For the seventh year running, Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell (CAEE) has teamed up with the
Rotary Clubs of Epsom and Ewell to bring much needed support to those in the borough in need
of help with paying fuel bills this winter.

Project Wenceslas enables those who receive, but do not need, the Government’s Winter Fuel
Payment to donate it to either Rotary Club of Epsom or Rotary Club of Ewell. This money will be
distributed to people in critical need of assistance with energy bills, much needed during the
Cost of Living crisis. All monies donated are redistributed 100% without any deductions for
costs or expenses.

Lisa Davis, CEO, Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell, said: “With energy bills still the biggest cost-of-
living worry for many individuals and families across the country, this fund is a crucial support
for those in our borough. Please get in touch if either you want to donate your Winter Fuel
Payment, or you are in need of support.”

Since January 2018, CAEE has received nearly £15,000 in donations and made over 170 payments
to families in Epsom & Ewell suffering from fuel poverty.

If you would like to know more about donating your Winter Fuel Payment, please contact via the
websites epsomrotary.uk or ewellrotaryclub.org.uk and search for Project Wenceslas.

If you are struggling with fuel bills, then contact Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell on 0808 278 7963
(Mon-Fri, 10am – 4pm) or see our website : www.caee.org.uk https://www.caee.org.uk/

St Stephen’s Day (the first Christian Martyr) is 26th December in Western Christianity.

COMMUNITY LOCAL HISTORY VOLUNTEERS

Local community gathered at Horton Cemetery

11 October 2023

On World Mental Health Day 10th October on a working and un-seasonally hot day, young and old gathered in commemoration of the 9000 patients buried in Epsom’s abandoned Cemetery. The … READ MORE

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS

Lease reprieve for Langley Village Hall

11 October 2023

Langley Vale Village Hall was under the threat of closure but due to the hard work of the Langley Vale Village Hall Association and local residents a new 10 year … READ MORE

NEWS TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT

Going South this weekend?

11 October 2023

Please note, there will be a full closure of the A3 in both directions from 9pm on Friday 13 October to 5.30am on Monday 16 October. The closure will be … READ MORE

FOOTBALL SPORTS

Epsom and Ewell FC finally win with a glut

8 October 2023

Epsom & Ewell 5-1 Colliers Wood United. Combined Counties League – Premier Division. Saturday 7th October 2023. We may have had some cup wins already this season, but whilst they … READ MORE

COUNCIL TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT

Day travelcards to be scrapped?

8 October 2023

Surrey County Council could call on central government to intervene in “discriminatory” plans to scrap day travelcards in to London. The travelcards mean Surrey residents can travel in to the … READ MORE

CHRIS GRAYLING NEWS WESTMINSTER

Grayling not to contest a seventh election

6 October 2023

Chris Grayling MP has announced he will not be seeking re-election at the next General Election due 2024 / January 2025 latest. In a message to the Epsom and Ewell … READ MORE

COUNCIL PLANNING

The Plan to improve Planning pays off

6 October 2023

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council have received official notification from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Rachel Maclean MP, that their planning department is no longer under review … READ MORE

COUNCIL EDUCATION TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT

Surrey schools fly their green flags

6 October 2023

Surrey County Council has been confirmed with the highest number of schools awarded with a Green Flag of any local authority in England, with its 88 Eco-Schools, all of which … READ MORE

COMMUNITY TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT

Pollution around Epsom and Ewell Schools

5 October 2023

Epsom and Ewell Extinction Rebellion embark on a public education drive on Sunday 9th October in Epsom High Street. The climate action group has tabulated the pollution statistics for schools … READ MORE

COUNCIL EDUCATION

Child psychological waiting in Surrey eats savings

5 October 2023

Families are using their “savings and holiday money” to pay for private educational psychologist assessments having been told they would wait two years for an assessment through the council, a … READ MORE

Please note, there will be a full closure of the A3 in both directions from 9pm on Friday 13 October to 5.30am on Monday 16 October. The closure will be in place northbound from the B2215 (Ripley) to M25 junction 10, and southbound from M25 junction 10 to the A247 at Burntcommon. This is to facilitate National Highways bridge beam installation works as part of the M25 Junction 10 project.

