As part of the national Learn to Sign Week, the children of Ottershaw Infant and Junior Schools were sponsored to wear the brightest clothes they could find on Friday October 9 in an attempt to raise money for the charity.

"The children have learnt to sign the alphabet so they can introduce themselves.

"They have learnt signs for colours, days of the week, emotions and many, many more.
"We've been singing and talking using our new language.

"It's been great fun."

The BDA's annual Learn to Sign Week campaign took place on Monday October 5 until October 9 with over 40,000 school children and more than 30,000 staff from organisations across the country taking part.

The national campaign was an opportunity for everyone to get involved and learn introductory British Sign Language and to support the work of the BDA through fund-raising events.

The Halloween themed activities, designed to be fun rather than scary, will be running from Monday October 26 to Friday 30, and has been organised by Runnymede Council.

The first activity is a skeleton scavenger hunt and games at St Ann's Hill, Chertsey on Monday, but there will also be Halloween costume making, arts and crafts and party games.

To round off the week, there will be two sessions of free choice play, where youngsters can choose what they do, and can even have the chance to explore Chertsey Museum.

Emma Parnell, the activity co-ordinator at Runnymede Council, said: "These play sessions are held throughout the year, and have been really popular so far.
"There is something for every age group, ability and interest. We want to encourage children to use their imagination, try something new, make friends, be challenged, and above all, have fun."

For more information visit www.runnymede.gov.uk or call Emma on 01932 425 677, or at emma.parnell@runnymede.gov.uk.

Priscilla Chandro, 38, who lives in Gray Place, Ottershaw, with her five-year-old daughter had a heart attack in April last year.

Miss Chandro said: "One of the paramedics made me feel like I'd disturbed her coffee break, and then she said 'haven't you ever had the flu before?'

"Because I was young and a woman they didn't think it could be a heart attack."

A few days later when Miss Chandro visited her GP after pains in her chest persisted the GP referred her to St Peters hospital, she said: "They discovered that I'd had a massive heart attack on the Thursday night.

"They couldn't work it out, I didn't have a family history and although I smoked lightly they said it couldn't be that either."

Since then Miss Chandro has turned her life around for the better and decided to set up a karaoke business with a difference.

Prisanu Karaoke is offering a talent competition in the style of Britain's Got Talent, at the Birch and Pine in Sheerwater Woking.

The competition will start on November 7 until December 19 with weekly rounds on a Saturday evening starting from 8pm.

The crowd will decide who goes through to the next round until the final week where two music experts will judge the winner of the competition.

There will be cash prizes a meal for two and a day in a recording studio up for grabs.
Miss Chandro said: "I just think that everything is a test, you just need to pick it up and run with it, too many people let it engulf them, but you just need to embrace life."

Priscilla wants to extend her talent competitions to other pubs in the area, if you are interested in hosting a talent competition or a standard karaoke night call: 07928033275 or email prisanukaraoke@btinternet.com.

Chertsey Film Society will be helping bring Chinese films to a British audience with the first screening at Chertsey Hall, Heriot Road on Monday.

The first film to be shown will be One Foot off the Ground, a drama from mainland China.

Chris Hunt, head of leisure services at Runnymede Council, said: "Filming East Festival approached us to speculatively screen some of their films to a British audience.

"We felt this would appeal to more than just Chinese people in the borough. The film carries English subtitles."

Filming East Festival director Xiaoxiao Sun (corr) will be at the hall on Monday, and said: "I personally wanted the screening event to be held somewhere in Runnymede as I have been living in Egham as a student of Royal Holloway University."

Tickets are £4 on the door (£3 to members of Chertsey Film Society) and the film runs from 7.30pm to 9.45pm.

There will be another screening at Christ Church in Virginia Water.

The money has gone towards Oral Cancer Research and Christ Church in Ottershaw.

Mrs Twells, is part of the fund-raising committee for Christ's Church and has raised £40 selling her chutneys and conserves as part of a £5 challenge.

The challenge that was launched in July is an initiative where several parishioners were given £5 in an attempt to raise as much as they can for the Church.

For just £5 Mrs Twells made between 30 and 40 jars of jams and chutneys from raspberries, apples, plums tomatoes and onions, she said: "It probably would have cost more but I got most of the ingredients from my garden."

She initially chose to donate the profits to the cancer research charity after she had treatment for a tumour in her mouth ten years ago but decided to raise money for the Church when she discovered its forecast deficit for this year would be £10,000.

Mrs Twells still keeps in contact with the surgeon who treated her for cancer she said: "Mr Bailey comes to visit and takes away 10 jars of marmalade at a time, he says there is no other like it."

The £5 challenge as been great success according to Church Warden Lesley Matthews, she said: "I have to say it has been an event which has exceeded my expectations.

"People have been very creative in what they did.

