The Worplesdon Witness October 2022

Published on: 18 Oct, 2022
Updated on: 23 Oct, 2022

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

A wonderful four days celebrating Worplesdon Memorial Hall’s centenary

Worplesdon Memorial Hall’s centenary events reflected on its opening on October 21, 1922 after eight acres of land had been given by Sir James Walker of Worplesdon Place.

A committee at the time decided the hall would be in remembrance of those who gave their lives in the Great War and be a centre for the community.

The money to build it was given by Sir Laurence Halsey, who lived off Gooserye Road, Worplesdon.

Today, those two men’s names have been given to the two main rooms for hire and where 100 years ago the unveiling of a stone memorial inscription took place.

Worplesdon Memorial Hall today.

The centenary celebrations were a four-day event. A small band of volunteers organised a peal of bells at St Mary’s Church, Perry Hill, by St Mary Abbot’s Guild of bellringers.

The bellringers in the tower at St Mary’s Church.

They rang the peal with eight ringers for three hours and five minutes on Thursday, October 13. Fittingly, one of Worplesdon’s First World War dead, Herbert James Deacon, had been a bellringer before he died aged 17 years.

A framed print recording the bellringing at St Mary’s Church.

A VIP event at the hall on Friday, October 14, included the unveiling of a centenary clock by the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Michael More-Molyenux.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Guildford, Dennis and Mary Booth, attended the event, cutting a centenary cake made by The Christmas Bakery.

Other guests included Guildford MP Angela Richardson, while children from Worplesdon pre-school (that has been based at the school since the 1980s) did artwork activities led by the Sime Gallery. The children also presented posies.

Presentation of a posy to the Mayoress of Guildford, Mary Booth.

Above and below Worplesdon Memorial Hall decorated for its centenary VIP afternoon.

Teas were served by members of Worplesdon Women’s Institute.

The centenary cake.

On Saturday, October 15, Guildford Jazz entertained 120 people, with Joanna Eden and Enrico Tomasso giving an outstanding performance.

Guildford Jazz at the Saturday evening concert.

Food was supplied supplied by The Shahin Tandoori Restaurant and Seafare, which added to a very enjoyable evening for all.

David Rose and Geoff Burch.

On Sunday, October 16, there was an illustrated talk by Geoff Burch and David Rose on the first 100 years of the hall and its recreation ground, along with music and songs by Sunflower Productions.

Sunflower Productions had made its first fundraising performance of Calendar Girls at the hall in 2013.

Sunflower Productions at the Sunday event.

This time they sang a wide range of songs over 10 decades with links to the hall and its Sime Gallery.

Terry Cater.

The former chairman of hall’s trustees, Terry Cater, has read all 100 years of minutes of the hall’s trustees. From that he has produced a book detailing the first 100 years of Worplesdon Memorial Hall.

Many of its longstanding hirers and organisations paid for advertisements in the book to help fund its printing.

Surrey County Council and Worplesdon Parish Council also gave grants to support the centenary celebrations.

The chairman of the Worplesdon Memorial Hall’s trustees, Gordon Adam.

The current chairman of trustees, Gordon Adam, thanked everyone involved for such a successful centenary event. Little does anyone know how many chairs he put out or floors he swept during the past few days!

Pedestrian crossing completed

The pedestrian crossing on the A322 by the roundabout at Pitch Place, near Cumberland Avenue and Keens Lane has been completed!

Caution will be required by motorists turning left out of Cumberland Avenue as the crossing is very close by.

Dates for school’s open mornings

School open mornings ahead of the September 2023 intake sees Wood Street Infant School welcoming prospective parent on October 18, November 5, 9 and 17, at 9.30am and 10.45am.

Visitors will be able to look around the school, meet the staff and ask questions.

Cricket club’s awards evening

Wood Street Village Cricket club ended the season with its annual awards evening.

Called a beer and barbecue event, awards were presented in 13 categories, with some players winning more than one.

