Welcome to the LOSRA Website
Like any local community, the policies and decisions shaping the character and future of Lower Sunbury are influenced by a combination of local and national government initiatives, alongside market forces and vested interests operating within these frameworks. As with many areas, Lower Sunbury faces challenges stemming from an aging infrastructure, rapid urban development, increasing traffic congestion, and other pressures that impact both quality of life and the distinctive character of the neighbourhood.
In collaboration with local authorities, other residents’ associations and amenity groups, LOSRA plays a vital role in addressing fundamental issues that affect its members' lives. This organisation not only engages with broader strategic concerns but also focuses on the everyday matters that shape community well-being.
To stay informed, we encourage you to subscribe to our regular e-bulletins via the link at the top left of this page. Your continued support is essential to our efforts, and we urge you to join or renew your membership. Subscriptions for 2026 are now payable at £5 per household. Donations are also welcome.
Increase in Council tax for Extra Police Resources Approved by Police and Crime Panel
Further to articles posted on 7th January and 2nd February we forward the following report sent on behalf of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey:
The decision will mean the policing element of a Band D Council Tax bill will increase by £2 a month – the equivalent of around 10% across all bands.
In return, the PCC has pledged to increase the number of officers and PCSOs in the county by 100 by April 2020.
Surrey Police plan to double the number of officers in the dedicated neighbourhood teams supporting area policing teams across the county while also investing in specialist officers to tackle serious organised crime gangs and drug dealers in our communities.
The rise, which will come into effect from April this year, was unanimously approved by the Panel during a meeting at County Hall in Kingston-upon-Thames yesterday (4 February 2019).
It means the cost for the policing part of the council tax for the financial year 2019/20 has been set at £260.57 for a Band D property.
In December, the Home Office gave PCCs across the country the flexibility to increase the amount residents pay in council tax for policing, known as the precept, by a maximum extra £24 a year on a Band D property.
The PCC’s office carried out a public consultation throughout January in which approaching 6,000 people answered a survey with their views on the proposed rise. Over 75% of those who responded were in support of the increase with 25% against.
PCC David Munro said: “Setting the policing element of the council tax is one of the most important decisions I have to make as the Police and Crime Commissioner for this county so I would like to thank all those members of the public who took the time to fill in the survey and give us their views.
“More than three quarters of those who responded agreed with my proposal and this helped inform what was an extremely tough decision which I am pleased has now been approved by the Police and Crime Panel.
“Asking the public for more money is never an easy option and I have thought long and hard about what is the right thing for the people of Surrey. We must of course make sure we provide the very best value for money possible and in addition to the precept I have instigated an efficiency review within the Force, including my own office, which will look at ensuring we are making every pound count.
“I believe the government settlement this year provides a real opportunity to help put more officers back into our communities which, from talking to residents across the county, is what I believe the public of Surrey want to see.
“We want to put more officers and PCSOs in local neighbourhoods to prevent crime and provide that visible reassurance that residents rightly value. Our consultation included around 4,000 comments from people who responded with their views on policing and I am aware that issues such as police visibility continues to concern residents.
“I will be reading each and every comment we have received and will discuss those issues raised with the Force to see how we can work together to address them.
“Following the approval of my proposal today, I will now be speaking to the Chief Officer team at Surrey Police to carefully plan both this extra uplift of officers and engagement events across every borough in the county to involve the Surrey public in that process.”
Soft Play Busy B's Café Opens at Sunbury Cricket Club
Sunbury Cricket Club welcomes the move of a new soft play operation to the Club from next Monday 11th February. Its presence provides welcome revenue for the Club - and much needed respite for parents and grandparents of pre-school children!
Busy B's Café is a buzzing brand new play café offering a safe and fun place where babies to pre-schoolers can explore and make friends whilst grown ups relax. Busy B's offer a tasty and healthy selection of food and drinks for everyone to enjoy; even the busiest of B's!
Previously based elsewhere in the borough the move to the Club provides Busy B's with more space and the opportunity to be open every weekday between 9:00am and 3:00pm.
Busy B's will also be offering a play venue for children's parties organised around the Club's match schedules.