The diversion will be via A247, A246, A24 and M25 junction 9. Please see the following diversion map. The diversion route agreed between National Highways and Surrey Officers is the most appropriate and direct route suitable for all vehicle sizes and types, with no height or weight restrictions in place. If you are considering alternate routes other than the signed diversion, please consider how viable smaller more local roads may be given the large volume of traffic which will be displaced from the A3.

Some sections of the Surrey road network may become heavily congested at times over the course of the weekend. Please plan your travel arrangements carefully using real-time data sources where available to inform your route choices.

If you have any questions, please contact National Highways either by email: M25j10@nationalhighways.co.uk or call 0300 123 5000 and one of the team will be happy to help.

Thanks to Cllr Steven McCormick (RA Woodcote and Langley) for the information.

Chris Grayling MP has announced he will not be seeking re-election at the next General Election due 2024 / January 2025 latest.

In a message to the Epsom and Ewell Conservative Association he wrote:

“I am writing to let you know that I told the Conservative Association AGM on Wednesday that I would not be standing again for Parliament at the next election. Earlier this year I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and although the treatment has been successful, it has prompted me to think that after 22 years it is time for a change. The Association will now move ahead and select my successor as Conservative candidate.

I am very grateful to you for the support I have been given by you all over the years. I will obviously carry on working as normal until the election and will hope to see you at one of the upcoming events.”

An MP with a chequered career at ministerial level he is nevertheless recognised as a dedicated and attentive constituency MP.

This has been reflected in sustained large majorities against all challengers in the six elections he has fought, with his share of the vote peaking in the 2017 election at 59.6%.

BUSINESS COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Bloomin’ marvellous for Epsom and Ewell

3 October 2023

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, Go Epsom Business Improvement District, and dedicated volunteers from across the borough were delighted to pick up a number of awards for Nonsuch Park, Epsom … READ MORE

RUGBY SPORTS

Sutton and Epsom’s Alley of dreams dashed in the end.

2 October 2023

Old Alleynians 29 Sutton & Epsom RFC 25. Saturday 30th September. For Sutton and Epsom supporters with good memories, and multiple miles on the clock, they will recall opening three … READ MORE

COUNCIL NEWS

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

1 October 2023

A 9 month delay in presenting a critical report about Epsom and Ewell Borough Council‘s handling of complaints was the subject of testy exchanges at a meeting of the Council’s … READ MORE

FOOTBALL SPORTS

Not quite a “veni, vidi, vici” victory for Romans

1 October 2023

Tadley Calleva 1-0 Epsom & Ewell FC. Combined Counties League – Premier Division. Saturday 30th September 2023. Ultimately our latest match was decided by a clinical Kieran Rodgers finish from … READ MORE

COUNCIL TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT

Our Star shines on Epsom Playhouse

30 September 2023

This month Epsom & Ewell Borough Council has installed 90 solar panels on the roof of Epsom Playhouse. The panels will generate over 32,000 kWh of electricity annually, covering a … READ MORE

CULTURE EDUCATION NEWS

Guildford centre of the cosmos for a day

29 September 2023

Budding astronauts and space engineers are set to be wowed and inspired on Saturday 7 October, when space researchers at the University of Surrey take over Guildford town centre. The … READ MORE

ARTS COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Glyn students brighten the Borough

29 September 2023

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council and Glyn School have come together to transform an unused building on the site of the Upper High Street car park with a community mural funded through … READ MORE

COUNCIL TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT

ULEZ compliant taxis for Epsom and Ewell

29 September 2023

Taxis in Epsom and Ewell will need to be ULEZ-compliant in order to get a licence despite concerns raised from drivers. All licences will be given, providing cabs meet the … READ MORE

COUNCIL NEWS PLANNING

Drafting of Epsom and Ewell Local Plan “unpausing”?

28 September 2023

Tuesday 26th September Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s Licensing and Planning Policy Committee met to decide whether to recommend to the Full Council to restart work on the submission of … READ MORE

Budding astronauts and space engineers are set to be wowed and inspired on Saturday 7 October, when space researchers at the University of Surrey take over Guildford town centre.

