The Sunbury & Shepperton Arts Association is pleased to present the 2014 programme of Saturday morning classical Coffee Concerts which will take place at the Riverside Arts Centre, 59 Thames Street.

Tickets, priced at £7.50, include coffee and croissants, served before the performance. Doors open at 10.15 am and the hour-long concerts commence at 11.00 am

The first concert takes place on Saturday 22 March, when the highly acclaimed pianist, Joseph Tong, returns to Lower Sunbury with a programme comprising works by Haydn, Ravel and Liszt.

Subsequent concerts will take place on 26 April, 11 October and 22 November. The April recital features the duo of David Gaster, violin, and Linda Marley, piano, performing works by Beethoven, Suk and Sibelius. Pianist Ingrid Attwater makes a welcome return in October and cellist Lesley Shrigley Jones will give the recital in November.

Tickets are available from the box office on 01932 782 788 or on the door immediately prior to the performance.

Following recent press coverage and the article published here on 21st January, the Council has published its answers to questions which are being raised by many residents. To view, click here:

www.spelthorne.gov.uk/article/6586/Cattle-in-Sunbury-Park

Further to the article published in the March issue of Sunbury Matters, we can now confirm that Crest Nicholson have submitted their long awaited planning application to redevelop the London Irish site.  The application is for:

“Demolition of stand and clubhouse and erection of 194 residential units with associated parking,  provision of new open space and construction of estate roads with access to be via the two accesses from The Avenue to also incorporate an alternative access for the existing Virgin Active Leisure Centre via the northern access”.

Local residents will be notified of the application and it is expected that the letters will be received during the early part of next week.  Site notices will be also displayed in various public locations.  The plans and documents will be available to view on the Council’s website from tomorrow.

The planning application will be brought before the Planning Committee in due course, although this will not be before May 2014. Representations, apart from through the post, may be made on line at the Spelthorne Council Website quoting reference no: 14/00275/FUL.

To view the Landscape masterplan, click here

Surrey Trading Standards would like to warn residents of Surrey to be aware of a scam which involves the delivery of a mobile phone (or similar) that you have not ordered and that could result in financial fraud. A local councillor was nearly caught in this way.

How it works......

The scammers will order a mobile phone in your name and when it is delivered to you, you will receive a call saying there has been a mistake and the goods will be collected by courier. The scammer will then call to collect the phone from you, pretending that they are a courier. The scammers get to keep the phone whilst the bill will remain in your name.

If you suddenly receive delivery of goods addressed to you or somebody else in your household that you know you have not ordered contact the sender immediately.

If you think you may have been a victim to this kind of scam please call an advisor on 08454 040506 to report it and get advice!

To see the full Trading Standards Alert, click here

The following email from Surrey County Council has been received by LOSRA. It will be seen that it covers all three affected Boroughs including Spelthorne:

Surrey Flood Recovery Appeal:

The Community Foundation for Surrey has launched a Surrey Flood Recovery Appeal to help people and communities recover from the devastating floods.

The priority of the funding is to support community and voluntary groups assisting in the relief effort in easing the immediate difficulties communities are facing and to support their recovery over the coming weeks and months. The aim of the appeal is to support the most vulnerable and isolated and to encourage local people to support others in their time of need.

You can make a donation to the fund online or cheques made payable to Surrey Flood Recovery Appeal can be sent to:

Community Foundation for Surrey, 1 Bishop’s Wharf, Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 4RA

Donations

A range of items could be useful to people affected by the flooding. These donations are being coordinated by the local borough councils.

Elmbridge – call the Contact Centre on 01372 474474 who will advise on donations of food, clothing, furniture etc

Runnymede – call the Contact Centre on 01932 838383 for information about donating.

Spelthorne - not looking for donations of food and clothing but would like cleaning materials, mops, buckets, brushes, shovels, gloves, hats, wellingtons, disinfectant, rubble bags and strong rubbish bags. Donations to be made through the Salvation Army in Woodthorpe Road in Ashford.

Volunteering

If you are interesting in volunteering to help with the flood recovery contact the local borough council:

Elmbridge – call the Contact Centre on 01372 474474.

Runnymede – call the Contact Centre on 01932 838383.

