Competition: Win a family ticket to The Nonsuch Town and Country Show!
Would you like to win a family ticket to the Nonsuch Town and Country Show? Read on to find out how!
In order to win the ticket, all you need to do is tell us where in Epsom this photo was taken! The prize will go to the first person to guess the location, if no one guesses, then whoever is closest by Friday (29th April) will be selected as the winner, and have their details given to the event organisers.
Rules:
You must guess where in Epsom the photo below was taken
You MUST submit your guess via Twitter, Facebook or via Email (with the subject heading “Nonsuch Competition”).
The FIRST person to guess correctly will be declared the winner at once, and win the familt ticket to the Nonsuch Town and Country Show.
Failing that, the CLOSEST person will be declared the winner on Friday.
Where in Epsom/Ewell was this photograph taken?
Do you know where this was taken? Get in contact and see if you’re right!
To submit your answer, tweet us here, send us a Facebook message/comment or email in at admin@epsomandewelltimes.com
Good Friday Music – The Hub
Regular contributor Baron Armah-Kwatreng lets us in on some delightful Easter tunes! Original article featured on thehubcast.co.uk
Three Recordings for Easter
Image: Salvador Dalí, Christ of Saint John of the Cross, c. 1951
Oil on canvas 204 x 115.9cm. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
Easter is arguably the most important occasion in the Christian calendar as Christians everywhere celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Hub marks this most important occasion with three recordings that in their different ways reflect the spirit of Easter.
Duo Scott and Vince return with another selection of five seasonal songs. Charles A Holme reads his reflective poem and the folk choir from St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Epsom provides its own offering in song.
Scott and Vince’s Easter Special
Picture: Scott Swift and Vince Yearly singing in harmony / Credit: The Hub
Epsom Catenian Circle‘s answer to Simon & Garfunkel – Scott & Vince – return after their successful Christmas Special with a selection of five songs at Easter time.
The songs reflect the duo’s differing tastes with Scott drawing on perennial favourite Stevie Wonder with Lately from the iconic 1980 album Hotter than July . Vince adds a floor-filler from his wedding band days, Van “the Man” Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl from 1967 album Blowin’ Your Mind!. Among three other songs.
The songs were recorded in the Epsom Hospital Radio studio and were then edited to intersperse a Zoom interview with the duo on the inspiration behind each song choice. The interview concluded with a Q&A on what Easter means to each man.
You can listen to the interview and to the songs by clicking on the link below.
Christ of St John of the Cross: A Reflection
by Charles A Holme
Lifted high above an idyllic country view,
A lake, mountains, an empty fishing boat,
Against a menacing black sky. One man crucified.
Viewed from close overhead. A notice on the cross.
He is a carpenter who loved wood. Knew its grain
And strength. Chose it, shaped it, smoothed it
For village life. Seen here, ironically, hanging
From the rough beam of Roman justice
Below a notice.
No crowds passing by busy with their daily lives,
No jeering religious leaders, cowering disciples,
Distraught mother, gambling soldiers or penitent thief.
Alone. Raised against the engulfing black of this world
Below a notice.
Lit to show his Healing Hands, fractured, bleeding, torn,
By hand crafted, hand piercing, second-hand nails.
Shoulder muscles weakening, each shallow precious breath
Sighing blessings, forgiveness, love for Mary, a psalm
Below a notice.
That notice. Is it his name and crime?
A curse or a blessing? About victory or defeat?
Or, like on a parcel, delivery instructions
Sending him to some distant realm to be forgotten?
Or as an unwelcome, uninvited gift,
A ‘return to sender’ address?
It is all of these at the same time.
By his water and blood on that cross
Past and present linked for ever to my future.
Headley-based poet Charles A Holme offers a reflection on Salvador Dali’s arresting painting Christ of St John of the Cross. Piers Townley, a senior PR & Media Officer at The Brain Tumour Charity responded to this post, saying: “I’ve seen that St John of the Cross in real life in Glasgow. It’s an incredibly powerful piece of art up close. It’s huge and really intimidating. In a good way.”
