford Borough Council for an application to build a house at Maryland, Perry Hill.

The application is number 24/P/00166.

Worplesdon Parish Council has given a lengthy objection in relation to planning policy being harmful to the openness of the green belt, an additional dwelling in the TBHSPA exclusion zone, potential harm to biodiversity, and a lack of consultation.

Wood Street Village is looking forward to the 2024 cricket season

Training takes place every Friday for its junior team.

And also at Burpham and Worplesdon Cricket Club

New players are welcome at the very well established Burpham and Worplesdon Cricket Club, who play their home matches at the memorial ground at Perry Hill.

For children aged five to eight years there is the Big Moments All Stars Cricket programme.

It is a great way for young children to play, learn new great skills and meet new friends.

Sessions will be held at the memorial ground at Perry Hill on Saturday mornings from May 4 to June 22. For more details send an email to jithskris@gmail.com

Water leaks, fly-tipping and flooding continues

Repairs to water leaks have taken place on the A322 at Rickford, although some Egyptian geese found some fun near the donkey field, but perhaps a bit too close to passing traffic further along the road towards Pitch Place.

Plucky Egyptian geese on the roadside.

There has been more fly-tipping in Goose Rye Road. Will it ever stop?

The latest fly-tipping in Goose Rye Road.

And fly-tipping is still occurring at Fairlands Community Centre where recycling bins have been removed by Guildford Borough Council.

Don’t leave your rubbish here in the car park at Fairlands Community Centre!

The flooding continues near Bonishott Farm, Goose Rye Road.

The flood at Goose Rye Road – Burdenshott Road end.

Worplesdon Parish Council round up

An extra ordinary meeting was held on March 19 to amend and approve the council’s 71 policies and 36 risk assessments and to review and agree all charges made.

The meeting lasted two hours and was attended by seven councillors with seven councillors sending their apologies.

The meeting on April 4 saw the co-option of new a councillor for Perry Hill ward, nominations for chairman and vice-chairman, a look at two planning applications, plus a Maypole dancing application.

Other items on the agenda were: the Biodiversity Act 2021, speeding issues, nine finance matters, land management and health and safety reports, and the clerk’s and chairman’s reports.

The annual parish assembly of Worplesdon Parish Council was attended by about 60 people the nine pages of minutes give a summary of the meeting. The main question from the 25 minutes spent discussing was the Surrey County Council application regarding Merrist Wood Golf Club.

Wood Street Village Association’s annual meeting

The Wood Street Village Association held its annual meeting on April 8, at which there were 20 present including Worplesdon’s Surrey County Councillor, Keith Witham.

One of Worplesdon’s Guildford Borough Councillors, Bill Akhtar, and four Worplesdon Parish Councillors attended.

Following the chairman’s report, treasurer Terry Wright gave his report, which was accepted by the meeting.

The chairman then thanked all members of the committee for their support and hard work and asked if Terry Wright would continue as treasurer, Alison Johnson as secretary and Caroline Mankelow as minutes secretary.

All were willing to stand again. The chairman will be elected at the next committee meeting.

There will be a litter pick on Saturday, May 18, at 3pm. Meet at St Alban’s Church. The summer show will be held on Saturday, July 20.

The fireworks committee has now agreed on how to distribute the fireworks fund: £500 to Wood Street Youth club, £550 to Guides, Brownies and Rainbows; £550 to Scouts, Cubs and Beavers; £300 for Wood Street Infant School; and £600 to the cricket colts.

Worplesdon Parish Council will be planting a number of trees around the village green to replace felled or soon to be felled trees. With a tree to commemorate King Charles III’s coronation planted on the green near the Christopher Robin Nursery.

There will be Maypole dancing and Wood Street’s Horticultural Society plant sale on the green on Saturday, May 4. More details by email to info@wsvhortsoc.co.uk or contact Derrick Hoath on 07930 317048.

The village show is on Saturday afternoon, July 20. Along with the horticultural show there will be a fun dog show, Maypole dancing, live music, food stalls, children’s rides, an ice cream van, Punch and Judy show, Scottish country dancing, face painting, craft stalls and much more.

Wood Street Jazz festival is on Sunday afternoon, July 21, raising money for Challengers with Guildford Jazz’s 1oth year of music featuring Jivin’ Miss Daisy, the Nigel Price Organ Trio and the Something’ Else Big Band. More details at www.guildfordjazz.org.uk

White Hart pub has offers for April and May