The University and its event partners, the Institute of Physics, will offer activities for children and adults to try in the Tunsgate Centre and on the High Street.

Thanks to the UK Space Agency, there will be space suits to try on, Winchester Science Centre will host a pop-up planetarium, and there’ll be a working model of a mini Mars rover.

Experts from Surrey Space Centre will be in the Tunsgate Centre.

Laura Cox from the University of Surrey’s Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences explained what people can see. She said:

“Come along to see inside a small satellite and have a go at steering it. You can also help spot illegal fishing boats on satellite images, a crime which costs over $15bn annually.

“At the mobile ground station, visitors can see signals from satellites in real-time and the decoded data they are sending from space. And you can learn about different types of space rocks and handle 3D-printed models of real asteroids, comets, and planetary moons.”

Astrophysicists from the School of Mathematics and Physics will be answering astronomy questions, running a constellation activity, offering an escape room-style activity and more.

Local employers in the space sector will also participate, including Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), who will show off models of spacecraft and components of the satellites they make, including a propulsion tank, circuit boards and samples of the exterior panels we see in photos.

Dr Nicola Baresi, an astrodynamicist who plans efficient routes for spacecraft to travel in space, including to the Moon and to other planets in our solar system, says:

“It’s going to be a fun day for people of all ages with lots of space-related activities and experiments to try. Space is a hugely exciting sector and is a thriving industry across Surrey and Hampshire. There are plenty of opportunities for rewarding careers in this area, yet significant skills shortages, something we help tackle at the University of Surrey with our research activities and educational programmes. We’re keen to inspire people and help them realise that they could get a job in the space industry.”

COMMUNITY LOCAL HISTORY

From “Princess” to Pauper’s grave in Epsom

27 September 2023

9000 patients of Epsom’s cluster of now closed psychiatric hospitals were buried between 1899 and 1955 in a now abandoned Cemetery. The Friends of Horton Cemetery are writing their life stories and … READ MORE

FOOTBALL SPORTS

Epsom and Ewell’s 3 – 1 lead lost in 12 minutes

27 September 2023

Epsom & Ewell 3-4 AFC Croydon Athletic. Combined Counties League Cup – First Round Tuesday 26th September 2023. A devastating three goal swing in just twelve minutes enabled AFC Croydon … READ MORE

BUSINESS NEWS TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT

Thames Water rebate

27 September 2023

Thames Water has been ordered to pay back more than £100million to its customers by regulators.Water watchdog Ofwat ordered the under-performing company to return the money following a string of … READ MORE

COUNCIL PLANNING

Another Surrey Local Plan Pauses

26 September 2023

The towns, villages, and open spaces that will take the brunt of Surrey Heath Borough Council’s 6,000 new homes will be kept under wraps a little longer after the local … READ MORE

COUNCIL PLANNING

Gove: meddling and muddled over Surrey Local Plans?

26 September 2023

Michael Gove is a Surrey MP and the Cabinet Minister in charge of housing and planning. The progress of Local Plans across the County are in disarray. Local Plans set … READ MORE

COUNCIL HOUSING PLANNING

Land, plan and a scam mess for Tandridge

25 September 2023

A land scam, £3.5million spent and residents being “ignored” have come to a head as a district council finally looks set to call an end to its 6,000-home local plan. … READ MORE

RUGBY SPORTS

Bunting Boots Battersea Into Touch

25 September 2023

Sutton & Epsom 26 Battersea Ironsides 25, Saturday 23rd September. This was the first time the two clubs had ever met in a league fixture as Battersea Ironsides became league … READ MORE

COMMUNITY NATURE

Epsom Common Association: A History of Conservation and Biodiversity

25 September 2023

Founded in 1974 by local residents deeply concerned about the state of Epsom Common and the looming threats to its existence, the Epsom Common Association has since been a stalwart … READ MORE

COMMUNITY TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT

Local action to tackle global climate crisis

24 September 2023

According to the Eco-Friends of Epsom we are in an era marked by the increasingly pressing issue of climate change. The urgency of understanding its scientific underpinnings and potential solutions … READ MORE

