Epsom and Ewell Times exclusive: 21st June 2022 HRH The Princess Royal entered the Borough of Epsom and Ewell. The Court Circular states: Her Royal Highness this afternoon opened the First World War Centenary Woods’ “Regiment of Trees”, Langley Vale Wood, Langley Vale Road, Epsom, and was received by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey (Mr. Michael More-Molyneux).

The Epsom and Ewell Times requested The Woodland Trust to explain activity at the Headley Road Car Park entrance that day. The owners of the Centenary Wood fell silent. Our investigation reveals that no “song-and-dance” has been made of the Royal event as the car park cannot open until electric vehicle charging points are working.

As today’s photos show, they are nearly ready but the car park remains closed. Walking is the best way to get to the Wood at the moment. The narrow country roads that surround the wood have no safe places to park.

The 650 acre Centenary Wood at Langley Vale is the English site of the four for the four nations of the United Kingdom. Epsom and Ewell is very privileged to have this extraordinary amenity at our doorstep.

^{Ed: This story was ready to break just before Queen Elizabeth II died. Out of respect for the Royal Family we put a hold on publication until after the State Funeral. The car park remains closed as of today.}

Sustainable Epsom and Ewell is an independent, apolitical and entirely volunteer led environmental group aiming to raise environmental ambitions in the Borough. Sustainable Epsom and Ewell was founded in late 2019. 

As a group they organise events for local residents, have a website with useful local information and tips for residents, and take action with our Council. They also have a social media presence on Facebook and Instagram. 

At Sustainable Epsom and Ewell they feel strongly about our local environment and want to share their resources and extensive local knowledge to get more residents involved and taking action.  They have high ambitions for our  Borough and believe the Council can and should take a greater lead and bolder actions to address, mitigate and adapt to the Climate and Environmental Crises. 

Over the past years they have organised several events including “Green Friday” to raise awareness about the excessive consumption culture promoted through Black Friday events, a Cycling themed debate where both Surrey and Local councillors spoke as well as committee members of the Epsom and Ewell Cycle Action Group. 

However, their biggest events to date have been two Eco Fairs, organised in partnership with St Martin of Tour’s Church in 2021 and 2022. The aims of the Eco Fair are threefold: 

1)  to  highlight and showcase the groups active in our Borough as well as Council teams active in the environment fields,

2)  to inspire local residents and groups to volunteer, take action and share experiences, 

3)  to highlight the strong proportion of residents keen to take personal action whilst encouraging the Council raise their green ambitions through action. 

The 2022 fair included over 14 different groups, including Surrey Wildlife Trust, Epsom and Ewell Tree Advisory Group, the Lower Mole Partnership, Oxfam, the Epsom Repair Cafe, Dr Bike and the Epsom Civic Society as well as local green businesses. 

This year in addition to the many residents who attended, the Fair attracted a visit from MP Chris Grayling and Epsom and Ewell’s Mayor Clive Woodbridge. 

In the short-term future, they hope to continue to expand their reach to residents, campaign for real, ambitious and proactive Council measures in the environmental fields and provide opportunities for local groups and residents to meet and engage through events.  

www.SustainableEpsomEwell.co.uk

Facebook/Instagram: @SustainableEpsomEwell

Two Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) staff members set off to Poland yesterday (Thursday 6 October) to donate another 4×4 Land Rover to the Ukrainian Fire and Rescue Service.

This donation is part of the National Fire Chief Council and UK charity FIREAID’s convoy 4. Convoy 3, which was delivered in May this year, also saw a donation of two 4×4 Land Rovers by SFRS.

The vehicles, which have been decommissioned by the service, are typically used for off-road/rural firefighting. The service has worked with its Fire Authority, Surrey County Council, to prepare and release the vehicle.

The two staff members who have volunteered, will meet other UK Fire and Rescue Services who are donating items, they’ll then handover the vehicles in Poland next week.

Acting Chief Fire Officer, Dan Quin, said: “I am proud to be able to continue our support to the people of Ukraine during this incredibly difficult time. Thank you to all organisations who are supporting these efforts and to Chris, who also donated the equipment during the last convoy, and Lee from our Engineering team, who are supporting the delivery. Chris will be taking us on the journey over on our Instagram channel, so please do follow us so you can witness another historic effort from UK Fire and Rescue Services.”

