Today we catch up with two match reports for Epsom and Ewell FC courtesy of Richard Lambert.

Forest Row 0-0 Epsom & Ewell – abandoned after 82 minutes – Southern Combination League – Division One
Wednesday 14th September 2022. Report Source: www.eefconline.co.uk

Despite holding the balance of possession in the match against Forest Row at their temporary ground of Oakwood FC, we rarely looked like scoring and with the match heading towards a goalless draw, the contest was cut short following an 82nd minute injury to Andy “Woody” Hall, which I’m informed was provisionally diagnosed as a break to one of the bones in his lower leg. Although I don’t have stats for injuries, it feels like decades since we had a player suffering a broken leg and we wish Woody all the best for a speedy recovery.

It was way back in 1938 that we last won on this date and in my mind I had already written the headline. “Epsom return to the top of the table, winning for the first time on this date since the Queen was merely a Princess!” Alas it was not to be, and we actually fell one place to sixth in the table, although will retain this match in hand for now while we await a date for the rearranged fixture.

On a chilly evening that reminds you that Autumn is on its way, the players gathered together for an immaculate minute’s silence in respect of our late Queen. In terms of personnel, Hall came in for Aaron Bogle, while further forward Nick Wilson, Adam Grant and Josh Owen were in the starting line-up at the expense of Ricardo Fernandes, Gavin Quintyne and Jaevon Dyer, although all three were on the bench and would join the action later. Meanwhile in the absence of the suspended Gideon Acheampong, Brad Peters took the armband and was by some distance our best player tonight.

In truth very few players enhanced their reputation in this match. On a tricky surface, albeit one where we had coasted to a five goal win over Oakwood only a fortnight earlier, we overplayed the ball in the first half and then went far more direct in the second, yet created very few real chances with either tactic over the course of the ninety minutes.

Our opponents didn’t fare any better and we rarely looked in serious danger, although Matt Walton had to be aware to make a good block from a header in the 26th minute. We had a couple of shots on target by this point from Owen and Richard Pingling, but neither caused the home keeper much alarm. Our first really good opportunity came from a Peters run which was unfairly ended on the edge of the penalty area and Ryan Smith’s strike to the far corner was well kept out by the diving keeper on the half hour.

As the half came to a close we started to put more pressure onto the home side, but Owen’s shot was half blocked which took the sting out of it and then Smith’s free kick was headed back into the danger area by Peters, where Owen headed over from close range. The hosts put a header wide from a good position before Jubril Adamson poked a shot just wide from twelve yards and the teams went in goalless at the break.

Going down the slope in the second half I still felt we would break through and go on to win, but it was Forest Row who began to grow into the match and had a few long range shots at our goal, Walton tipped one wide for a corner, while another just cleared our crossbar. Fernandes and Dyer joined the action on the wings but still we couldn’t find a way through.

Wilson struck a low fizzing drive inches wide of the far post before Dyer had our best chance just after the hour, latching on to a pass through the defence and sending his defender the wrong way, but after doing the hard work and with only the keeper to beat, he lost his balance and never really got a shot in, stumbling over the ball which dribbled through to the grateful keeper. You begun to wonder if this wasn’t going to be our day and those fears were confirmed after Peters made a mazy run through defence, only to clip the ball back across goal, again missing the far post by inches.

Wilson picked up a yellow card in the 82nd minute for persistent fouls, but the game never restarted as the referee was then made aware that Hall was lying in the middle of the field in considerable discomfort. It looked like it had been an innocuous contact, but after a few minutes it was apparent that he wasn’t getting up any time soon and after twelve minutes with no sign of an ambulance to this point, the referee chose to abandon the match.