You can listen to Charles A Holme reading his poem by clicking on the link below. Charles is a lay preacher and worshipper at St Mary the Virgin Church of England church in Headley, Surrey.
St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Epsom – Folk Choir
Picture: The St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Epsom Folk Choir in full voice
Choir leader Emma Swan invited The Hub to the group’s rehearsal session before the Palm Sunday service. The choir – from left: Kathy Maskens, Emma Swan, Emma Smith, father and son Vince and Scott White – sang five hymns. Jonathan, the drummer, is in the background.
Kathy Maskens is a regular feature of this site and is the inspiration behind The Hub’s Friday 2-4pm show on Epsom Hospital Radio. The A Team is a patients and staff requests show for the Alexandra Frailty unit where Kathy is the Community Matron. Kathy and Emma Swan share the distinction of performing in the lead role in the musical Godspell.
The first hymn sung by the group, Prepare Ye The Way of The Lord, is from Godspell. After the service, Emma Swan talked to The Hub about the choir’s choice of hymns. You can listen to the conversation with Emma and hear the hymns by clicking on the link below.
After listening to the interview, singer and guitar player Emma White added: The folk group has been going for nearly 40 years! I was born in 1978 and have been in the parish all this time. The group was going since I can remember in the 80s! I have been involved with it since the late 80s, early 90s with a few breaks here and there. How scary is that?!!
Aldi donates 2000 meals to Surrey charities over the Easter period
Aldi helped local charities in Surrey provide 2000 meals to people in need over the Easter school holidays.
The supermarket paired its stores up with local charities, community groups and food banks to donate surplus food, making the most of unsold fresh and chilled food throughout the Easter period.
Around 105 tonnes of food were donated throughout the UK, with more than 187,000 meals expected to be donated to causes focused on supporting families and children.
The donations followed research from Aldi and community-giving platform Neighbourly which found that 98% of food banks in the South East have seen demand soar since the start of the year.
Neighbourly recently polled more than 700 food banks and community causes nationwide and found that an estimated 30% of people using these services in the South East in recent months have been new to the food banks.
On average, food banks in the region reported an average rise in demand of around 24% for their services so far this year, with expectations of further increases of around 28% in the next three months as higher energy bills and an increase in national insurance contributions add to the pressure.
Liz Fox, Corporate Responsibility Director at Aldi UK, said: “The school holidays can be a busy time for the local charities and organisations we support, but, especially in the current climate, food banks are experiencing even greater demand than usual.
“We’re proud to support so many good causes in Surrey, helping them to provide meals to those in need over the recent school holidays.”
Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added: “The findings of our latest survey highlight that the cost-of-living crisis is clearly deepening, with families and households up and down the country really starting to feel the pinch and turning to charities and local causes for support as a result.
“During what is a hard time for everyone, anything people can do to give back in the coming weeks will make all the difference.”
Aldi has community donation points in stores nationwide to help those in need and is encouraging customers to help in any way they can. According to its poll with Neighbourly, products that are most in-demand at local community groups include tinned food, tea and coffee, UHT milk, toiletries, and household cleaning products.
Cllr Alex Coley: Refugees in Epsom and Ewell
Imagine living in a place where nowhere is safe. Soldiers are on the streets, the threat of violence is everywhere and just leaving your home means risking your life. If you even have a home left. As a teenager in the 1990s, I became friends with Bosnians that arrived here as child refugees, escaping the most appalling persecution. Later, as an adult, I lived in Croatia where I was shown the greatest warmth and kindness, just as people fleeing the Yugoslavian civil war were shown warmth and kindness here in the UK.
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council has helped the most vulnerable refugee households fleeing war and violence to resettle in a safe and stable community. We have done this by seeking private landlords, partnering with local voluntary groups and administrating funding from the central government. We do not use properties intended for local families in housing need.
