(OPs) CHAIRMAN’S CHAT
Well firstly, I hope you all had a good Christmas and that the New Year is kind to all.
We had a quite a run up to the holiday with a very successful afternoon seniors’ tea followed the next day by our annual Craft Fair run in conjunction with the Council lights turn on and I have to say that both events were so good largely due to the efforts of our secretary June, credit where due !
I paid a visit to the Home Farm set up to see what they are about and it is very interesting and amazing the problems they have overcome and the vision they have for the future. Well worth dropping in, just past what was the Bourne Valley Garden Centre.
We have our pantomime coming up at the latter two weekends in January, this year it’s Jack and the Beanstalk so good luck for that and hopefully the New Year gets off to a good start.
Runnymede U3A seem to be thriving at the centre. They have various interests that might appeal if you look at their website or call in to the Centre for details.
That’s it for now, best wishes, Paul.
We Need A Treasurer
There are lots of ways to volunteer and help our Community Centre; but the person (or persons) we need now is a NEW TREASURER ! Malcolm Smith has been our Treasurer for many years and he would really like to pass the baton to a new person. Sue Bolton has been helping by sending out the invoices and any new person would get a comprehensive handover from Malcolm. It would be possible to job-share on this role, which would help with holiday cover.
Please get in touch if you would like to find out more about the responsibilities of the ACA Treasurer – no obligation !
June – Secretary ACA – ACAsecretary18@gmail.com
OLDER RESIDENTS’ TEA PARTY
On 24th November we held a free tea party for Addlestone older residents. About 60 people attended. They enjoyed mince pies, Christmas cake, biscuits and savouries with tea or coffee.
The choir of St Paul’s Church, Addlestone entertained with seasonal songs and carols. Alan Bostock also kindly came and played the piano before and after the choir.
There was a Christmas quiz and a colouring competition (sponsored by Hodders).
One of our regular Volunteer Stewards – Darren – judged the colouring and presented the prize and a certificate to Sandy.
We are very grateful to Co-op, Waitrose and Tesco who donated the food and to our hard-working and efficient volunteers who laid tables, served drinks and tidied up afterwards.
We hope to run more Older Residents’ free events at the Community Centre in 2024 – keep an eye out for our adverts.
CHRISTMAS CHARITY RAFFLE
At the Christmas Craft Fair we had a Raffle – all the proceeds went to the Runnymede Foodbank.
We raised £415 and presented the cheque at the Addlestone Foodbank with Dionne from Co-op who added a welcome food donation.
Thank you to all those who bought tickets and to the following local businesses who donated prizes:
Bamboo Flowers, TAT Grill, SAKs Hairdressers, Mystica Restaurant, Transylvanian Foods, Snap Fitness Gym, Carlton Newsagents, Fudge’s Cycles, Hodders Estate Agents.
Seymours Estate Agents, Spittles Electrical, Grants Estate Agents, Lodge Brothers Funerals, Walter G Wortt Funerals Home, Instead KickX Football, The Light Cinema, Esquires Café, Beef King.
Geek Retreat, Bread & Roses Café and Barbarello.
CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR
On 25th November we held a Craft Fair at the Community Centre. This was the day when the Addlestone Christmas Lights were switched on and lots of people were in town for our market and the events at AddlestoneOne.
Runnymede Mayor Cllr Shannon Saise Marshall was shown around the Fair by our Chair – Paul Bungard.
We had over 20 Craft stalls, some of which were raising money for charity. We also arranged the Children’s Free Treasure Hunt – helped by Hodders – which sent children around the town looking for clues in shop windows, when they finished we gave them a small gift.
Santa’s Grotto was arranged, lots of children visited and Santa and his elves gave them all a gift. Thank you Dave Strike and ACT for helping.
We had an amazing Balloon Modeller who made festive balloon shapes for the children to take home for free.
Our Community Centre really felt part of the Addlestone Celebrations and we had lots of visitors, some of whom had never attended our Centre before. It is hoped that we will have more free events in 2024 for local residents to enjoy.