This was only the second time in club history where we had an abandonment for a player injury, following a similar situation against Egham Town back in April 2008 up at Banstead Athletic. That match was rearranged and despite rumours of this result being allowed to stand, a replay will surely be ordered. As an example, last season Worthing United v Storrington was abandoned in the 90th minute for a player injury, yet had to be contested again, and whilst our abandoned match at Dorking Wanderers Reserves was allowed to stand, the circumstances of that one were completely different! Actually, the fact that the match will be rearranged was probably the only positive to take from the evening as it would give us another opportunity to win the three points. In the meantime I can confirm that everyone’s appearance will be recorded as a competitive fixture in accordance with all other abandoned matches in our history.

Epsom & Ewell: Matt Walton, Johnny “Sonic” Akoto, Zach Powell, Ryan ‘Butch’ Smith, Brad Peters (c), Andy “Woody” Hall, Richard Pingling, Nick Wilson, Jubril “Jibs” Adamson, Josh Owen, Adam Grant

Subs: Jaevon Dyer for Adamson (56), Ricardo Fernandes for Pingling (56), Gavin Quintyne for Owen (80)

Epsom & Ewell 6-1 Wick Southern Combination League – Division One Saturday 17th September 2022

We registered our fifth straight League win on Saturday as top of the table Wick visited Fetcham Grove and received a bit of a hiding as we ran up a 6-1 victory which, coupled with other results on the day, enabled us to rise from sixth place to take our opponent’s position at the head of the table. We currently have the highest number of goals scored and the best goal difference, as of course was the case in our division last season, even though it would prove only good enough for sixth place in the final reckoning. This time I have a feeling that this might be different.

In truth this was a strange match, which started slowly and was played at quite a slow tempo, which enabled our boys to show what they could do, particularly in the early stages of the second half when we were dominant. However, for large parts of the match there wasn’t a lot between the sides, even though we did look more dangerous throughout and in Jaevon Dyer we had the best player on the park, providing a constant threat to the opposition and eventually winning a penalty in the final seconds of the first half that put daylight between the teams at the break and arguably allowed us to express ourselves freely in that second period.

In terms of personnel, the only bit of bad news was that Club Captain Gideon Acheampong remained suspended, due to Wednesday’s match at Forest Row being abandoned and therefore not counting as his one game off. However, Johnny “Sonic” Akoto continued in his place and such is the strength in depth with this squad that it proved a seamless transition. Aaron Bogle came in for the Andy Hall, whose bad injury on Wednesday led to the abandonment and will keep him out for some time. Also returning to the starting eleven alongside Dyer were Athan Smith-Joseph, Gavin Quintyne and Ricardo Fernandes, so Richard Pingling, Jubril Adamson, Josh Owen and Adam Grant returned to the bench after starting in Wednesday’s underwhelming performance. Finally, Steve Springett remained unavailable after his injury at Worthing United but the cast will be off shortly and he was kicking a ball in the warm up, so it won’t be long before he is pressing for a recall.

The afternoon commenced with another impeccable minute’s silence for Queen Elizabeth II and this was followed by something that may well become a new tradition at Fetcham Grove; that of counting the crowd! Our club have recently taken the sad step of inflating the size of the gate in a misguided attempt to show that support is increasing, even though the only news the supporters get told, comes from this website. For the record, three independent counts put the attendance at 87. Performances like this one will surely lead to an increase in support, but until this practice stops, the crowd number will be recorded here.

It was clear right from the start that the visitors were playing a very high line at the back, which meant that a number of our early passes ran through to their goalie, playing on the edge of his penalty area in a sort of sweeper/keeper role. This high line had a direct effect of compressing the play into midfield and provided proof to me, which some people doubted, that Zach Powell’s opener was a genuine strike at goal from fifty yards. Under normal circumstances, it might have been seen as an over hit pass from midfield, but because of the high line, it would have required a pass of no more that twenty yards. Powell’s strike flew at least forty yards through the air, just cleared the retreating keeper and bounced into the net in the 14th minute. It was clearly deliberate.

