Communities - Laleham

Firemen give a talk to the elderly on fire safety

2009-07-09T16:25:11Z

Staines firefighter Nigel Wade gave a talk to a group of elderly people on fire safety on Thursday July 9

The red watch manager at Staines fire station visited Staines and Laleham Cricket Club at 3.00pm in Worple Road where he talked about the free fire alarm fitting and home fire risk services they provide.

Pensioner gets stuck in Laleham Park toilet

2009-06-24T16:05:35Z

An OAP had to be rescued by firemen on Wednesday June 24 after being stuck in a toilet.

The incident happened at around 3.30pm in the toilets next to Laleham Camping Club in Laleham Park.

The elderly man, who was thought to be in his 70s, used a key to get in, but upon leaving, found he couldn't get out.

Firefighters from Staines then turned up and used a crowbar to open the door.

Independence day to be held in Ashford

2009-06-22T15:50:26Z

A concert will be held on Saturday July 4 to celebrate America's Independence day.

Spelthorne Choral Society will be hosting the event at St Matthew's Church, in Church Road, by playing classical American music inspired by the day.

The event is being sponsored by Ashford Rotary Club, and the start time is 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £10 and can be booked by ringing 01784 211944.

Annual meeting to be held in Laleham

2009-06-22T15:49:03Z

The annual general meeting of Laleham Village Hall Management Committee will be held on Wednesday June 24.

At 7.30pm the meeting will be held to discuss the village hall, in The Broadway, and residents and users of the hall are invited.

The meeting will be held in the committee room at the back of the hall.

Two caravans stolen from a camp site in Laleham

2009-06-09T16:27:28Z

A camping site in Laleham has increased its security measures after two caravans were stolen from its ground.

Laleham Camping Club, in Laleham Park, had two of the vehicles taken on Sunday May 31 and Wednesday May 27, so on the first weekend in June, staff shut off the entrance to a neighbouring car park completely.

]]> Bill Hudspith, treasurer at the site, said: "The first caravan was taken through the fence into the car park, and the gate used to be open 24 hours. So this weekend we have closed the gate completely, and put a wooden fence up at the site of the break in."

The first incident took place between 10.30 and 11.00am on May 27 where the criminals forced back several fence panels before stealing a clamped white Swift Blakemere touring caravan.

The second theft occurred at around 4.30am on Sunday May 31 when the offenders broke off a padlock on the front gate and stole a 25-foot-long white and blue Hobby caravan.

Witnesses reported seeing a white van with a blue roof towing the vehicle.

Mr Hudspith said: "It is a bit worrying for the site when people are getting away with it. It's quite disturbing, and as a camp site the last thing we want is for people to feel unsafe, as then they won't come."

Mr Hudspith added that most thefts of this nature happen during the day, because people are generally sleeping in them at night.

He said: "But regarding the second theft, the guy dropped it off here and left it, so it got stolen.

"The last time this happened the police had CCTV images of the thieves driving over Chertsey Bridge, and when they went to court they didn't get convicted."

Detective constable Phil Carter, of Staines CID, said: "This has obviously been a very upsetting experience for both victims because they lived in the caravans which contained all of their possessions."

DC Carter believes the offenders bought specialist equipment with them to steal the vehicles, and said Staines CID are keeping an open mind over the thefts being linked.

He added that the offenders probably had transport, and may have operated in a gang.

Anyone who witnessed either incident or with any information should call Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222, quoting reference SL/09/4258 for the first incident and SL/09/4375 for the second theft.

Alternatively call Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.

Children's items lost in Ashford blaze

2009-06-04T15:28:06Z

A trampoline and a children's bicycle were lost during a fire on Wednesday 3.

The blaze, which is being treated as suspicious, started in a shed at 4.40pm in Hengrove Crescent.

Firefighters from Staines took around an hour and half dousing the flames, and although no one was injured, the shed and the items inside were lost.

Mother and daughter walk all night for charity

2009-06-03T16:30:55Z

A mother has expressed her pride on completing an all night walk with her 13-year-old daughter.
Sarah Hutchings, of Vicarage Lane, Laleham, completed the 26.2 mile Playtex London Moonwalk with her daughter Emma on Saturday May 16 in seven hours and 25 minutes.

]]> Only women can participate in the night time challenge, which is designed to raise money for Breast Cancer, and Emma was one of the youngest in the race.

Sarah said: "This challenge was undertaken by us for the first time, and as my daughter was 13 in March I am immensely proud of her."

Although Sarah has no history of breast cancer in her family, her mother and father Malcolm and Irene Unwin passed away because of the disease 12 and six years ago respectively.

Emma, who goes to Oakfield School, in West Byfleet, is also pleased at finishing the race, as she trained for 12 hours a week for the challenge.

The pair have raised nearly £1,400, which will go towards breast cancer charities.

Grenade blown up in cricket ground

2009-05-20T14:22:56Z

Cricketers had to move the boundaries of their game on Saturday May 16 after a big gaping hole was left on their field after a grenade explosion.