Let’s Get Moving…
Monday 12-1pm & Wednesday 2-3pm Tulk Hall. This class is made up of a series of fun mini dance routines to music, that you follow along to, at your own pace. The aim is get the body moving whilst improving general fitness, mobility and balance. There is no floor work. It is a very friendly and welcoming group and has refreshments afterwards.
BRASS BAND CONCERTS 2024
Sunday 25th February 3pm (doors open 2.30pm) – Staines Lammas Band
The band has its roots back in 1930 when an experienced brass band musician, Walter Sanders, got together with his friends to set up a new band “..for the benefit of the man in the street..”
Staines Lammas plays a wide variety of music from traditional brass band marches to classical, film music, modern and pop, plus everything in between. You can hear them at concerts and events within the community including Staines-upon-Thames Day which takes place in June, and at local venues like The Walled Gardens in Sunbury-on-Thames and at their ‘home’ Lammas Park.
An extremely friendly and sociable band, their main aim is to rehearse enjoyable music together and to promote this at their regular engagements. The band caters for all abilities, providing an outlet for those looking to escape their busy lives, as well as supporting older players in the continuation of their music making, who may otherwise have just given up. The age of their current members ranges from eighteen to seventy plus so they consider themselves not just a band but a band family.
Their Musical Director Tariq Ahmed has been a brass band musician since primary school and brings a wealth of experience having formerly led Blackpool Brass.
Each year the band take part in Challenging Brass! a friendly musical competition between brass bands of similar standard who are invited to participate. In 2019 they won this competition for the tenth consecutive year.
Forthcoming dates for your 2024 diaries
April 14, June 9, September 8, October 27, December 1
Tickets are £10 including refreshments
Box Office: The Addlestone Centre weekdays 10am to 12 noon
To reserve tickets or for further information contact Emmie West 01932 846983
RUNNYMEDE JAZZ CLUB
Runnymede Jazz Club is a non-profit making, unincorporated association formed in 1995. Its aim is to promote the enjoyment of Traditional Jazz within and beyond Runnymede. Since moving to The Addlestone Centre the Club has gone from strength to strength attracting many new members.
The jazz year runs from April to March. Subscriptions are £15 for joint membership and £10 for single. Eleven Jazz Concerts are held on the last Friday of every month except December when it is normally held the Friday before Christmas. There were no concerts in August.
| Friday 26th January 2024 – John Maddocks Jazzmen |
| Friday 23rd February 2024 – Jools & The Jazzaholics |
| Friday 29th March 2024 – T J Johnson & His Band |
Members £12 Non-Members £14 (pay at the door)
Book tickets in advance at Box Office: 01784 441694
email: runnymedejazzclub@hotmail.com
Doors open: 6.45 pm Raffle Licensed Bar
CHERTSEY CAMERA CLUB
With the Summer break now well and truly over and winter fast approaching, Chertsey Camera Club is well into its 2023 -2024 season. We have already had two competitions take place and alongside this article will be a selection of High Scoring images that were submitted.
We have also had some very interesting speakers come to the club these include a Talk from Micki Aston titled “China the fascinating Orient‟ this was very well received and showcased images that showed China and it’s wonders from a photographer that was happy to go off the usual tourist route and do something a bit different. Chertsey Club have also had a speaker to discuss the merits of smartphone photography from a company called Jet Black Squares Ltd. It was a very interesting talk showing the merits of using your smartphone and giving tips and tricks on how you can achieve stunning photos from the mobile in your pocket.
We are looking forward to the rest of the season with a host of interesting talks to come including “Architecture –Exposure to edit‟ by Richard O Brien, “Route 66‟ by Roger Reynolds, My journey to ARPS (Associate of the Royal Photographic Society) by Paul Waller ARPS and lastly a Talk on Landscape photography by Vanda Ralevska.
Lastly congratulations are in order to John Wright with his print “Winter on the Wey‟ which won the public vote at the recent Addlestone Christmas Craft Fair with a second place ‘Capturing the passing storm’ by Gwyneth Enticott and third place ‘Leopard in a tree’ by John Cox.
The club meets at 8pm but doors to the Centre are open earlier in the evening. We are pleased to welcome some new members to our club but are always happy to welcome more. Anyone is welcome to come and see what we do for a no obligation taster session.