FOOTBALL SPORTS

Shoot-out ends Salt’s Vase season

24 September 2023

Bearsted 1-1 Epsom & Ewell FC. Bearsted won 4-1 on penalties. Isuzu F.A. Vase – Second Qualifying Round Saturday 23rd September 2023. A rather disappointing penalty shoot out, the twelfth … READ MORE

COUNCIL FINANCES

Costs through the roof enquiry for local Council

23 September 2023

Epsom and Ewell’s Poole Road Pavilion re-roof costs go through the roof. The Strategy and Resources Committee Epsom and Ewell Council met September 21 to authorize the extra costs. The … READ MORE

COMMUNITY EDUCATION

Epsom and Ewell’s Technology College 70 years young

22 September 2023

The North East Surrey College Of Technology (NESCOT), situated in Epsom and Ewell, Surrey, England, traces its roots back to the 1950s when it was known as Ewell Technical College. … READ MORE

ARTS CULTURE

Elijah returns to Epsom before the end of times

22 September 2023

On Wednesday 20th September, Epsom Choral Society held an open rehearsal at St Martin’s Church, Epsom, their usual concert venue. An ‘open rehearsal’ served a double purpose. It was part … READ MORE

COMMUNITY FAITH

All welcome in Epsom’s parish church

22 September 2023

St Martin’s is the Parish Church of Epsom. It is rather hidden from the bustle of the town between Church Road and  Church Street where the main entrance is opposite … READ MORE

COMMUNITY NEWS

Mayor endorses Citizens Advice in Epsom & Ewell

21 September 2023

As Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell (CAEE) publishes its Annual Report 2022/23 today, Epsom & Ewell Mayor Cllr Rob Geleit expressed his support for the charity, having chosen it as … READ MORE

9000 patients of Epsom’s cluster of now closed psychiatric hospitals were buried between 1899 and 1955 in a now abandoned Cemetery. The Friends of Horton Cemetery are writing their life stories and seeking to reclaim the five neglected acres from a property speculator.

The Horton Cemetery is located between Horton Lane and Hook Road, Epsom.

On 10th October 2023 from 1.00pm The Mayor Cllr Robert Geleit (Labour Court Ward) and Mayoress of Epsom and Ewell will lead councillors, Aldermen of the Borough and the public in commemorating the lives of the 9000. The commemoration will begin beside the Horton Cemetery. Parking is open in the Hook Road Arena. Ceremonies will start at 1.00pm so the public is advised to park no later than 12.45 to allow time for the walk.

If you intend to attend the event you are requested to complete this simple online RSVP form.

If you are attending you should read the advice of The Friends of Horton Cemetery on the ground conditions and lengths of walks involved. Click HERE.

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Here is a taster of just one of the hundreds of life stories written by the volunteer team of the Friends of Horton Cemetery charity. Steve Johnson, one of the research team leaders, delved into the extraordinary story of a Polish aristocrat who’s family’s lives were upturned in the Russian Revolution of 1917.

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Felicja Staszewicz, daughter of Aleksander Skirmunt and Teofila Skirmunt (née Lubańska) was born c1873 – the seventh of nine children – at the family country estate of Porzecza, Piński (now Belarus), the family having retained its Polish heritage despite the partition of Poland in 1795.

At the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in 1917, Felicja and Piotr, together with their family, moved to Vilnius where they remained until the end of WW1. Tragically, Marta-Karolina committed suicide at the outbreak of the revolution.

It is unclear where Felicja and Piotr moved to after WW1, but Piotr died in 1929, and by 1939 we find Felicja living in Teklinopol (her country estate near Vilnius which she had inherited from her mother) with her youngest daughter, Matylda, who had moved there in 1923 after her marriage to Jan Myślinski (also from a notable family that traces back to 1670).

On the 17th September 1939 the Russian army crossed the border and Felicja and Matylda, together with her two young daughters, Janina and Jolanta, were forced out of their home and moved to the nearby village of Wilejka.

On the 13th April 1940, in the middle of the night, the family were arrested and, together with thousands of others, taken by cattle train into Russia as slave labour. Two of Felicja’s sons, Aleksander and Jan Leon were taken by the Russians and were amongst the mass murder of thousands massacred in the forests of Katyń.