We had a bit of a scare a few minutes later as Matt Walton’s scuffed goal clearance from out wide went directly to Wick’s danger man Dave Crouch in a central position, and from 25 yards out he struck at the vacant goal. The ball seemed to run for ages before it just went the right side of the post from an Epsom perspective.

Smith-Joseph provided a nice low ball across goal just ahead of Fernandes and with Dyer having done the same just before our goal, I was wondering about the wisdom of playing one of our hard-working midfielders in such an advanced position. This became more apparent in the 35th minute when Dyer produced a great run and low shot from 18 yards that hit the inside of the Wick post and bounced across towards Fernandes, but his attempt to knock in the loose ball from less than six yards was denied by a combination of defender and then keeper. However, Fernandes would have the last laugh by the game’s end.

We had a brief stoppage a few minutes from the end of the half which seemed to come out of nothing, but led to a scuffle between a few players and accusations of foul play from both sides, but it all settled down and we began to get on top again. Dyer was causing real trouble now and he beat three men on another run before setting up Smith-Joseph for a strike, but it was an easy save for the keeper in the end. However, Dyer wasn’t finished though and in the second minute of injury time, he chased another ball on the right, twisted and turned his defender who then brought him down. Ryan Smith then stepped up to score his first goal for the club from the penalty spot with the same accuracy he uses for his free kicks. The half time whistle blew immediately after the restart and we went in two goals ahead.

We came out for the second period in a more relaxed frame of mind and at times played some of our best football of the season. Smith-Joseph started to torment his opponents, pulling the ball back from the left, but Quintyne blazed over from just inside the area. Whilst Akoto was in my opinion harshly booked soon after, we extended our lead in the 55th minute when Smith-Joseph produced one of his trademark mazy runs and finished off with an unstoppable strike from ten yards into the roof of the net to make it 3-0.

If it wasn’t game over then, it certainly was three minutes after that when a great pass from midfield broke the Wick high line and with their players claiming offside, Fernandes carried on his run, drew the keeper and then slotted the ball under him for our fourth goal. I had a fairly good view of this one, but even I couldn’t say for certain whether he was onside or not. It was certainly a tight call. either way though the dog’s abuse that was directed at the Assistant by at least three players was inexcusable and the Wick number 6 was rightly sent to the sin-bin. He could easily have been accompanied there by other team-mates.

While the visitors were down to ten men we extended our lead to five-nil in the 65th minute as Smith-Joseph got around the back of the defence on the left and his pull back was finished off superbly into the top corner by Fernandes from fifteen yards, who in one match doubled his goals tally for the club from two to four and proved me wrong in the process for suggesting he was playing too far forward. Sorry Ricardo!

The visitors returned to eleven men soon after, while we made a number of substitutions. Whether this disrupted our play is hard to say, but either way Wick pulled a goal back in the 77th minute as Ronald Kardos ran at goal and we stood off him, inviting him to shoot, which he then did into the far corner with Walton possibly unsighted at first. This was a pity but we bounced back in style four minutes later when a great pass from Pingling put Grant through the colander-like offside trap and he finished as clinically as Fernandes had earlier to make it 6-1.

In the final moments Crouch had a shot tipped over by Walton and Owen shot weakly from a good position but it made no difference as we were convincing winners by that time and while we now sit at the top of the table it should be pointed out that we have only played two home games and scored eleven times in those matches. Has anyone else in the country got a better home scoring record right now? Yes of course it is early days, and the performance at Forest Row on Wednesday is useful to remind us that we can still play poorly at times, but Saturday’s win was more than just three points, it was a statement to the rest of the league. We are here and we don’t intend to let it slip this season.

Epsom & Ewell: Matt Walton, Johnny “Sonic” Akoto, Zach Powell, Ryan ‘Butch’ Smith, Brad Peters (c), Aaron Bogle, Athan Smith-Joseph, Nick Wilson, Jaevon Dyer, Gavin Quintyne, Ricardo Fernandes

Subs: Josh Owen for Quintyne (72), Adam Grant for Smith-Joseph (72), Louis Chin for Akoto (76), Richard Pingling for Dyer (76), Jubril “Jibs” Adamson for Wilson (82)

and goodbye to a regular Royal visitor to our Borough.