New members are welcome at any time either at the start or during the season so please come along and see what we do, or we can be contacted by:
https://www.chertseycameraclub.uk
The website showcases our work with a gallery of high scoring images from the season’s competitions. It also shows the programme for the year. With contact details and useful links to our facebook page (accessible to members) and our competition entry page.
Justin Anstead
ADDLESTONE COMMUNITY THEATRE
ACT has been busily rehearsing for our pantomime – Jack & The Beanstalk & Friends, which we are doing on the last two weekends in January (please see back page of mag for full details).
We have been joined by new people, but have some familiar faces come back for this production. Having been joined by Kats childrens’ drama group, in our successful Burt Bacharach show in September, we are pleased that they will also be in this show, and have had parts specially written for them by Jenny Hazell, the writer of this Pantomime. We are also fortunate to have dancers from the Kimberly Wyatt Dance Academy in it too.
So, make sure you get your tickets, bring your families & friends along, and join us for a magical journey up through the clouds and back, meeting lots of different Pantomime Characters along the way, as well as our traditional Dame, King, Princess and not forgetting the GIANT.
Hope to see you there; it’s going to be a lot of fun !
Annie Genower
TANGENT BADMINTON
We continue to have a good attendance each week, we still have room for new members. If you feel like having a game and have a good knowledge of the sport come and have a go.
Our Christmas lunch was on the 14th December at the Red Lion in Thorpe. It was for present and past members
This time two years ago our report told of the 100 birthday of Roddy Reynish, a founder member and our first Chairman. Roddy was Chairman for many years and was always organising lunches and outing of some kind, which most members took part in. She was also an active player into her late 80s when a hip replacement stopped her playing. During the last two years Roddy has become rather frail and decided earlier this year to go into a residential home. On 30th November 2023, she celebrated her 102nd birthday. This was attended by Dawn (our secretary), who visits Roddy every week, also other friends. The home provided afternoon tea of sandwiches and a very large cake, friends, residents and staff sang Happy Birthday.
NEWS FROM THE U3A
In the past few issues of this magazine, we have featured articles by U3A leaders outlining what various groups offer. To re-cap a few:-
Walking Groups – From Carolyn Thomas there were two entries describing what each Walking group sets out to do. Group 1 – Mostly undertakes walks in the local area. Whereas Group 2 Meets at Waterloo Station and combines walking with sight-seeing in our capital city. There are two other Walking groups for slower, and for brisker walkers – Plenty of choice!
Music Appreciation – leader Margaret Stewart told of us the meetings in her home where group members listened to new & favourite pieces of music (mostly classical) followed by a lively discussion.
Art Appreciation – Pat Kilminster – outlined the function and scope of the Art Appreciation group. Each month work by a different artist is viewed via DVD -followed by informative discussion – plus occasional gallery visits. A second group “Exploring Art” offers a similar but different approach with leader Brian Smithies. There is also a Painting group.
Gardening – An article by one of the three Gardening Groups described how they meet to share their knowledge & love of Gardening through discussion and viewing DVDs on the topic.
Games – Rummikub – an ancient game now enjoying a popular revival – is one of the choices offered at our Games afternoon, as well as Bridge, Backgammon & Scrabble.
These are examples of some of the thirty groups – this may awaken your interest or expand your knowledge in something new or something you already love. Who knows? You may be the one to pass on your knowledge – New members and new Leaders are always welcome.
Every month all members can come to a monthly meeting in The Addlestone Centre on the 1st Thurs of the month at 2.0 pm to hear a variety of speakers on various topics plus a chance to socialise with U3a members from different groups – a opportunity to make friends.
Membership is £12.50 per year – First visit Free
Brenda Millington (publicity)
KEEP FIT
The Keep Fit Section meets in the Tulk Hall on Wednesdays from 7:30 till 8.45pm.
We do exercise and movement to music to promote strength, flexibility and co-ordination. The section has one main Teacher who has been trained by the Keep Fit Association for weekly classes.
We are a very friendly group – why not come along and have a try? Wear comfortable clothing, jazz shoes or bare feet and bring along a mat to make the floor work more comfortable.