The three feet deep hole, which measured about half a metre in diameter was the result of an army controlled explosion in Staines and Laleham Cricket Club's ground in Worple Road, Staines.

]]> It meant the team had to move the boundary by five metres so the hole, which has been partially filled in with top soil, did not interfere with the game against Chertsey Cricket Club.

Brett Archer, 33, who is captain of the team, said: "I suppose it was quite funny really, because although the hole is filled in it is a bit of an eyesore, and it was a bit harder to play a match on Saturday.

"Luckily it wasn't near the cricket square, but we had to shorten the boundaries so the crater was just outside. I was afraid some of the smaller players might fall inside."

The high explosive fragmentation grenade was found by a Shepperton resident while they were digging in their garden on Friday, and taken to Staines police station, in Kingston Road, at 12.36pm on the same day.

Officers from the station evacuated the front counter and a number of rooms on the first floor for precautionary measures, and carried out an X-ray which showed the grenade was still live.

An army bomb disposal unit was called, and took the grenade to the sports ground as they needed a large open space to safely carry out the explosion.

Brett said: "I suppose it had to be done and I suppose they chose our ground because it was a large open space, but it was a bit annoying because they left a large hole in our grounds. I was quite shocked when I heard that it happened."

The grenade was exploded at 2.47pm while Worple Road was closed.

The groundsmen of the club filled in the hole shortly afterwards with about £30 of topsoil, but Brett said it is going to take a while for the grass to re-grow.

Brett also said that the police offered to pay for any costs involved.

Are you the person who found the grenade in your garden? If so, it would be great to hear from you.

Please call 01932 561111.

'Suspicious' fire at industrial site

2009-05-16T21:53:45Z

A huge plume of smoke billowed over Laleham and Shepperton on the evening of Saturday May 16.

Police closed Littleton Lane in Shepperton to traffic while firefighters battled a massive blaze at an industrial site just off the road.

Planes landing at Heathrow Airport were also affected by smoke from the fire which started
at about 6.50pm.

A spokeswoman for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said: "The fire is at a range of buildings which are full of rubbish, lorries, tyres and things like that.

"There is a lot of smoke damage and there is the chance that it is of suspicious origin.

"A lot of black smoke was caused, which has affected planes trying to land at Heathrow."

Eyewitnesses reported seeing four ambulances rushing to the scene, but no one is thought to have been injured.

Kids are the future starts of Dixieland

2009-05-13T16:23:29Z

Fiture Dixieland musicians are in the making at Buckland Primary School in Laleham.

Year five pupils in the Berryscroft Road School have been undertaking cornet lessons after a music teacher called Susan Blandford was given 16 of the instruments by children's charity Operation Happy Child.

]]> She approached the school and for the last three weeks the 30 children have been having weekly lessons on Friday.

Emma Hawthorn, senior administrator at the school, said: "We were very pleased with the opportunity to have music lessons in the school as it is not something we have done before. It is why we grabbed the chance."

The pupils have been taught how to handle and care for the instrument, and can currently play two notes.

Emma said: "Getting the mouth and breathing right is very hard. But Susan has given the children sweet tubes to practice with, because they have a similar mouthpiece."

Although the instruments cannot be taken home, a practice session at lunchtime has been set up.

New fireman joins the ranks in Staines

2009-05-08T13:13:49Z

Staines have a new fireman in the form of a local lad who lives in Laleham.

Dave Page, 27, joined the crew at Staines fire station, in Town Lane, Stanwell, on March 27.

]]> He previously worked in Heathrow airport, but said he always wanted to be a firemen.

Dave, who was born in Ashford Hospital and attended Matthew Arnold School in Staines, said: "I wanted to work in a place where I could provide a service to the community and do something positive.

"I always wanted to be a fireman because I thought it was going to be my long term career. But it was good to get a bit of life experience before and go travelling.

"Being a fireman is good because you get to be in an environment where you are saving lives. There is nothing like it."

David joins the station's red watch, who work on a rotational basis with three other watches in the station so someone is always on call.

Watch manager Nigel Wade said: "Our role is no longer reactive but also pro-active. We don't want there to be any fires, so we like to work with the community in trying to educate people as much as possible in trying to prevent them."

The firemen offer a service where they come round to residents houses and carry out an evaluation to see how safe the house is.

The free service is called a Home Fire Risk Check and comes with a free smoke alarm.

Call 0800 085 0767 for more information.

Blackout kills unborn birds

2009-04-30T16:36:53Z

Unborn chickens were killed two days before hatching in a 41-hour blackout as their incubator failed.

Six Bantham chickens died in the home of pet lover David Matthews, of Thickthorne Road, when the blackout occurred between Thursday April 23 and Saturday 25.

]]> Other residents of the road have criticised their electricity supplier for not fixing the problem sooner, saying they had to wash, eat, and sleep in the dark.

But EDF energy said they have no record of a blackout.

David, 70, who has a large collection of animals including guinea pigs, fish, dogs, and a parrot said: "The eggs had two days left to grow and were in the incubator for 19 days. I have had to order some new ones. I also lost quite a lot of food from my freezer."