In the heart of Epsom and Ewell, The North-East Surrey College of Technology has a range of activities and courses available to the general public. From theatre hire, Saturday courses, distance learning, osteopathy and beauty…….

An open event for next year’s courses is on Wednesday 28 September (4.30pm – 7.30pm). Register to find out about courses for school leavers, adult part-time, apprenticeships, university-level or FREE distance learning courses.

A gym is fully fitted with a range of cardio and weights for all your workout needs. Instructors are on hand to provide advice to help you achieve your goals. Membership options from £21 per month, no contract. Fitness classes included. Personal training now available. Students get an extra discount. Details HERE.

A professional hair and beauty salon is offering a 10% discount to all new customers on their first visit. Details HERE.

A very popular Day Nursery for children aged 0-5 has recently been extended to alllow for more places. Ofsted rated ‘Good’. Details HERE

Saturday Academies for 13-16 year olds. A new season of popular, fun courses for teenagers starts in November, and they are selling fast. Details HERE

They have excellent grass football pitches for hire (adult and junior). The Sports Centre is available for hire for a range of activities, including badminton, basketball and football. Available for single bookings or block bookings. Details HERE

Any aches and pains? Nescot’s Osteopathy Clinic offers affordable treatment in our modern facility. Concessions available for public and students. Details HERE

NESCOT has small and large rooms for hire, and a 215 seat theatre. Details HERE. The campus and its facilities are available for filming or as a location base. Details HERE

Services for Local Business
NESCOT offers apprenticeship training and they also have students available for industry placement and work experience. They also host business breakfasts at Nescot for local business people to get together. Details HERE. Nescot offers a service providing leaflets, booklets, binding and copying for both businesses and individuals. Details HERE.

Free Level 2 online courses for 19+ in Health, Social Care, Business, Computing, Education and more. See HERE for eligibility.

Nescot. An institution the Borough can be proud of.

Coursera Inc., a global online learning platform, has announced that it is partnering with North East Surrey College of Technology (NESCOT), to both enhance and expand teaching delivery, and to prepare the college’s 9000 students for in-demand careers in the digital economy. 

With NESCOT being a partner in the new Coast to Capital region’s Institutes of Technology, access to Coursera will support the college’s aim to deliver a wider range of advanced technical qualifications and higher education courses. NESCOT’s staff will have access to the full Coursera catalogue, including 22 entry-level professional certificates offered by Google, IBM, Meta, and other leading industry partners. The partnership will thereby create additional opportunities for NESCOT’s staff to develop the skills needed to deliver courses on high-demand technologies including AI, data science, engineering and software development.

Coursera is doubling down on its efforts to support the nation’s further education strategy, with the UK government increasingly investing in its new T Levels programme, and with participation in adult government-funded further education having increased by 4.6% over the past year.

The partnership with NESCOT builds upon Coursera’s relationship with the TEC Partnership, one of England’s largest providers of further and technical education, to expand its contribution to the UK’s further and higher education sector. It will do so by filling curriculum gaps, expanding NESCOT’s provision of job-aligned vocational courses, and bridging the gap between student skills and employer needs. 

By empowering faculty professional development and bridging this gap, Coursera and NESCOT seek to narrow the UK’s technology and data science skills gaps. The 2022 Global Skills Report, released in June by Coursera, found that the United Kingdom’s technology skills proficiency continues to lag behind a majority of European nations, ranking 42nd globally for technology skills, and 24th among the 33 European nations indexed in the report. 