Our final class before the Christmas break is Wednesday 6th December, and our first class in the New Year is Wednesday 10th January 2024.
Carol Bayton
ADDLESTONE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The AHS meets at 8pm in the Muriel Wise on the first Tuesday of the month (except for January and August). £20 Membership for the whole year, £3 for visitors, payable at the door.
Ian Mawson, our chairman, has booked speakers for 2024 covering a broad range of topics, all details of which can be found on our website www.addlestonehistory.org.uk. Also RBC kindly advertise our meetings on their notice boards throughout the Borough, as do Libraries and supermarkets, so you can’t miss us!
Just to whet your appetite, Susanna Scott and Elliot James will explain about “Silverlands”, the actors orphanage, at our first meeting of the year on 6th February.
Then on March 5th we welcome Margaret Harnden, former Mayor of Runnymede, to tell us about her year in office.
April 2nd sees Peter Batty (who unfortunately had to cancel in 2023) talk on Plants and Food that changed history.
Carol Botterill
JOTTINGS FROM THE COACHES
Our next trip will be on Sun. 14th January which is a drive through the South Downs to Arundel where we will enjoy a two- course lunch with tea/coffee at the White Swan Hotel, Arundel. If you have not booked seats but would like to join us please ring me on 01252 542938 to reserve your place.
A new programme of day trips for 2024 will be sent, in April, to those who have enjoyed one of our trips; and copies will also be available from the Information Desk in the Centre.
Looking forward to welcoming you aboard the coaches.
For further information please feel free to telephone me on 01252 542938 and have a chat. Keep safe.
Rob Waters
BUSY TIME AT THE TALKING NEWSPAPER
As the stores prepared for the festive season, volunteers at Elmbridge Runnymede and Spelthorne Talking Newspaper welcomed the Mayors of Elmbridge and Runnymede, who recorded Christmas greetings for our listeners.
Cllr. Shannon Saise-Marshall, Mayor of Runnymede, (shown with Keith Tarling, recording engineer, and Anne Prevost in the Talking Newspaper studio) recalled her life in England as a child and abroad and remembered organising a pantomime as a member of the armed forces in the Falkland Islands. She wished all the listeners and volunteers a happy celebration of Christmas and good health in 2024.
Cllr. Richard Williams, Mayor of Elmbridge, looked forward to Christmas with his family and grandchildren and hoped all people in Elmbridge, Runnymede and Spelthorne would also enjoy Christmas with family and friends and have a happy and peaceful New Year. He hoped to join some of the celebrations of groups in the Elmbridge area in the next few weeks and meet some of the volunteers who did so much to help less fortunate people in Elmbridge. He was interested in the work of producing the Talking Newspaper and was shown the equipment in the studio.
The Revd Foloruso Olokole, vicar of St. Mary Oatlands, chose the Christmas carol “Joy to the World” as his theme. He stressed the deep sense of joy that the birth of Jesus Christ imparted. Happiness is a transitory feeling, but we can share in the joy of knowing that the child who was born one night in Bethlehem is always with us to share our joy and our sorrow. He looked forward to celebrating the festival at St. Mary’s and wished all our listeners and dedicated volunteers the blessings of Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year.
We are a small, informal, amateur orchestra which currently meets alternate Mondays, 7.30pm at Addlestone Community Centre, Garfield Road, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 2NJ. New members, especially string-players, are welcome to try us out. We play a selection of classical music, but do not perform concerts. Therefore, we are ideally suited to those who want to improve their playing and sight-reading skills, without pressure or regular commitment.
For details, contact Martin Ingram at merty99@hotmail.co.uk or 01932 343121 or 07790 767361
More than 25 years ago, I began providing Chiropody services at Ferranti’s Addlestone site, where I met wonderful patients, Roy Standing and Ron Cuthew, who became regulars until their passing. Following the sale of the Ferranti site for redevelopment, and the relocation to Chobham, some retired, including Roy and Ron. To continue serving them, I treated them in their homes, expanding my practice to Chobham, Frimley, and Portsmouth. Roy suggested renting a room at Addlestone Community Centre, and after viewing and booking, I began treating patients there regularly. I continued these visits every six weeks for years until the old site closed, and I transitioned to the newly completed Community Centre.