Cabinet Member for Communities and Community Safety (which includes Surrey Fire and Rescue Service), Denise Turner Stewart, said: “Surrey County Council’s priority is to ensure no one is left behind and supporting yet another national convoy does just that. I am so pleased that we are able to support this national effort and we would like to sincerely thank all involved.” Surrey County Council has a lot of information available on surreycc.gov.uk for communities who’d like to support, as well as guidance for Ukrainians coming to Surrey.

Surrey County Council News

A council chief has called on select committee members to use their status as a “top Tory” authority to influence health spending at government level. Calling ambulances backed up outside hospitals “dangerous” and saying “we don’t want old people on trolleys in corridors”, one of the council’s health directors said it would take everyone working together to get through the winter.

Surrey County Council’s adults and health select committee heard on Wednesday (October 6) from representatives from Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System (ICS), South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) and Frimley Health and Care ICS.

As the health organisations set out their plans for winter pressures, and commitment to working together to cope, members heard of current issues including Frimley Park hospital beds being nearly 100 per cent full most of the time and systems issues causing delays in ambulance handover times.

Liz Bruce, joint executive director for adult social care and integrated commissioning (Surrey County Council and Surrey Heartlands ICS), said she “absolutely agreed” that ambulances backed up outside hospitals was “high risk and dangerous to everybody else in the community”. She said: “We don’t want old people on trolleys in corridors, and therefore we’re all in this together.” She highlighted the importance of the “whole system” working together, saying improvements were “everybody’s responsibility”.

The director said: “What can this committee do to help us? A Conservative council, a top Tory council, you can help us by influencing government around funding nationally for hospital discharge and social care, and how we support sick people safely to go into hospital and come out again. Because we don’t want to see elderly people go into long term care when they don’t need to.”

While the government had announced £500million for health care over the winter, she said it was not yet clear how it would be allocated or if it was “truly new money”. Saying she expected the winter to be “extremely challenging”, she added: “It’s very obvious that we’re going into significant and stark problems in our system for people in discharge. I’ve asked [my team] to build, very quickly, a business continuity plan around with winter discharge.”

The meeting heard from South East Coast Ambulance and Surrey Heartlands representatives about what was being done to improve ambulance handover times. Moving towards electronic patient records, virtual wards and daily meetings were all hoped to help with delayed handovers which were made worse by sicker patients and “systems problems”.

SECAmb’s deputy director of operations Mark Eley said he was having to balance offering staff overtime, particularly in the current financial situation, with the risk they might “work too hard, wear themselves out” and go off sick. He said: “Staff are becoming very weary and worn from the last two years, so I’m not pushing too hard because as I increase my overtime, I can increase my sickness if I’m not careful.”

The issues with Frimley Park hospital beds being full “almost all of the time” were also said to be caused by not being able to discharge patients who were well enough to go home.

Statistics for the UK show that 30 people die and 2,000 are injured each year as a result of fires in
the workplace. The damage to businesses caused by fire costs the economy over £6 billion and 75%
of businesses that have a fire within the first year never trade again.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service aims to support businesses in reducing the risk and impact of a
fire by offering free advice and guidance on fire safety.

Their Business Safe and Well Visits take just ten to fifteen minutes and cover aspects such as
identifying the hazards, reducing the risk of a fire starting and steps to ensure the safety of staff and
visitors.

Dean, a Fire Fighter on Green Watch at Epsom Fire Station, said “Our Business Safe and Well Visits are an effective way of educating businesses on fire safety and reducing the number of fires we have to attend”

If you would like a free Business Safe and Well Visit, please visit www.surreycc.gov.uk/businesssafety
or simply scan the QR code below and complete the request form.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
Email businesssafety.education@surreycc.gov.uk

The Epsom and Ewell Energy Support Scheme is a plan to offer those running into difficulties immediate help with their bills, and then advice and financial support to improve energy efficiency or reduce energy consumption in their homes and so reduce bills going forward. This might include buying a more efficient appliance for them or helping with improved insulation. The scheme is supported by local MP Chris Grayling

To help support this programme they are asking local households who have less difficulty paying for these higher energy bills to donate their £400 support payments to the fund so that it can be used to help reduce the bills of those who are struggling. If you are able to do this, they would be very grateful, and all other donations are of course also very welcome.

The Scheme is being run jointly by the Good Company, which runs the local food bank, and Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell helped by local Churches. It will offer both advice sessions to help those who are not sure how to improve their energy efficiency as well as assistance paying for improvements.

To make a donation, please visit the donations page at www.justgiving.com/campaign/epsom-ewell-energy-support-scheme  

Our special correspondent shares his local experience.