Anthony Tattersall, Vice-President for EMEA, Coursera, said: “As the UK further education sector seeks to empower learners to thrive in the digital economy, collaborating to scale up the delivery of high-demand technology, business, and data science skills is essential. We are excited to partner with NESCOT by helping support their faculty to deliver high-quality, job-relevant skills training to their students, and to evolve the college’s blended learning provision.”

Coursera currently supports the skills development of 2.75 million UK learners. UK institutions already partnering with Coursera include Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London, The University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Leeds, University of London and the University of Manchester. UK learners are able to access 2,500+ Guided Projects, 5,000+ courses, 625+ Specializations, more than 75 Certificates (of which 22 are Entry-Level Professional Certificates), and 35+ degrees. In the first eight months of 2022, UK learners spent more than 1.1 million hours upskilling and reskilling on Coursera’s platform.

About Coursera 

Coursera was launched in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 107 million registered learners as of June 30, 2022. Coursera partners with over 275 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, Guided Projects, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Institutions around the world use Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students in fields such as data science, technology, and business. Coursera became a B Corp in February 2021.

About NESCOT

Nescot is a further and higher education college based in Ewell, Surrey. Each year over 2000 16-18-year-olds study at the campus on a wide range of vocational courses and apprenticeships, alongside 500 adults on university-level programmes. It also provides part-time and professional qualifications to thousands of adults – both on campus, and through distance learning and employer partnerships.

From 1st October 2022, a new turf Hack Canter on Walton Downs will be provided and maintained for leisure horse riders on Epsom and Walton Downs. This will replace the sand Hack Ride, which will permanently close from this date and be left to return to its natural state. Image © Copyright Hugh Craddock (Horses training on Walton Downs)

_______________________________________________________________________________________

FORMAL NOTICE

OPENING OF HACK CANTER AT EPSOM DOWNS AND CLOSURE OF HACK RIDE

After substantial consultation and discussion between interested parties, from 1 st October 2022, a
new turf Hack Canter on Walton Downs will be provided and maintained for leisure horse riders on
Epsom and Walton Downs. This will replace the sand Hack Ride, which will permanently close from
this date and be left to return to its natural state.
This change has been agreed in the interests of the safety of horses and their riders, and all users of
The Downs. The Hack Canter, which is on grass land previously restricted for use only by Licenced
Racehorse Trainers, will be available for use by leisure riders after noon each day. It may also
continue to be used by Licenced Racehorse Trainers before noon on any day: on such occasions, this
will be agreed and communicated in advance by The Training Grounds Management Board.
The Jockey Club reserves the right to temporarily close part or all of the Hack Canter, as a result of
poor weather and/or unsuitable or unsafe ground conditions, or to facilitate any required
maintenance and major repair works.
The terms of this new arrangement have been approved by The Jockey Club, The Horserace Betting
Levy Board, The Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators, The British Horse Society, and The Epsom
and The Walton Downs Training Grounds Management Board.
Those who wish to comment on this change have 28 days from 22 nd August to do so and all
comments and contributions will be gratefully received . Any correspondence must be sent to
Epsom.reception@thejockeyclub.co.uk by 5.00pm on Monday 19 th September 2022.

The Jockey Club
22 nd August 2022

A two minute silence for the Late Queen was observed before this tightly fought match played out on 10th September 2022. This fixture would have been the first league encounter between these two clubs at Rugby Lane [the home ground of Sutton and Epsom RFC situated just inside the borders of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell,] but the unusually dry summer adversely affected Sutton and Epsom’s pitches. Therefore, in accordance with the regulations the hosts found an alternative venue and were most grateful to the generosity and hospitality of Cobham RFC for letting them use their splendid synthetic surface at Fairmile Lane. This was the first time in the league era that Sutton & Epsom had played a home fixture on a neutral venue though the club have experienced this situation on their travels in the past.