Worplesdon’s Surrey County Councillor Keith Witham was thanked for providing funds from his Member’s Community Allocation. They will be used to pay for two new high-speed hand driers for the clubhouse.

Players interested in joinging the club can find more details on its website www.woodstreet.play-cricket.com or phone 07764 835005.

The Christmas Bakery and Merrist Wood College

Staff from The Christmas Bakery at Rickford visited Merrist Wood College and met student on the campus.

They set up a stand for students to buy items and which were very popular. Students visiting the bakery and showing their Merrist Wood College ID lanyard, will receive a 10% discount on purchases.

Hallowe’en cakes from The Christmas Bakery.

The bakery will also be making its seasonal cakes and currently spooky ones for Hallowe’en.

Replacement bird house erected

A replacement bird house in the grounds at Worplesdon Place hotel and restaurant has been put up.

The replacement bird house.

Meanwhile, the black swans continue to glide around the pond with plenty of ducks, moorhens and other birds for company.

And the pub is encouraging customers to sample its range of food alongside a log fire now the weather has turned autumnal.

A bird house has been there since at least the early 1980s.

Good attendance at meeting of Fairlands Patient Participation Group

There were around 100 attendees at the group’s latest meeting held at Fairlands Community Centre.

At the meeting of the Fairlands Patient Participation Group.

They heard about the services provided by the surgery and some recent changes that have been implemented.

Speakers included Dr Marty McKendry and Dhiren Karia from Rowlands Pharmacy at the surgery, and Julia Heathcote the clinical managerial lead for the Guildford General Practice Integrated Mental Health Teams.

Annie Holyoak gave a comprehensive talk about how to effectively access the practice for consultations and prescriptions and answered questions raised from the open forum, chaired by Richard Broughton.

David Willis enlightened the audience saying the practice serves 13,700 patients with 26 clinical staff and 22 administrative staff across its joint surgeries at Fairlands and Normandy.

Groundsman kept busy

Peter the Worplesdon Parish Council groundsman continues his weekly tasks maintaining property and grounds belonging to the parish council.

The groundsman painting one of the bus shelters the parish council looks after.

The parish council is also recruiting a part-time permanent grounds person to work 16 hours per week. More details on the parish council’s website at www.worplesdon-pc.gov.uk/staff-vacancies/

Latest news from Worplesdon Parish Council

At its latest meeting the parish council observed a two-minute silence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II.

It reviewed five planning applications; the emailed reports from Guildford Borough Councillors, that included how Surrey County Council will take back responsibility for highway verge cutting, weed control and on street parking in April 2023.

Regeneration plans for Guildford town centre’s riverside were also reviewed, along with plans in the town centre for a weekend of events in November launching the festive season.

Items on the agenda included Surrey County Councillor Keith Witham reporting on local issues and Surrey’s performance in resurfacing roads, special educational needs support and action on antisocial behaviour.

Other matters discussed included planters at Fairlands; quarterly playground inspections; annual tree inspections; land management and health and safety reports; finance; bank reconciliation and monthly budget reports.

The parish council is also considering a lasting tribute Queen Elizabeth II in the parish, and also video conferencing equipment.

Remembrance events

There will be services of remembrance on Armistice Day, Friday, November 11.

These will be at 10.50am at Harry’s Meadow in Jacobs Well, and at the ‘Lilly Bell II” war memorial off Queenhythe Road and Clay Lane, Jacobs Well; and at St Mary’s Church, Perry Hill and St Alban’s Church, Wood Street Village.

Also, at the 14th hole at Merrist Wood Golf Club. Here there is a memorial to those who died when a Halifax bomber crashed there on March 10, 1941.

Parish councillors and staff will be represented at all venues.

Charity football event

Worplesdon Pheonix Football Club hosted a charity event on October 2, with a match between Woking Vets and Sands United from Farnborough.

The event raised more than £700 for men who have experienced the loss of a child through still birth, miscarriage or neonatal death.