"I would have been very happy if people had doubled their money but many did far better than that.

"We still have some church members completing the challenge and I expect our final profit total to be at least £750."

Other church members have used the money to host dinner parties, sell items on eBay, throw a musical event and make cards.

The Church in Guildford Road, has stumbled on financial difficulties partly because some of its benefactors have moved away.

Reverend Sandra Faccini said: "The deficit means that on our budget we will end up spending £10,000 more than our anticipated income."

She added: "I'm very impressed with the creativityand the commitment people have shown during the challenge."

Christs Church will be hosting a Church Autumn Fair to raise funds at the Brook Hall, Ottershaw, on Saturday October 17.

The event will start at 9.30 am.

For details please call: 01932 873160

The quiz, at the Brox Road venue, starts at 7.30pm but teams should arrive by 7pm.

Tickets cost £4 per head, and guests should bring their own refreshments.

For more information or to book, call 07704 835543.

The free event drew in between 40 and 50 participants who completed the four and half mile walk around Virginia Water lake.

Volunteer Adie Callaghan, 37, from Englefield Green who raised £5000 after she climbed Kilamajaro earlier this year, was at the walk, she said: "My grandfather had Alzheimer's and my mother was formally diagnosed earlier this year, so it's close to my heart.

"I was quite young when my grandfather was suffering from the disease, he went from a man who had his own business and a family and literally reverted to a child.

"It was pretty dreadful.

"It is still a taboo subject, people really don't know how to deal with it."

To volunteer or donate to the Alzheimer's Society visit: www.alzheimers.org.uk

Melvin Bangle, 71, was travelling down to his caravan in Bracklesham Bay when a sudden dip in the road caused him to hit his head on the roof of the car.

Mr Bangle said: "It's shocking to eat now, I can't eat any solid food, I can't eat apples or meat, and it's affecting my speech"

Mr Bangle will have to pay £2045 to cover dentistry work and £250 to cover the damage done to his Volvo on Selhurstpark Road in Goodwood, West Sussex in June.

"The council are saying to my insurance company that they didn't know the potholes were there and that they are not responsible.

"The council rushed out the next day and filled out the potholes.

"I want compensation but it's not about the money, I want them to admit responsibility.

"I don't want anyone else to suffer the same fate.

"I'm at a loss I don't know what to do, I'm an old age pensioner, I can't pay, I can't afford it."

Following Mr Bangle's ordeal that took place on June 19 of this year, West Sussex County Council issued him a letter that said: "I regret that any damage should have been caused to your vehicle.

"However from the information provided to me I am of the view that this did not involve negligence of the part of the County Council.

"Therefore unfortunately I am unable to offer proposals for the settlement of your claim."

The Herald and News contacted the council in relation to this incident, who refused to comment

Brenda Penfold, 52, of Flower Crescent, Ottershaw, has been blind for 20 years and has spent much of her spare time helping people in the same situation learn to adjust to life without vision.

Her daughter Lucy, 22, entered her into the Nivea Inner Beauty Award, and after winning the Greater London award, she is now a contender for the overall national award.

"All the simple things like making a cup of tea, doing the ironing, everyday things that people take for granted, become so difficult to do.

"I first learned that I would end up blind when I was pregnant with my first child about 28 years ago.

"I cried for days and didn't know what to do with myself, but I realised it was unfair on my husband, and I decided I wasn't going to live out my days at home. I wanted to get out and get on with things.

"I had a lot of help from the Surrey Association for Visual Impairment to help me adjust, and I wanted to give something back, so I volunteer through them now."

Brenda discovered she was going blind when she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma, nearly 30 years ago.

But she gave birth to Gemma, now 27, and later Lisa, 22, and together with her husband Keith, they learned to adjust to her visual impairment.

She said: "I knew that pregnancy could speed up the process but I couldn't have got through all of this without my family."

Brenda has had a busy year, with her older daughter getting married in a couple of weeks time, her 30th wedding anniversary approaching, Lisa graduating law school, and a family bereavement, so is glad of the distraction the award has given her.

She added: "It was a huge honour to win the regional award and it has been a welcome distraction.

"But whether I win the national contest or not, I just think it's nice to know my daugters think so much of me."

To vote for Brenda, visit www.nivea.co.uk/raceforlife.

Anyone who normally has their refuse picked up on a Monday should leave their bin at the boundary of their property by 6am as they would usually do.

Paramedics were on their way to back up another ambulance called to an accident in Woking.

As they travelled along Chertsey Road, the ambulance overturned, but no one was injured.

Another ambulance was scrambled to the emergency.

"No one was injured in the accident and the ambulance wasn't carrying anybody on board, but it was on the way to back up another vehicle on an emergency call.

"Obviously another ambulance was immediately sent out to the call this one had been going to."