There were seven changes to the squad that lost the opener to Bracknell last Saturday. Returning to the fold were Sutton & Epsom’s stalwarts George Drye, James Caddy and Stefan Cooksammy. In comparison Robbie Martey (Barnes) was making his debut for the Black & Whites. Meanwhile Ross Parsons, Charlie Aylward and Luke Halford were making their first appearances of the campaign. Banbury also failed to win their first game of the season as visitors Havant triumphed at Bodicote Park 26-18. Both clubs were eager to get off the mark and record their first points at the second time of asking. It was mission accomplished for the visitors who recorded a 26-22 win and a bonus point to boot.

After the observation of the silence for Queen Elizabeth II Banbury kicked off the fixture. Soon the Bulls were on the scoreboard after solid ball from the scrum it was spun down the line and Quinten Blythe broke away down the flank and passed to supporting full back Tommy Gray to score for the perfect start. Ed Phillips added the extras for a 7-0 lead. S&E came back strongly with a charge down and turn over from the restart. To add to the woes of the hosts Stefan Cooksammy departed injured to be replaced by Sam Hurley.

Having reshuffled their resources the Rugby Lane team pressed hard to draw level. Just before the end of the first quarter the Black & Whites kicked a penalty into the corner. Following a line out and another penalty hooker James Craig forced his way over from a rolling maul for his first S&E try. Freddy Bunting added the conversion to level it at 7-7.

The game ebbed and flowed with Luke Halford closest to scoring when he was held up over the line as the half hour approached. Five minutes later James Craig went from hero to villain as he was penalised for a high tackle on wing Alex Garbett. S&E would have to endure ten minutes without their hooker. Despite some cussed defence by the Surrey men Banbury would not be denied. Recycling the ball quickly they broke through on the blindside and lock Louis Tooth strode over to score. Ed Phillips added the kick to lead 14-7 in time added on in the first period. There was no further score in the lengthy period of injury time. Sutton returned to their full compliment but James Craig remained on the sidelines with tactical substitute George London continuing whilst the sacrificial lamb, Austin Bell, returned to the fray.

The opening quarter of an hour of the second period saw both sides best play undermined by errors. Then the Oxfordshire team knocked on from a Sutton line out. From the scrum S&E went blind and Robbie Martey touched down to score on his debut. Bunting’s conversion drifted wide as the home team trailed 12-14. S&E were given a helping hand when the Bulls hooker Nick Agbo saw yellow for a deliberate knock on. Then another penalty gave Freddy Bunting the chance to take the lead and he obliged with a well struck kick for a slender 15-14 advantage with a dozen minutes to go. The lead lasted only seconds as Banbury playing their best rugby put together their phases and made the crucial line break to see winger Alex Garbett score. With Ed Phillips’ conversion bisecting the uprights the visitors had a 21-15 lead. A couple of minutes later Tommy Gray pounced on a knock on, scored his second try and the Bodicote Boys had secured a bonus point for a fourth try. Despite the missed conversion the rapid 12-point burst after they had momentarily trailed meant Banbury led 26-15 with five minutes remaining of normal time.

The Black & Whites needed an immediate response and they regathered the restart and forced a penalty. A few phases later and veteran Sam Hurley was through for the try. The conversion was added by Freddy Bunting and Sutton were within a score as they trailed 22-26. The Oxfordshire men pressed hard for the decisive score but stout Sutton resistance prevailed though at the cost of an injured Josh Glanville who was forced off the pitch. In a frenetic finale Luke Halford made a 30 metre break to raise the hopes of the S&E followers but the visitors’ line was not seriously threatened.

With no further addition to the score Banbury had earned their first points of the campaign and a win on the road. Sutton & Epsom were unfortunate to suffer early injuries to not only Stefan Cooksammy but also Alex Mount. However, it was their self-inflicted wounds that were their undoing in a contest that could have gone either way. Tommy Gray was the Man of the Match with a couple of tries in a performance that carried a constant threat. For the Black & Whites Robbie Martey rounded off an impressive debut with a try. It was a case of the curate’s egg for James Craig with a try and a yellow card to add to the now familiar strikes against the head. Freddy Bunting endorsed his growing reputation with fine place-kicking to add to his already considerable all around game.