More information, and plenty of photographs, are on Busy B's Facebook account at www.facebook.com/busybscafe
Feast of Popular Opera and Song at St. Mary's Church, 23rd February
We have received the following announcement from St. Mary’s and are very pleased to reproduce it here:
"The Friends of St Mary's are pleased to welcome back the internationally renowned soprano Kathryn Harries, Immediate Past Director of the National Opera Studio who , with Oksana Sliubyk - soprano; Gabrielle Dundon - soprano; and Hannah Quinn - piano, will bring an evening of light opera and musical entertainment to St Mary's Church at 7.30pm. on Saturday, the 23rd of February. Tickets £10 on the door, or £9 for 'Friends' and in advance, available from 01932 785035 or 01932 785807. We look forward to seeing you there for what promises to be a very enjoyable evening, with proceeds going towards completing our current restoration project!"
Thieves Targeting Sheds and Outdoor Storage Areas in Sunbury
The following self-explanatory notice has been received from the Borough Police Commander for Spelthorne:
“We are experiencing a high number of burglaries to Sheds and outdoor storage areas in Sunbury. Many of the thefts involve bicycles of varying values and tools.
Please take a picture of your bike before it is stolen and if possible note its serial number.
If you are unfortunate to become a victim of burglary we urge you to research the on line market places and selling sites and let us know if you identify any of your property.
Maybe you could help us further and let us know where all our bikes and stolen property are being sold?
“Contact 101 or on line here or if you wish to remain a contact Crime Stoppers 0800555111
https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ give-information”
Message Sent By
Maxine Cilia (Surrey Police, Borough Commander, Spelthorne)
Result of Consultation to Pay an Extra £2 a Month for Additional Policing in Surrey
The result of this consultation prompted the following notice from Surrey:
“SURVEY: A big thank you to everyone who took part in our Council Tax consultation. We had 5,868 responses, with 75.5% in favour of the PCC's proposal which will now go before the Police & Crime Panel. We are also reviewing over 4,000 comments that were submitted by the public.”
New Year's Newsletter at the Printers
Our New Year’s Newsletter which will be delivered to households within the Lower Sunbury area is currently with the printers.
More...
Local Elections, 2nd May - Are you Registered to Vote?
If you have not registered or have moved since the publication of the Electoral Register on 1 December 2018 you will need to register prior to the election.
The deadline to register is Friday 12 April 2019 and should be made via www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. However you may be required to provide documentary evidence to support your application so please register in good time.
For further details, go to: https://www.spelthorne.gov.uk/article/11384/Local-Election---2-May-2019
Correction to Previous Article of 21st January
We apologise for a misleading article published last Monday, 21st Jan. (Scroll down). The somewhat esoteric description accorded to the forthcoming gig did in fact belong to another event entirely.
Much is similar however in that the event at the Riverside Arts Centre on 3rd February will feature the same musicians. That said, the RAC concert, in contrast, is focused on Terence’s performance of his own compositions plus some arrangements of known tunes with his trio and featuring the Konvalia String Trio, for which he wrote all the string arrangements. Weronika Bielecka is invited to sing a few guest songs in the second set.
Terence Collie has developed enormous respect as a jazz pianist able to cross all styles while retaining a strong personal identity and leads a dynamic trio. He is currently running and playing at many successful jazz nights in south west London featuring top line jazz artists as well as performing regularly at some of the best jazz venues in the South of England. February will be the 3rd anniversary of Terence’s trio visiting us at the RAC.
Venue: Riverside Arts Centre, 59, Thames Street, Sunbury.
Date: Sunday 3rd February at 7.45pm
Terence Collie Trio to Perform with Weronika Bielecka and the Konvalia String Trio at the RAC on 3rd February
Weronika Bielecka with Terence Collie Trio and Konvalia String Trio project is an inspirational fusion featuring each musician’s individual artistry and emotional delivery in performance.
It is where the beauty of jazz and its complexity meets the naturalness of folk and its subtle lyricism. The unique arrangements of jazz standards and originals, minimalism and sophisticated craftsmanship of the pianist, combined with majestic dynamics of string arrangements and evocative vocals reveal the project’s uniqueness and poise.
Weronika Bielecka is a London-based singer-songwriter and jazz singer. She is involved in various music projects and is on a journey of discovery pushing the boundaries through different genres in pursuit of finding her original and unique artistic voice.