In the good old days before Covid 19 you could visit the surgery to book to see a doctor, or instead telephone. You can do neither these days; now you have to fill an online form in and in a day or so the doctor will get back to you. If you are lucky, you will be able book a face-to-face appointment with the doctor provided you do not have a temperature or any other of the dreaded symptoms of Covid.

There is one exception to this; if you have an eye problem you book an appointment at SpecSavers as (at least in this area) they act on behalf of the NHS. They do an excellent job; for minor problems they will sort it out. If not, they will send you off to the eye hospital to be seen straight away as a lengthy wait to see a consultant may result in more damage.

I have been a type 2 diabetic for twenty-five years and because of this annually I have my eyes screened; photographs are taken of the back of the eyes. When I started this was done at Epsom Hospital. I got there by bus and the procedure was tiresome, as they put drops in your eyes which make your sight blurry. But it had to be done!  Then after a few years the technician gave me some good news; they had a modern machine and drops in the eyes were no longer needed. Absolutely brilliant. On top of that she would put your mind at ease and tell you not to worry.

Then someone in government decided to privatise the operation and accepting the lowest bid without having regard to anything else the service went into rapid deterioration. The new equipment was sold off and outdated technology returned. Years later, the privatised version of diabetic eye screening is still using equipment that became obsolete twenty year ago. Now you are advised:

*  plan how you’ll get to and from the test – do not drive, as you sight may be blurry for a few hours afterwards.

* you might want to bring someone with you or ask someone to collect you after the test.

* During the test you’ll be asked to read some letters on a chart first.

* Drops are then put in your eyes. This may sting for a few seconds. The drops make your sight blurry after about 15 minutes. After that you’ll be asked to look into a camera.

* After the test you will not get the result on the day. You will get a letter about your result within 6 weeks.

Screening can take place at various venues, such as community centres, as well as hospitals.

I could have my eyes screened at Epsom Hospital without spending a penny on transport as the 166 bus would drop me outside. However, I choose not to because I do not need to waste a few hours being unable to see properly. Instead, I have my eyes photographed at Steven Harris Opticians in Beckenham. I get there by train and tram, but if I did not want to spend any money, I could take the 166 to Croydon Bus Station and get another bus from there to Beckenham. They take a number of photos in each eye (not just one in each eye) and the consultant shows me these and what they mean; he says we are looking for consistency with last year. No drops and a fantastic service.

Of course, other opticians, including SpecSavers, have the latest equipment also.

I keep on being harrassed by Surrey’s Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP). They insist that if I opt out it means I don’t have my eyes screened and they will inform my GP. They simply don’t understand that there are better services out there.

Anyone over 60 can have a full eye test, including a retinal scan FOR FREE under the NHS. Those under 60 can go privately and the same procedure costs around £45. In my view, such a fee is worth every penny.  After all, it would relieve the anxiety of waiting six weeks to know if there were a problem or not.

The NHS would save a fortune if they scrapped this privatised service and organised screening through qualified opticians.   

[Do you have a view? Write to us. Ed]

Four new trustees have joined Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell’s (CAEE) Board to guide and lead
the charity as it approaches what will undoubtedly be a very difficult winter.
Peter Edwards, chair of the Trustee Board, said: “I’m delighted to welcome four new and very talented trustees who will strengthen the Board at a challenging time for our charity, as we are already seeing rapidly rising demand for our services, inflationary pressures on costs, and fewer resources. With inflation rising steeply, the cost of living is a major concern for us all, and especially for the people we are here to help. Families on the lowest incomes will be hit hardest by spiraling price increases and our frontline advisers are already supporting people who are finding it difficult to get by.”

Photo from left to right back row: Andrew Heffernan, George Bell, Ian Davison, Shaun Jones, Patrick O’Driscoll. Front row left to right: Fiona Taylor, Lisa Davis, Yvette Ball, Hardik Trivedi and Peter Edwards.

Joining the Board as new trustees are Yvette Ball, Hardik Trivedi, Fiona Taylor and Andrew Heffernan. Yvette’s professional career was with the Probation Service culminating as Chief Officer of the service in Gloucestershire and then Surrey. With retirement her voluntary career has included Chair of Faith in Action Merton Homelessness Project and then of Refugees at Home before joining CAEE. In these roles Yvette led the organisations to achieve success, changing dysfunctional groups into high functioning teams and enabling the charities to thrive. She gained good knowledge of governance from experience as an Honorary Secretary. She understands disadvantage and brings her passion to tackle it as incoming Chair designate.