Eighty-one-year old Iris Coyne also lost goods from her freezer, which she believes cost her £200.

She said: "At my age I like to keep my fridge full, and whenever I eat something I will go out to the shops and replace it. It is a very big freezer and I lost a lot of stuff like meat, chicken, and ice cream. I had to take two large bin bags of gone-off food to the dump after it happened."

Iris and David said her TV, radio, lighting, and telephone didn't work, meaning they found it difficult to ring their gas companies and complain.

Another neighbour Ellwood Read, 47, was scared his 24 fish, including pregnant goldfish and ghost carp, would die as his water pump doesn't work without electricity.

The plumping and heating engineer said: "I was worried the fish might die because of water pollution, as the pump cleans the water, but I managed to get my generator going.
"It was hard because I couldn't wash so ended up smelling a bit.

"The electricity company said we can claim £50 in compensation, but they send you round the mulberry bush by giving you about six phone numbers."

A spokewoman from EDF energy said the company had no record of a blackout.

New paper launched in Laleham

2009-04-22T13:26:31Z

It's hot of the press, the Herald and News has competition.

Laleham Primary School, in The Broadway, Laleham, has started printing regular newspapers for people in the town, made solely by the pupils.

]]> The school dished out its first edition of the 'Laleham School Times' on Tuesday April 21 after school, which saw parents and locals enter the building to purchase it.

Headmistress Shirley Lunn said: "We are hoping the newspaper will encourage the children to write more, encourage them to be creative and to increase their understanding of how things work. We are hoping it will help them choose with their career choices in later life."

The newspaper has been in production for only six weeks, and was the brainchild of a number of pupils in a school council meeting.

The editorial team of 17 were only allowed to carry on unless they got help from their parents, so Lee-Anne Looker, whose sons Matthew,11, and Richard, 9, attend the school, donated £100 from her headhunting business PHP and they started.

Miss Lunn said: "Nearly all the work was submitted by the children, and includes school news, voxpops where the children ask other pupils what they think of a certain issue, recipes, poems, and history pieces."

The school are hoping to sell enough of the papers to make a profit and fund a termly edition, pushing to a bi-termly paper if all goes well.

Local advertisers have also been included, paying money which will be used to fund the £350 printing costs.

Copies can be purchased from the school.

Dear Dilys social groups near you

2009-04-17T15:45:07Z

Are you new to the area or looking to make some new friends? If so there is a social group in the area that may be just right for you.

Groups have been established thanks to the Dear Dilys agony column which is published in editions of the Informer newspaper, and they've been going strong for 18 months.

]]> Dilys said: "My readers particularly wanted something to do on a Sunday, when so many other people are out and about with their families. So the first group was arranged. Someone came up with the idea of meeting in a garden centre as they are friendly, approachable places for people on their own."

The first group took place in Addlestone; it took off quickly and firm friendships have been formed. People meet regularly every Sunday and arrange further activities like pub quiz nights, days out, theatre trips, weight-loss groups and even weekends and holidays away.

More groups followed so that there are now 5 regular meeting places and two more to follow at the end of the month.

All you need to do to join in is to turn up. At the new groups it will be important to identify yourself - so we suggest carrying either a copy of the newspaper, or maybe a printout of this web-page, but Syon Park and Merton garden centres are providing leaflets too, so you can pick up a leaflet on your way in and if you're first there, display it prominently on your table.

Regular meeting places: Sundays 1230

Squires Garden Centre café, Knaphill, Littlewick Road, Woking
Wyevale Garden Centre café, New Haw Road/Brighton Road, Addlestone
Notcutts Garden Centre café, Staines Road, Laleham for the Ashford/Stanwell area
Squires Orangery Cafe, Halliford Road, Upper Halliford, Shepperton

Sundays 230pm

Squires Garden Centre café, Burwood Road, Hersham for Walton/Weybridge

New Groups from 26th April
Wyevale Garden Centre Cafe, Syon Park, Brentford, Middlesex
Lower Morden Garden Centre Cafe, (previously known as Wyevale Garden Centre Merton), Lower Morden Lane, Surrey SM4 4SJ
Sundays 1230 26th April onwards

Free swimming scheme

2009-03-02T17:08:00Z

Free swimming at public pools in Spelthorne will be available to youngsters aged 16 and under and anyone over 60 from April 1.

The initiative is being promoted by the borough authority in partnership with Runnymede Council and Sport and Leisure Management Ltd, which manages the two council-owned leisure centre pools in Spelthorne.

]]> It is estimated up to 36,000 people in Spelthorne will be eligible for the free swims, which are available during public sessions at the pools at Spelthorne Leisure Centre in Staines and Sunbury leisure centre.

To take up the offer those in the target age groups must have a valid Everyone Active activity card. The cards are free and application forms are available from the two leisure centres or via the website at www.everyoneactive.com

Public swim sessions are different at each pool and can be checked at the website.
The initiative is part of a national campaign to promote swimming, general fitness, more active lifestyles and well-being.