Her passion for complexity in jazz harmony, melancholic lyricism and a hint of spirituality creates her artistic personae and it is through these sensations that Weronika delivers and shares with her audience.
In her music, she creates intimate, dream-like soundscapes, often embraced by the atmosphere of soft darkness. Weronika’s music is a response to uncertainty about fragility of the surrounding world and finding beauty in the acceptance.
Terence Collie has developed enormous respect as a jazz pianist able to cross all styles while retaining a strong personal identity and leads a dynamic trio. He is currently running and playing at many successful jazz nights in south west London featuring top line jazz artists as well as performing regularly at some of the best jazz venues in the South of England.
Venue: Riverside Arts Centre, 59, Thames Street, Sunbury.
Date: Sunday 3rd February at 7.45pm
Special Music Night in Aid of Mayor's Charities at SCC on 8th February
There is a special music event in aid of the Mayor Spelthorne's Charities at Sunbury Cricket Club on Friday 8th February at 8.30.
It’s become something of a tradition that the Club devotes one of its Music Nights to a special event to support the Mayor of Spelthorne’s charities, and they have proved extremely successful evenings, so the Club is delighted to repeat the exercise this year.
This year’s Mayor of Spelthorne is Cllr. Jean Pinkerton OBE, a Staines councillor, and her charities are East To West, offering support to children, young people and their families; Rentstart, assisting single people and childless couples to access accommodation; Shopmobility, helping people with mobility problems to get around; and The Penrose Club, providing social activities for adults with special needs. The usual suspects from Sunbury’s talented music fraternity have been assembled once more to play under the name of THE CHAIN GANG in honour of the Mayor’s chain of office. The musicians will be giving their services free, so all the door money will go to the charities - entrance is £10.00, payable on the door (tickets are not being sold in advance).
The line-up will include guitarists Gerry Cook (The Saxons, The Hampton Band),Tim Renton (3 AM), Mark Doyle (Marshall Taylor Band), Chris Allard (Hampton Band); bassists Roger Harding (East of Eden), Martin House (Life & Soul; keyboard player Kevin Welling (Stan Bland Band); harmonica ace Geoff Foreste; multi-instrumentalist Phil Miller-Tate (Marshall Taylor Band); Stephane Booroof (Edison Lighthouse) and Alan Worrell (drums) plus Music Night host and organiser Paul Watts (vocals & guitar). It will be a great night of top class rock ‘n’ roll, blues, ‘60s R&B, rock and country, with the first set devoted to the music of Buddy Holly, who died in a plane crash 60 years ago this week.
It’s all for a great cause and will be a fun community night, so please support it. Please note that the show will start at 8.30pm. Hot food will be available from about 7pm.
Capture Spelthorne - Photographic Competition
Spelthorne Council is looking for the best photographs of the borough. This is a chance for you to get outside, explore our beautiful borough and show off your photography skills. You don't need an expensive camera to take part, any camera or smart phone will do, as long as the photograph was taken in Spelthorne after 1 January 2018 and is submitted by the closing date.
We are looking for pictures that tell a story about Spelthorne in the following categories:
Living in Spelthorne - What does Spelthorne mean to you? Send us photographs of local places / landmarks or events that you feel depict life in Spelthorne and captures the spirit of this vibrant community.
Urban landscape - Spelthorne is home to many interesting buildings from the historic to the modern. Which buildings capture your imagination or reflect where you live?
Hidden gems - This is an opportunity for you to capture those hidden gems or secret corners that you want to share with us. Be as creative as you like.
Water scenes - Did you know that one third of Spelthorne is covered by water? From the River Thames to the many reservoirs and lakes, we would love to see your waterside snaps. You could include wildlife, boating or simply lovely waterscapes.
Under 16s - We can accept entries for any of the above categories.
Prizes
The winner of each category will receive the following prize:
- £50 prize money for each category winner
- picture published in one of the following publications (TW15 / 18 magazine, Sunbury Matters / Shepperton Matters)
The overall winner of all the categories will receive the following prize:
- £100 prize money
- their picture published on the front cover of the summer edition of the Bulletin magazine
- copy of the Pinewood Studios photography hardback book and a pair of Korda theatre cinema tickets
Additionally the finalist pictures for each category will be displayed at an exhibition in the borough.