Hardik is an experienced consultant with Duetsche Bank and has a track record in delivering transformation projects across different industries in government and commercial organisations. Prior to consulting, he was a systems engineer within the UK Ministry of Defence. Hardik holds an MBA from University of Warwick and a MEng in Aerospace Engineering from Queen Mary University of London.

Fiona has 35 years’ experience in the transport industry including 13 years with her current employer, Network Rail, holding a number of director and senior leadership roles. Fiona spent several years as a self-employed consultant, working on a range of transformation, business improvement and commercial bidding assignments.
Andrew started his career in brand marketing for a number of blue-chip organisations, following which he took a break from the corporate world to qualify as a teacher. Andrew then worked for an educational charity before taking on the role of Membership and Marketing Director for a leading membership body in the social care sector.
Those who have departed are Alison Cribbs, vice-chair, who had been a trustee since 2015, Ian Davison who joined the board in October 2016 and chaired the HR committee, Bernie Watson who joined the board in 2018, and Alexis Marz and Hony Premial who both joined in 2017 and sat on the Finance and HR committees respectively.

Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.
Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell (CAEE) is a small, local charity offering free advice and information for all who live, work and study in the borough of Epsom & Ewell. All advice is free, confidential, impartial and independent.

Each year CAEE helps around 3,000 clients with issues such as benefits, housing, debt, fuel poverty, family issues and much more. Our outcomes are extremely positive not only for the clients we serve, but also for the wider community. During 2020/21 we secured income in excess of £1.2m for our clients. Our added value to society totalled £1.06m in fiscal benefits by reducing health service demand and maintaining employment and housing. The wider economic and social benefit of our work during 2020/21 totalled almost £8m.

As a small charity we are responsible for raising our funds. It costs, on average, £60 for each client that we help. To make a donation please visit www.caee.org.uk/donate/ Just £5 per month could enable us to help another client this year.

To get advice please use our freephone adviceline 0808 278 7963 or visit our website where you can get advice by emails and also find details of our drop in service.

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council is installing 14 memorial benches across the Borough to commemorate all the lives lost in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Metal benches have been placed at Alexandra Recreations Ground, Long Grove Park, Nonsuch Park, Shadbolt Park, Stoneleigh Broadway and The Grove in Ewell Village.

More metal benches are in the process of being installed at Auriol Park, Ewell Court Park, Mounthill Gardens and The Wells Centre.

Wooden benches will also be placed at Epsom Common, Grandstand Road, Horton Country Park and Hogsmill by the stepping stones at a later date. Flowers will also be planted around the benches where appropriate.

Funding for the benches was provided via the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

Councillor Hannah Dalton, who put forward the CIL bid, said, “The past two years have been extremely hard for everyone in the borough, but more so for those who have lost loved ones. These benches are our permanent memorial to all those affected by the pandemic.

“I hope they will bring comfort to grieving families, ensuring that their loved one will always have a place in and be remembered by our community.”

Councillor John Beckett, Chair of Environment and Safe Communities Committee, added, “While these benches memorialise the pandemic, they also represent a time for reflection within the Borough. I can’t think of a more fitting tribute to those we have lost, than to have something to remind us and generations to come.”

Epsom Strength and Balance is celebrating five years of helping seniors in the local community stay stronger and keep upright longer.  Karen Willson changed career to one in the fitness industry after medically retiring from working at City Hall. She trained thanks to Instructability, which trains disabled people and helped her get a job at a local leisure centre in 2014. Enjoying helping people improve their health, she later trained as a personal trainer and Otago instructor. This allowed her to start Epsom Strength and Balance [ESB] in September 2017. Gradually classes increased in size and more classes were required. Now, after the pandemic, she is rebuilding her business and reconnecting with people in our community.  She just loves to see people ‘stay strong and keep upright longer’.

The ESB community has improved their strength and balance by doing activities in fun weekly group classes. This has improved their posture and mobility, which reduces their risk of tripping and falling.  They learn how to safely get up off the floor and how to recover their balance so they do not fall. This allows us to safely do the things we enjoy. 

We are all getting older each day and we can improve our quality of life during our later life. These weekly classes have helped reduce the severity and number of trips into hospital following a fall. ESB classes are now delivered at home via zoom and as group classes in Ashtead and Epsom.

 Is it time you reduced your risk of falling by improving your posture and mobility?