We have also supported ‘Community Sponsor’ status for the Epsom Refugee Network. They help refugee families to live independent lives, learn English, access schools, healthcare and employment and participate fully in the community. We are very lucky to have them. Work began in October 2015 when the Council passed a motion considering refugee assistance. Since then the Council has participated in four government schemes to help refugees from three countries; Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
The first, in November 2016, was the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Most of what we have learned about supporting refugees came from this experience, particularly how we work with partners. Considerable work has been undertaken by the Epsom Refugee Network to provide wrap-around care within the framework operated by the borough council. This work is crucial to integrating refugees into our community.
In September 2021, just after the allied withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Council agreed to participate in the Afghan Locally Employed Staff refugee scheme, recognising the extraordinary contribution of those who supported our troops and diplomatic staff. In March 2022 the Council extended its offer by participating in the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme, which benefits vulnerable and at-risk individuals under the evacuation programme.
In April 2022 the Council unanimously agreed to support the Homes For Ukraine programme, following the Russian invasion. This scheme is different to the others, with sponsors who open up their homes to host Ukrainian refugees. This will require a unique approach to making sure that households meet safety standards and that hosts pass vetting checks. Most of the arrivals are expected to be women and young children, many of them traumatised by their experiences.
We will help them. We will work with our partners and deliver support where it is needed. With this community-led scheme, our efforts will focus on signposting sponsors to information and support while coordinating the work of government agencies and voluntary groups at a local level. It’s unglamorous work but necessary for safeguarding and financial probity.
If you would like to get involved with the Epsom Refugee Network or you are a private landlord with available property you can find out more on their website https://epsomrefugeenetwork.org/.
Alex Coley is a borough councillor and Chair of the Community & Wellbeing Committee. He proposed the motion to Council for the first Afghan scheme, brought the committee recommendation to join the second Afghan scheme and proposed the Stand Together With Ukraine motion to the Council. All were passed unanimously.
Want more from us?You can read more about the motion Cllr Coley proposed HERE and read an interview with Nataliya Irvine from SSWU (Surrey Stands With Ukraine) HERE
All’s well that ends well for the Wells Centre
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council is to transfer the running of the long-mothballed Wells Community Centre, located at the end of Spa Drive, The Wells Estate in Epsom, to Epsom Wells Community Association (EWCA). EWCA is a charity newly registered in December 2021, whose stated aims are: “…… to reopen The Wells Community Centre. The centre will be available to the community for hire purposes. We also aim to run classes that fulfil our values of education, wellbeing, environment and community.” The Charity has a nine-strong Board of Trustees chaired by Vanessa Marchant, all residents of the Borough.
The Strategy & Resources Committee of EEBC agreed at its meeting on 29 March 2022 that the community group would take responsibility for the building and put it back into use for hire, a café, and a range of community-led activities. The Council will grant a lease of the site with an initial two-year rent-free period after which the rent payable will reflect the community use of the building.
EWCA have produced a viable business case that sees the existing building renovated, and long-term managed by the Wells residents at no short or long-term costs to the Council and council taxpayers. The business case proposal is for a “reimagined centre” which will mix community group use, private hire, a business hub and hot desk space with a community café.
It plans to reinvigorate the offering on the premises to deliver a modern, forward-looking, multi-generational community centre. The centre will support Epsom & Ewell’s “Future 40” plans, helping to make the Borough an even better, brighter place.
EWCA proposes to be responsible for the Wells site in its entirety and release the Council from any ongoing financial responsibility. In addition, the Council would receive rental income from the commencement of the third year of the lease.
Councillor Colin Keane, Chair of the Strategy and Resources Committee said “We have listened to the local community and worked with EWCA to enable them to develop a business case to run the centre.
“The Council is committed to enabling and encouraging EWCA to succeed and a revived facility would support the principle that enhances the Cultural and Creative opportunities in the Borough where people work together for all the community.