Next Saturday, 17th September, will see the Black & Whites visit fellow Surrey club Camberley for the first time for a league fixture since January 2013. The hosts after an impressive opening day win over Wimbledon stumbled at the second Havant hurdle and will be keen to return to winning ways. The kick off will be 3pm at Watchetts Recreation Ground as Sutton & Epsom seek their first success of the season.

Sutton & Epsom
Austin Bell, Charlie Aylward, Freddy Bunting, Stefan Cooksammy, Robbie Martey, Jamie
See, Ross Parsons, Alex Mount, James Craig, Luke Halford, Ben Tame, George Drye, Tom
Brooker, Chris Farrell © & James Caddy.
Replacements: (all used) Tom Boaden, Josh Glanville & Sam Hurley.
Banbury
Tommy Gray, Quinten Blythe, Thomas Burman, Louis Richards, Alex Garbutt, Oscar
Triggs, Ed Phillips, James Leonardi, Nick Agbo, Sonny Rowe, Louis Tooth, Jacob Turner,
James Hibbert, George Ding & Ed Berridge.
Replacements: (all used) Ian Isham, Jacob Mills & Dan Brady.

Other Results From Round 2
BRACKNELL 14 29 MAIDENHEAD
HAVANT 18 6 CAMBERLEY
OXFORD HARLEQUINS 21 13 BOURNEMOUTH
ROYAL WOOTTON BASSETT 12 22 LONDON WELSH
WIMBLEDON 55 26 BRIGHTON

Since 1946 Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II missed only three Derby Races held in Epsom. In tribute to Her love of the event the magnificent Queen’s Stand, opened in 1995, was so named. This Platinum year it was officially renamed The Queen Elizabeth II Stand. Sadly, she missed this year’s race-meeting on the occasion of her unparalleled seven-decade long reign. Undeterred the Borough of Epsom and Ewell held a fitting celebration with the lighting of the Platinum Beacon on the Epsom Downs. A feature that will remain a constant reminder of Her Late Majesty’s steadfast service to the Nation and beyond. Over these years it has been the habit of many locals to wait beside a road, hoping to see the Queen on her way to or from the Derby. The lucky ones receiving that famous Royal wrist-ache saving back-handed wave!

The Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, Michael More-Molyneux has issued the following statement:

“On behalf of the people of Surrey, I have expressed our profound sympathy and sincere condolences to HM The King on the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. His Majesty and all the members of the Royal Family are very much in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time. May she rest in peace.”

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council has issued the following statement:

The Councillors and staff of Epsom & Ewell Borough Council (EEBC) are deeply saddened at the news of the death of Her Majesty The Queen. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family at this time.

Flags in the Borough are being flown at half-mast and books of condolence are available for everyone to sign at the Town Hall, Bourne Hall and the Wellbeing Centre. An online book of condolence is also available at https://www.royal.uk.

The Mayor of EEBC, Councillor Clive Woodbridge, has said, ‘Her Majesty was no stranger to Epsom, rarely missing a Derby. She was a much loved and respected monarch, and I know the vast majority of the residents of this Borough will be profoundly saddened by today’s news.

‘As well as our sovereign, Her Majesty was also a mother, grandmother and great grandmother; on behalf of the people of Epsom & Ewell, I extend our sympathies to members of the Royal Family on their personal loss.’

The Interim Chief Executive of EEBC, Jackie King, has said, ‘As Members attend to the democratic process in the Council Chamber, they do so under a portrait of our late monarch; a poignant reminder of duty and personal commitment.

‘I am very aware of the esteem in which Her Majesty is held by the Council’s staff, and on their behalf, I offer our sympathies to the Royal Family.’

Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP for Epsom and Ewell has written to constituents. “I am sure you will want to join me in expressing very great sadness at the death of the Queen. She has been such an important part of our national life and will be hugely missed.”