Some people prefer to move to music. Sit and Stay Fit is a class of gentle movement to music from the 60s and 70s and this can be done sitting down. You’ll be surprised how beneficial it is for the whole body.

Join Karen:

Ashtead St George’s Christian Centre Mondays at 1:45 or

Epsom Methodist Church Wednesdays at 11:30 & 13:30.

Email   Epsomstrengthandbalance@gmail.com  or call Karen on (07771 647132)

Sit and Stay Fit Tuesdays at Epsom Methodist Church 14:00 

email Sitandstayfit@gmail.com or call Karen on (07771 647132

Visit: EpsomStrengthandBalance.com

ShedArt Gallery will be painting for Epsom based Surrey Stands With Ukraine during Mole Valley Arts Alive in October. There will be paintings of sunflowers and other subjects in different media and sizes. All proceeds from the sale of these paintings will go towards a bus pass for a local Ukrainian family and the rest will go directly to the charity.

In addition to the Ukraine-themed paintings, there will be over 100 other works on display including from two new artists who have recently joined the Gallery. These events are always a lot of fun for everyone and it’s a chance to meet the local artists and see how they work.

One artist has welcomed a Ukrainian family into her home and the gallery has become aware of how difficult it is for them to live in a different country and not able to speak English and hence not able to work. They decided to help by dedicating wall space in their gallery to Ukraine. Some of the artists have chosen sunflowers as their theme. Some will donate a piece of their existing work to this cause.

In addition to the Ukraine-themed paintings, there will be over 100 other works on display including from two new artists who have recently joined the Gallery. These events are always a lot of fun for everyone and it’s a chance to meet the local artists and see how they work.

ShedArt Gallery is located in Harlow House Barn, Dukes Road, Newdigate RH5 5BX Telephone: 07851 71395
(Do not use Post Code on SatNav. Enter from Rusper Road end – no entry from Partridge Lane)

There is free parking and toilets, with complementary tea and coffee available. Please note that there is a small flight of stairs to access the studio.

Admission is FREE.

www.shedartgallery.com shedart@shedartgallery facebook.com/Shedartgallery Instagram.com/Shedartgallery

Beavers and adults from 8th/14th Epsom (Air Scouts) and 3rd Epsom (St Martins) joined over 400 Beavers and leaders from other Surrey Scout groups. Beavers Go Wild is an overnight camp which is held at Bentley Copse Activity Centre, south of Guildford, which is owned by Surrey Scouts.

During last weekend over 50 activities were on offer including Zip Line, Go Karts, climbing, caving, bouncy castles, making large bubbles, giant games, target slingshot paintballing, assault course and many more. In addition, young Beavers got to learn about Rail Safety by Network Rail who brought their train set, which is part of giving Scouting “skillsforlife”.

Denise Iverson, Assistant County Commissioner (Beaver Scouts), said: “Fun and Friends, it was great seeing all the children and leaders meeting new and old friends”.

Beaver Scouts are 6–8 years old, the next section on from Squirrels which are 4-6 years old.

Barnaby a Beaver Scout aged 6.5 from Epsom & Ewell, said: “I liked the campfire because it was nice and toasty.” Evelyn a Beaver Scout aged 6 from Farnham, said: “I liked the Zip Line as it feels like you are flying when you are doing it.” Matthew a Beaver Scout aged 7 from Pyford, said: “I liked doing all the activities with my friends.”

Finley a Beaver Scout aged 6.5 from Haslemere, said: “I liked the cave maze because there was lots of different ways out and campfire because there was lots of singing.” Jayden a Beaver Scout aged 7 from Sunbury, said: “I liked the cave maze because I like the dark.” Rory a Beaver Scout aged 7 from Farnham, said: “I liked the rock climbing as it was fun and challenging.” Vivian a Beaver Scout aged 7 from Farnham, said: “I liked the arts and crafts and I made some rope.”

All genders, races and backgrounds are welcome at Scouts. Every week, it gives almost half a million people aged 4-25 the skills they need for school, college, university, the job interview, the important speech, the tricky challenge and the big dreams: the skills they need for life.  

Scouts helps members gain these skills by encouraging them to ask the big questions and listen with wide open minds. It helps them to take a deep breath and speak up, think on their feet, ignore the butterflies and go for it. With Scouts, young people don’t give up – they get back up and try again, often with the support of the friends they’ve made there.  

Scout volunteers contribute more than 50 million hours of voluntary work each year to their local communities.