“Crucially, this plan will also remove any financial call on the Council’s resources to enable the Council’s other key priorities for residents to be pursued”.
The decision of the Council was a culmination of a five-year campaign by local residents to re-open the centre.
The plan to close the Council owned and run Wells Centre first came to light during the November 2015 County Council bye-election when the Labour Party candidate Kate Chinn brought it to light.
The Council had decided the decision should be made in secret. The minutes of the Strategy and Resources Committee for September 2015 indicate that an item was shielded from public scrutiny on the dubious ground of “Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)”. It would be very odd if this right to exclude the public could be used to hide information about the Council’s own finances.
The Council eventually called a consultation meeting at the Wells Centre when every suggestion that residents advanced was stonewalled.
When the Wells Centre originally closed, a small group of locals decided to find out exactly what local residents thought of the closure. It became clear that there was not just a desire for the centre to re-open, but also a desperate need.
The group found isolated lonely people, families with nowhere to go within walking distance, entrepreneurial returning-to-work mothers who now had no premises, young people no longer able to access youth groups, and many more.
This core group formed EWCA and was supported by like-minded residents from elsewhere in the Borough and after petitioning, marching, canvassing, and researching, they were satisfied that a reopened centre was a viable business idea.
Supported in particular by Borough Councillors Kate Chinn (Lab), David Gulland (Lib), Bernie Muir (Con) and Nigel Collin (RA) and helpfully advised by council officers the business plan was finally presented to the Council.
The business plan is over 80 pages long. In essence, the plan is for an integrated centre offering activities that fall into the following categories; wellbeing, education, fitness and environment. For a more in-depth overview visit https://indd.adobe.com/view/73d5b9e9-62ae-40ae-a457-282ada7246fa
Vanessa Marchant adds: “Post pandemic we are all more aware of what is on our doorstep, our communities rose to the fore and many don’t want to return to the commuter corridor lives they were living previously. With approx 70% of commuters now having a flexible week, activities within a 20-minute neighbourhood are due to get a real boost according to multiple news stories. So our already strong business case has been made stronger by the turbulent times we are living through. We will create a shorter version of the plan to share with people in the coming months.”
On funding, she said to the Epsom and Ewell Times – “We will not receive a subsidy from EEBC. We intend to apply to any and every fund we can, but primarily we are looking to YourFund, the National Lottery, CIL, local philanthropists and community fundraising initiatives.” In conclusion, EWCA thanks and appeals – “We are extremely happy with the Council decision. This result is the culmination of many years of hard work on the part of the local community, the members of the charity Epsom Wells Community Association (EWCA) and our council member advocates from Labour, Liberal Democrats, Conservative and the RA. The hard work of fundraising now begins and we will need help from the local community to make this happen.
Vanessa Marchant said, “That we won the vote is still sinking in but the real work in bringing the Centre back to life is just beginning.”
From today, Epsom & Ewell Times will be hosting a daily chess puzzle for readers to solve. Chess is a wonderful game and a daily puzzle is a great brain trainer!
Council passes “Stand with Ukraine” motion, Labour amendment rejected.
On Tuesday night 19th April 2022, at a meeting of the Full Council of Epsom and Ewell Borough, the Council debated and passed a motion titled “Stand Together with Ukraine”. It was a motion setting out to:
a) Note the Commitments already made by the Government to house displaced Ukrainian families.
b) Utilise the support funding provided by the Government to meet the welfare and care needs of Ukrainian families arriving in the borough via the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
c) Signpost those residents who house people displaced by this act of aggression to the information and support they are seeking.
Councillor Alex Coley (Residents Association – Ruxlet Ward) authored the “Stand with Ukraine” motion
Cllr Alex Coley (Residents Association – Ruxley Ward), proposing the motion, stated: “In these worst of times for the Ukrainian people, we have seen the best of people in our Borough, who’ve responded with an outpouring of kindness and generosity.” The motion was unanimously passed by the Chamber, with one amendment (rejected) being submitted by Labour Party Councillors, Kate Chinn and Debbie Monksfield of Court Ward.