Over the past 25 years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting wonderful, interesting, engaging, wise, and loyal individuals. However, due to serious eye challenges and surgeries, preventing me from driving, I must make the practical decision to stop attending the Addlestone Community Centre. My final visit will be on December 5, 2023. The Chiropody service will continue with my colleague, Lisa Montague, taking over on January 16, 2024 (phone: 07976 269444). I’ll attend with her to introduce and assist.
I extend a massive THANK YOU to everyone for their kindness, trust, understanding, and wisdom. It’s been a wonderful journey, filled with friends and happy memories. Wishing you all good health, peace, and happiness for Christmas and New Year 2024.
Blanche Morrissey
WILD ABOUT ADDLESTONE
Do you remember the dark ages, some 20 or so years ago, when the lawnmower got put to bed for the winter at the end of September? Lawnmower operatives everywhere were able to do that because the grass had stopped growing well before Bonfire night. Last year, Mrs Wildaboutaddlestone was still mowing the lawn in the latter half of November. Eventually though, the grass had to admit defeat. Winter had arrived and it was time for a snooze.
There are loads of ways that grasses deal with winter. Some, like the ones we eat, are annuals. They set seed then die. Unless a passing finch eats the seeds or they’re turned into bread, come the warm weather they’ll sprout, becoming new plants. In contrast, perennial grasses, the ones in your lawn, stop their active growth and may even appear dry and brown above ground. Underground though, roots and other living tissue go dormant to conserve resources.
Some grasses also change their physical structure. Needle-like blades, rolled or folded leaf blades and hairy, waxy surfaces all help to retain heat and minimise water loss from icy winds. Some grasses shorten internodes, bringing the meristem, where the leaves sprout from, closer to the insulation of the soil. Cell walls are also strengthened to prepare the plants for colder temperatures, and grass can also increase the sugar content of the leaves to act as an antifreeze. Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are moved to the roots before winter for storage, ready to be returned as soon as spring appears.
Underground, things are better protected from the cold and hungry deer. There’s food stored in the roots and rhizomes, and the soil above provides a bit of insulation. So, even if the exposed leaves are eaten, the roots can still send up new growth come the spring. Trees use some of the same strategies, but recent hot dry summers have caused deciduous trees to go into survival mode, conserving water by losing their leaves earlier not later.
In a normal winter, cold weather destroys the chlorophyll, the green component of a leaf’s colouring. But leaves aren’t only green. Yellows and reds are always there but masked by the chlorophyll and so we get the colours of autumn. Trees first drain all the nutrients from their leaves before losing them, storing them in the roots and body of the tree in use for next spring. They then shed their leaves by forming a barrier of cells between twigs and leaves. Eventually, this cuts off the leaf from nutrients and water. The leaf is then only loosely held on and falls away on windy days leaving the barrier as a seal. Losing leaves reduces the surface area through which trees lose moisture, conserving water. It also means there’s less tree to get damaged by frost and snow. Leafless trees also allow strong winter winds to pass through, reducing damage. Their bare branches make interesting shapes, but all being well it won’t be too long before fresh green leaves start to appear again. Keep a look for horse chestnut sticky buds and the willows being lightly brushed by green.
Evergreen trees like Christmas trees, keep their leaves all the year round. Their needle shape has a smaller surface area than the leaves of a deciduous tree, so less moisture is lost during winter. The needle’s thick waxy coating also prevents water loss and their sap contains an antifreeze. Most evergreen trees also have droopy branches, more capable of dealing with heavy snow loads, as heavy snow is more inclined to slide off. Because the branches don’t stick out as far as deciduous trees, leverage where they meet the trunk is reduced, and they’re less likely to break off. Evergreen trees still become somewhat dormant in winter, but their leaves allow them to photosynthesise when the sun is shining, so they gain a bit by not going to sleep.
As the climate continues to change, the strategies of plants will have to change as well. Who knows, in ten years time, Mrs ‘Wildaboutaddlestone’ may well be pushing her lawnmower up and down the lawn on New Year’s Day.
Mike Ray