Read the full story HERE on www.hortoncemetery.org

On Wednesday 20th September, Epsom Choral Society held an open rehearsal at St Martin’s Church, Epsom, their usual concert venue. An ‘open rehearsal’ served a double purpose. It was part of the preparation for their concert, performing Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah on 18th November. It was also a bid to attract some new singing members by offering a chance to come and try it out.

I went along.  I enjoy Mendelssohn’s music and it is easier to appreciate after an attempt at performing it. As Wednesday’s weather approached biblical proportions, it was a good night for singing about whirlwinds droughts and floods.

After a welcome from choir chairman Isobel Squire, conductor Julian Collings began the rehearsal. The whole work has about 40 songs. The choir sings in about half of them. Usually, a rehearsal would entail concentrating on a few items, looking to correct some mistakes, find the music among the notes and then sing each piece all the way through. Wednesday was more of a taster. We sang fairly quickly through almost all the choral numbers, saving the detailed work for Julian’s favourite movement, ‘He, watching over Israel’. The conductor’s role is to know the music inside-out (he does!), warning which notes are likely to go wrong and suggesting ways to make them sound better. Once the notes are correct, the next stage is suggesting how to shape them to bring out the musical effects.

No-one has to sing alone. Epsom Choral Society has room for some new members but they do have all parts covered. There are confident singers among sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. Any newcomer will be adding to the overall sound, not sticking out while searching for the notes. They also have an expert pianist, Marion Lea, who can highlight  the choir parts while learning or pretend to be an orchestra when everyone is singing something through.

Although the open rehearsal has passed, there are still plenty of Wednesdays before the concert. If you fancy a chance to discover Elijah from within an able and welcoming choir, I’m sure Epsom Choral Society’s membership secretary (membership@epsomchoralsociety.org.uk) will be very happy to hear from you.

Nigel Williams.

St Martin’s is the Parish Church of Epsom. It is rather hidden from the bustle of the town between Church Road and  Church Street where the main entrance is opposite the Olde King’s Head. Paths lead from Church Road and Grove Road through the churchyard. It well repays the effort of finding it, an oasis of peace just minutes away from the town centre.

The present building is not the one mentioned in the Doomsday Book, but its north west tower is the oldest building standing in Epsom. It is not easy to appreciate that, as it was disguised after the rebuilding with cladding to match the rest of the new church. The mediaeval church was demolished in 1824 as being too small as well as needing major repair. The only other remnant of it is the 14th century font.

Enlargement was necessary again in 1907 and an intended complete replacement was begun at the east end. It stopped there due to lack of funds! The place were the two parts join still shows the original intention. Inside the two parts are married well and now we have a large airy building, light because of the clear windows in the body of the church where the acoustics are well suited to its musical tradition. It is the venue for performances of many choirs as well as our own. In the rebuilt East end are some marvellous stained glass windows as well as the 1892 window by F.E.Oldaker a former pupil at Epsom College. Once the east window it is now behind the minstrel’s gallery. In the east end and in the nave are monuments as fine as any in Westminster and by the same sculptors. There is a fine organ by Norman and Beard in 1909 which has since been  rebuilt by Corbett and Balby, an Epsom firm, in 1966-67, and Principal Pipe Organs of York in 1998.

Overall St Martin’s is a traditional English Parish church and the pattern of worship is recognisably Church of England. The Prayer Book services of Morning and Evening Prayer are sung once every month and the Holy Communion services on other Sundays are also enriched by our choir who often sing in cathedrals in the south-east when their choirs are away. There is time for fellowship around the coffee bar at the west end of the church after services. We strive to be welcoming and inclusive and are one of the few churches which has passed a resolution calling on the Church of England to amend its law so as to allow same sex weddings to happen in church.

The church is open for exploration and private prayer every morning and on Sunday afternoons. All are welcome at all times.

Free concerts (retiring collection) are sponsored by our Director of Music and we regularly host performances by the Epsom Choral Society, Ashtead Choral Society and Epsom Chamber Choir.

Howard Bluett, Reader at St Martins