Councillor Kate Chinn (Labour Part – Court Ward) authored the amendment
The amendment called on the Government to take in more Ukrainian refugees, to step up its humanitarian obligations and provide more support to European countries, who are taking the majority of refugees. Councillor Chinn said, “The government has been dragging its feet on the biggest refugee crisis in a decade.” The reception was frosty, with members describing it as “Confusing” and “Political point-scoring”. Cllr Liz Frost (Residents Association – Woodcote Ward) stated her uneasiness, telling the Council more leniency in refugee policy could lead to “terrorists” finding easier pathways into the UK. Cllr Coley responded by stating that the aims of the amendment were better addressed to the Home Affairs House of Commons Select committee who could “look into some of the things that are happening that perhaps should be done in a fairer and more effective way”, concluding that as a Borough Council, it isn’t their place to scrutinise Government policy.
The motion is an important message to Ukrainian citizens, some of whom will be relocating to Epsom under the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme, and an important reassurance of solidarity for Ukrainians already living in Epsom and Ewell, and beyond.
If you’re local to Epsom, and you’d like to help during the Ukraine Crisis, please get in contact with Surrey Stands with Ukraine and the Epsom Refugee Network, two fantastic community charities that are doing excellent work for disenfranchised people.
Have any thoughts on this motion? Let us know via email: admin@epsomandewelltimes.com, or through the contact form, found HERE.
Potential Strike could affect Epsom: Train company crossing the lines?
General Secretary Michael Lynch of the Rail and Maritime Union 8th April has alerted rail workers to the prospect of a strike ballot affecting the Epsom and Ewell Borough’s Waterloo line services (Epsom, Ewell West and Stoneleigh stations). Strike action is threatened following an internal rail company inquiry that found a railman guilty of a series of sexual harassment accusations made by female workers, afterwhich, SWR allowed him to return to the same workplace without advising the complainants.
At the time of this report, the matter is being referred to an urgent “avoidance of dispute” negotiation between the Union and the management of SWR. Michael Lynch has told members: “The Union’s National Executive Committee has considered this matter and is appalled at the insensitive way SWR is handling multiple cases of serious harassment that will have a detrimental impact on female members working for the company. It is incomprehensible that the individual has been found guilty but remains employed at the same location and is expected to work with the victims of his actions. Ultimately, the company has failed their employees and have failed even by ACAS standards in dealing with this case.”
In response to Epsom and Ewell Times, a spokesperson for SWR said: “This matter has not been concluded and remains part of an ongoing process. It would be inappropriate for us to comment further on any specific details. However, we want to make clear that South Western Railway takes a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of any kind. We take any reports of abuse extremely seriously and will investigate complaints fully.”
Our request to SWR to clarify the “ongoing process” remains unanswered.
We’d love to hear from you via email at admin@epsomandewelltimes.com Let us know your views here at Epsom and Ewell Times.
Not in my back-garden centre!
John Dipre of the Dipre family-run Marsden Nurseries Ltd, owners of the Epsom bordering Ashtead Park Garden Centre in Pleasure Pit Road, has applied to Mole Valley District Council to demolish this popular garden centre and restaurant and build on the site 26 two to four-bedroom houses.
Neighbours are up in arms and objections are mounting before the consultation deadline of 25th April passes. Objectors point out that recently the Council had removed the site from an area for potential development. It is said to occupy a sensitive area of the Green Belt as it separates Epsom from Ashtead. The roads around are narrow and bendy and already hazardous. Public transport is threadbare. The Langley Vale E5 bus every two to three hours that crosses Epsom is the only one apart from a weekday daily school service.