How to enter
Up to five photos can be submitted per entrant, as digital images. Please include a short caption that best describes the image, your chosen category and provide your contact details (name, telephone number and postal or email address, plus your age if under 16yrs).
Email your entries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The closing date for entries is 31 May 2019. Finalists will be notified by Monday 10 June 2019 and the winners will be presented at a evening reception in the Korda Theatre, Shepperton Studios on the 4 July 2019.
Follow the action on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #captureSpelthorne
Terms and conditions
- by submitting your image you are giving permission for Spelthorne Borough Council to use it (full permission and copyright)
- all identifiable people are happy for their image to be shared publically. If your photo contains children, you must gain permission from their parents
- entries are welcome from both amateur and professional photographers
- entries must not have been entered into another photographic competition or previously published
- entries must be taken within Spelthorne - details of where it was taken should be provided if possible
- entries must have been taken since 1 January 2018
- it is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure that any images they submit do not infringe the copyright of any third party or any laws. Entrants must warrant that the photograph they are submitting is their own work
Nuffield Health Invites you to 'Jump into January'
On Saturday 19th January, Nuffield Health Sunbury is opening its doors to the public to ‘Jump into January’ to promote their extra services: from mini health MOTs, to taster group exercise classes, allowing them to show you that fitness is for everyone.
You are being invited to conquer your New Year’s resolution by joining them for our ‘Jump into January’ event. The event is being held free of charge and without obligation.
For more information, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Nashville Teens Return to Sunbury Cricket Club on 18th January
On Friday 18th January, the Cricket Club welcomes back THE NASHVILLE TEENS for what has become its traditional New Year kick-off event.
They are one of the great names from the ‘60s who had two memorable Top Ten hits in 1964 with “Tobacco Road” and “Google Eye”, and have played storming gigs for the Club over the last five years, so we’re delighted to have them back again this year.
The line-up features their original lead singer Ray Phillips, who has had an unbroken half-century career with the band, as well as making solo records and performing with other line-ups like the British Invasion All-Stars with members of The Yardbirds, Creation and Downliners Sect.
With him in the current Nashville Teens is a line-up of seasoned performers, including Colin Pattenden, member of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band when they had their big hits back in the 70s, on bass, with Simon Spratley of The Ian Campbell Blues Band on keyboards, Ken Osborn from Levee Camp Moan on guitar, Adam Russel on harmonica and Adrian ‘Spud’ Metcalf on drums.
It will be another night of classic ‘60s R&B, featuring in Ray one of the great voices of the beat era. There’s more information at www.Nashville-Teens.com.
Venue: Lower Hampton Road, Sunbury on Thames, TW16 5PS
Food will be available as usual.
HM Revenue and Customs Alert
What you need to know
Action Fraud has experienced an increase in the reporting of malicious calls, voicemails, text messages or emails to members of the public purporting to be from HMRC.
The fraudsters state that as a result of their non-payment of tax or other duty, the victim is liable to prosecution or other legal proceedings such as repossession of belongings to settle the balance but can avoid this by arranging for payment to be made immediately by method such as bank transfer or by iTunes gift cards.
If the victim is hesitant or refuses to comply, the suspect makes a threat such as immediate arrest, bailiffs or in cases where the victim appears to be of overseas origin; deportation.
Often, the period for which the tax is allegedly due is distant enough to guarantee the victim will have little, if any, paperwork or ability to verify the claims. Once the money is paid the suspects sever all contact.
It is vital that the public exercise caution when receiving messages or telephone calls of this nature.
What you need to do
Always question unsolicited requests for your personal or financial information. Just because someone knows your basic details (such as your name and contact details), it doesn't mean they are genuine. Instead, contact the company directly using trusted methods such as a known email address or phone number.
Listen to your instincts. If something feels wrong then it is usually right to question it. No genuine organisation will ask you to pay taxes, bills or fees using iTunes Gift Cards, or any other type of voucher.
Don’t be rushed or pressured into making a decision. Under no circumstances would a genuine bank or some other trusted organisation force you to make a financial transaction on the spot.
Report Phishing attempts. If you receive a call, text or email of this nature and have not lost money, report this as a phishing attempt to Action Fraud.
Message Sent By
Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National)