Friday 9 September is World EV day, a global movement to celebrate switching to electric vehicles and driving change. In Surrey, almost half our emissions come from transport, and about half of that is from private vehicles. So, reducing the emissions from the way we travel about – whether that’s by walking or cycling more, using public transport or switching to an electric car – can help to drastically reduce our carbon footprint.

Electric vehicles produce virtually no exhaust emissions, so are much cleaner than petrol or diesel cars. And lots of people are choosing to make the switch.

Recent Government data shows a 62% increase in battery-operated electric vehicles in the UK, compared to the same period last year and, for the first time, registrations of new electric vehicles outstripped registrations of new diesel vehicles.

To support residents’ switch to electric vehicles, Surrey County Council is installing on-street chargepoints across the county. Phase one of the installation programme will see 80 chargepoints installed across four boroughs – Woking, Guildford, Spelthorne and Waverley. Phase two has already started and includes plans to install 110 chargepoints across six boroughs in the coming months.

Residents can suggest a location for an on street chargepoint near them via a dedicated online map – Have Your Say Today – Surrey EV – Commonplace. Over 1700 suggestions have already been submitted and the information is being used to inform future EV chargepoint installations.

Matt Furniss, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth, said: “On World EV Day, it’s important we recognise the progress we have made in supporting residents to switch to electric vehicles, and the ongoing work to ensure we meet our goals. Transport is such a huge contributor to our carbon emissions in Surrey, so changing the way we travel and reducing our emissions from transport is a key area for achieving our climate change targets.

“We have recently invested over £39m in buses including a new, electric on-demand bus service in Mole Valley.”

Surrey County Council has a target to be a net zero carbon council by 2030 and a net zero county by 2050, in line with government targets.

Access to chargepoints for electric vehicles is essential in order to give resident’s the confidence to make the switch, especially those who do not have access to their own driveway or for whom it’s not appropriate to install a chargepoint at home.

Current estimates are that we would need 10,000 chargepoints in the county by 2030 to meet demand from electric vehicle owners.

Read about one resident’s experience of switching to electric, and why she’s a total convert now! Resident Blog: Going Electric… (commonplace.is)

Keeping with our current focus on planning matters. Woking Borough Council contain the container problem of a posh hotel. Read Local Democracy Reporter Emily Coady-Stemp’s report here.

A Surrey mansion hotel has been given three months to remove from its land two shipping containers being used for storage. Gorse Hill Hotel, near Woking, applied for a lawful development certificate for the containers in January but the application was refused.

Image: Gorse Hill Hotel. Credit: Darren Pepe

The containers, which according to council documents are being used to store tables, chairs and other hotel equipment, have been in place for more than three years.

A meeting of Woking Borough Council’s planning committee on Tuesday (September 6) voted to issue an enforcement notice saying the containers must be removed.

The hotel and conference centre, in Hook Heath Road, is described on its website as “an elegant mansion house hotel [in a] peaceful location, surrounded by expansive manicured gardens”. The Grade II listed building, which was once private house, was built in 1910 and has since been extended. Bed and breakfast at the hotel starts at £124 per night.

The borough council first received a complaint about the two containers in December 2021. Both the neighbour complaining and the hotel’s own subsequent application for the containers said they have been in place since May 2019. Each of the two storage containers measures 6m long x 2.4m wide x 2.5m tall.

According to council documents, in its application for the containers in January, the hotel said they did not amount to development, because they were “ancillary to the site’s use”, did not comprise a “building” operation or constitute a material change in use of the land.

The application was rejected by the council because the “degree of permanence” of the containers, along with their size and each being fixed to the ground through their own weight, meant they counted as buildings according to planning legislation, and therefore planning permission was required.

The council’s senior planning enforcement officer visited the hotel on May 16, when the containers were still being used and had not been moved.

Gorse Hill Hotel has not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

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