LOSRA, as part of the SATEP (Spelthorne Against the Eco Park) Group, is helping to fight the grant of planning permission for the installation of the incinerator at Charlton Lane. The Group is currently applying to the High Court for the application to be challenged by way of judicial review. Needless to say, this action implies considerable expense and whilst our funds are sufficient to make a start, they are woefully short of what will eventually be required.

As part of the fundraising effort, the Brit Trio, a group of very talented and experienced musicians will be giving an evening of entertainment on 22nd November at the Jubilee Centre, Manygate Lane, Shepperton. The group covers mainly songs by well known British pop/rock acts including The Who, Stones, Beatles, Oasis, Paul Weller, etc. The lead guitarist has supported various star performers including Cliff Richard whilst the bass player has performed in top Beatles tribute acts including The Bootleg Beatles.

Do come and give your support, it promises to be an evening to remember. To see further details, click here

A new comedy by Steve Trafford, the Restoration of Nell Gwyn opens on Friday 14th November at the Riverside Arts Centre, Thames Street.

Full of humour and bawdy wit, this new comedy transports us into the wanton world of the English Restoration. King Charles 2nd lies ill, Nell Gwyn, his royal whore, once the brightest star of the Restoration theatre, rages against her fate. What will become of her if Charles is summoned to his Maker? What perils will befall the English nation? Mistress Gwyn and Margery, her maid, lead us a merry dance, filled with their laughter, their tears, and Nell’s enchanting songs of the Baroque: A rollicking romp which ends with a sting in its tail.

For flier and further details, click here

Our Autumn Newsletter has been sent to the printers and we expect it back for house to house delivery in about a week's time. You may also read it on line by clicking here.

The Association is always looking for volunteers to assist with distribution. If you think you can help or would like to know more, please contact our Secretary, Colleen Cuthbert. Her details are shown under 'LOSRA Commitee' at the bottom of the last page.

The next Music Night is in two weeks’ time on Friday 7th November, and it’s really a very important gig for the Club, and rather different from our normal run of Music Nights. We are absolutely delighted to welcome the great British jazz musician, drummer and bandleader TONY KINSEY, who is, of course a Sunbury resident of over 50 years standing.

He appears with his Quartet at one of our occasional presentations in the series of Albert Skinner Jazz Nights – for those of you who are not long-time Sunbury residents, Albert was our long-time postmaster and newsagent, who was a real pillar of the community in Lower Sunbury and a friend to everybody in the community. Albert died a few years ago, and as he was an avid and knowledgeable jazz fan, a group of us in the community decided to commemorate him with jazz nights from time to time, and Tony has been a key part of these occasions.

Tony is one of the most important and influential personalities in British jazz – his career goes back to the late ‘40s when he was in John Dankworth’s innovative band, before leading his own bands as he held down residencies at Studio 51 and The Flamingo for over a decade, with many of the UK’s leading musicians passing through his ranks. He is one of the true luminaries of the genre, whose career has encompassed gigs with major artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Oscar Peterson, plus TV and film composition and compositions for his renowned big band. More recently he has composed highly-regarded contemporary classical works.

As one would expect, his Quartet features some the top musicians in British jazz, with John Horler on piano, Alex Dankworth on bass and Sam Mayne on alto sax. Even if you’re not a dyed-in-the-wool jazz buff, if you are any kind of fan of quality music, this is highly accessible stuff, with fine ensemble playing as well as free-flowing improvisations from some of the best exponents of the genre.

Despite being a well-known local personality, Tony plays in Sunbury relatively rarely, and this a great opportunity to see one of the godfathers of British modern and mainstream jazz.

Click here for the flier

A poster for a special photo exhibition to be held at Sunbury Library between 10am - 4pm on 8th November may be viewed by clicking here

Residents will remember that a public consultation on local bus services was conducted some years ago. It seems that we have arrived at that moment again with the following (abridged) email which has been received by LOSRA from Surrey County Council:

As you know, Surrey County Council is subject to enormous pressures on our funding. Increased demand for essential services such as adult social care and school places, coupled with reduced Government funding, means we need to review our spend on all the services we provide for the county’s residents.

We are therefore carrying out a review of local transport services in the county, with the aim of making significant savings in this area over the next three years. The views of residents and partners will from a key part the review, and we have therefore launched a consultation.The review will focus on the following three aspects of local transport: 

• The council’s subsidy of all local bus services.
• The provision of community transport in the county, and how this can be made more commercial.
• SCC-funded discretionary concessions:

To help achieve this, the public consultation will run from now until 14 January 2015. Plans will only be drawn up after residents, partners, bus-user groups and other stakeholders have had their say.

To take part in the consultation residents and stakeholders can complete the online survey, which will be widely promoted via our website and other digital channels. If you're unable to access these links, please click on the link below:

A hard-copy of the survey will also be available, from early November, from libraries, district and borough and parish council buildings and bus stations, and we will advertise the consultation via a poster campaign at bus stations, on buses and in other public buildings throughout Surrey. 

Visit: www.surreycc.gov.uk/transportreview

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Write to: Local Transport Review | Room 365 | County Hall | Kingston Upon Thames | KT1 2DN

Phone: 0300 200 1003

Thanks to the dedication of practitioners and local residents, the Patient Participation Group (PPG) at the Sunbury Health Centre is expanding and flourishing. The Group meets on a regular basis to explore ways in which to improve the Green Street Centre. The minutes of meetings may be viewed on the following link: http://www.sunburyhealthcentre-ppg.com/minutes.html

In addition to the PPG, the Group opens itself up to patients on 'open evenings' held at the Centre itself. The next one is scheduled for 6.30pm on Monday 27th October. All patients are encouraged to attend.

The Music Nights are coming pretty frequently this autumn, and the Cricket Club has another gig on Friday 24th October, when they welcome another new act to the Club in THE ALL NIGHT WORKERS, who are ideally suited to the Club.

They are a band who originally formed in Twickenham in 1966, and rapidly became popular fixtures on the London club scene, alongside bands like Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, Herbie Goins & The Night Timers, The Graham Bond Organisation, Georgie Fame, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, and all the many bands who were playing the spectrum of the R&B, blues and soul music of that era. They shared the bill on tours and festivals with many of the big names of the time, including Jimi Hendrix. It promises to be a very good night.

Online scams involving Gumtree, PayPal and Western Union; and fake nude videos spreading malware on Facebook, are all featured in the latest Trading Standards Alert.

To view, click here

CPRE's campaign is a wake-up call for the Government. They are saying loud and clear that whatever their original intentions, the reformed planning system is not working.

Local people are being disregarded, open countryside is being developed while suitable brownfield land is left unused, and still too few homes are being built. They have evidence from across England that the effects of current policies on the countryside are devastating, with the Green Belt, protected areas and, above all, our 'ordinary' but hugely valued countryside, destroyed or threatened with destruction.

The CPRE's latest research into adopted and emerging Local Plans shows at least 500,000 new homes are planned for greenfield sites. This could result in the loss of 150sq Km of irreplaceable countryside. Once it's gone, it's gone forever. Destruction on this scale is totally unnecessary when there are enough suitable brownfield sites for around 1.5 million homes.

Residents are invited to sign up to the CPRE Charter here