Spelthorne - visit Spelthorne Council's website or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

As river levels on the Thames start to fall, work is under way to help communities get back on their feet. Councils across Surrey are setting up flood recovery centres where people can get information and advice to help them recover from the effects of the floods. You will see that, from the seven centres being opened across Runnymede, Elmbridge and Spelthorne, our nearest is St. Mary's Church Hall in Green Street. The seven locations are:

Hythe Centre, Thorpe Road, Egham TW18 3HD (8am to 8pm)

Chertsey Hall, Heriot Road, Chertsey KT16 9DR (8am to 8pm)

Elmbridge Community Hub, 72 High Street, Walton-on-Thames KT12 1BU (9am to 5pm) 

Spelthorne Museum, 1 Elmsleigh Road, Staines TW18 4PM (2pm-8pm)

St Mary Church Hall, Green Street, Sunbury-on-Thames TW16 6RM (2pm-8pm)

Greeno Community Centre, Glebeland Gardens, Shepperton TW17 9DH (2pm-8pm)

Lucan Pavilion, The Broadway, Laleham, Staines, TW18 1RZ (2pm-8pm).

The next Music Night is on Friday 28th February when The Cricket Club welcomes back THE GOOD OLD BOYS, who have given us two really excellent evenings on their previous visits.

They feature a formidable array of experienced performers with illustrious histories in a variety of big name bands, led by Nick Simper (bass/vocals) who first played professionally with Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, going on to play with The Flowerpot Men before becoming a founder member of Deep Purple. After he left Purple, he played with Marsha Hunt, that band morphing into Warhorse, who made albums for Vertigo. After Warhorse, he went on to form Flying Fox and then Fandango.

Peter Parks (guitar/vocals) was also in Warhorse, and then stayed with Nick through the Fandango era in the ‘80s. Simon Bishop (guitar/vocals) toured with Renaissance, High Society, and The Monks (of “Nice Legs, Shame About The Face” fame), while Richard Hudson (drums/vocals) was a long-time member of the south-west London scene as percussionist with high profile hit-makers The Strawbs and then Hudson Ford. He was also with Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, High Society and The Monks. Alan Barratt (lead singer) was with the British band Jo Jo Gunne and has worked alongside the likes of Chip Hawkes (Tremelos) and Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers.

It goes without saying that they are a top class outfit and we know from their previous gigs that the contrasting lead guitar styles of Peter and Simon makes for a really entertaining range of rock, blues, R&B and country material and we very much look forward to seeing them again.

The co-ordination of volunteers and aid to flood victims is being run by Stuart Mann at Spelthorne Council and he may be contacted on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

It was recognised very early on that, in order to avoid duplication of effort, the responsibility should rest with one individual and Stuart has been taken off his day-to-day duties to devote himself full time to this role. You are urged to contact him if you have material or practical help to offer; or are in need of help. The extent of damage, and therefore relief, may not become evident until the flood waters have subsided.

A local resident visiting the Royal Mail Sorting Office this morning was advised that the Service will re-direct mail for those residents who have been evacuated or who have chosen to leave their homes due to the flooding. Royal Mail will continue this service for three months at no charge. Any resident wishing to take advantage of this offer should contact customer services.

Residents affected by the flooding should also note that The Government has pledged £250,000 to Citizens Advice Bureau to help victims of the recent floods.

The fund will be spent directly on outreach work in communities devastated by flooding & bad weather. To find out more click here.

A group of local residents who don't know each other have come together through Facebook and set up a page to recruit volunteers who want to help in the community. They have arranged a meeting for 12.30 on Saturday 15th February at St Marys Church Hall, Sunbury.

All walks of life are represented and the volunteers have varying skills to offer, from humping sandbags, coordinating groups, sourcing and providing donations to helping with waterlogged furniture removal further down the line. 

It's important to stress that they are not a professional organisation as many of them haven't met each other face to face, so they do not have a hard agenda.

All residents are invited to attend and it's hoped that we can all assist the vulnerable and those affected by flood damage. If you would like to get in touch with the group by email they may be contacted on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To get an aerial appreciation of the Thames, including Kingston, Sunbury and Chertsey, click on the following BBC footage:

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26146361