The Applicant, John Dipre, has been involved as Director of no less than 120 registered companies, most of which have been in homes, investments and property. He claims that the proposed development will be an improvement for nature as presently most of the land is tarmac and his plans will see trees, hedges and grassy areas grow.
No affordable housing is planned for the development.
Issues relating to development, housing, planning, brownfield sites and affordable housing are addressed in an opinion piece exclusively for the Epsom and Ewell Times by Tim Murphy you can read HERE.
If you are affected by a significant planning application email us or use the contact form and we will consider reporting on it.
The Northman Review: Robert Egger’s Viking Epic does not disappoint.
There are SPOILERS for The Northman in this review. Film watched at ODEON Epsom.
Robert Eggers’ latest feature may find itself being remembered as the most accessible of his filmography so far, with a simple enough, easy to follow plot (it’s Viking Hamlet, not rocket science) and immense popcorn-munching fight scenes, including a climactic lava-lit battle at the mouth of a volcano, where it wouldn’t have been too much of a visual stretch to give the characters lightsabers instead of shortswords. The main character, Amleth, is a Viking Prince and heir to his father’s (played by Ethan Hawke) Kingdom, who witnesses his Father betrayed and murdered by Amleth’s uncle Fjölnir, who also steals his kingdom and kidnaps his mother. So begins his quest for revenge, he speaks it aloud to himself while he’s escaping the Irish coast: Avenge father, rescue mother, kill uncle. This admirable conflict is well established, the sides are drawn clearly and the brutality of the ordeal young Amleth has to go through gets the audience rooting for him instantly.
The next time we see Amleth he’s a grown man, a Viking berserker who raids villages along the Slavic coast. It’s on one of these raids that we’re truly reintroduced to Amleth, as he cuts and slashes his way across a village in a sequence so truly brutal and raw, that you completely believe that this is a man who had his world taken away from him. The story wastes no time and after a brief magical encounter with Bjork (not kidding, wish I was), Amelth is on his way to confront his uncle. Alexander Skarsgard throws himself into the role completely, delivering earth-shattering Viking-berserker wolf-howls and vengeful promises of retribution, while also carrying the more dramatic parts of the film, like the chemistry-oozing scenes featuring Anya Taylor-Joy’s Olga. The cast is certainly star-studded, Ethan Hawke’s King Aurvandill commands a powerful presence for his brief screentime, Hawke is a wonderful actor, who puts 100% into every role he plays, opposite him, Nicole Kidman plays Queen Gudrún, a multi-layered and complex character that she plays effortlessly. Willem Dafoe makes an appearance as court jester/he-witch Heimir the Fool, a role he absolutely knocks out of the park.
The Northman, like all Eggers films, is shot magnificently, Jarin Blaschke (who also collaborated with Eggers on his 2019 film The Lighthouse, as well as his directorial debut The Witch) does an incredible job at making you feel like you’re in the middle of a village being raided, you can practically feel the bite of the cold in the wide-shots of the Icelandic landscape, simply put, the camera work is exhilarating and visceral. The visuals are a treat from start to finish, the epic shots of a smoky volcano, the incredible establishing shots of settlements and villages, and the trippy dream-sequence vision quests that occur more than once, are all delightful to spectate. Blaschke uses everything at his disposal to his advantage, colour, light and phenomenal framing bless our screens with pure movie magic.
Eggers manages to build a very gritty, realistic depiction of the dark ages, the production and sound design come together to transport the audience to a violent, cold, but very real 895AD, whose magnificent scope simply must be seen to be believed. The film is markedly an Egger’s picture, with mysticism and surreal elements scattered throughout, but if anything, he’s reined in some of his more Lovecraftian and horror-based inspirations, with The Northman being much more accessible to the everyday filmgoer than the surreal psychological cosmic-horror that was The Lighthouse. It’s a bit of a shame, to me, the film absolutely thrives in these surreal scenes and is at its best in these scenes, and honestly, I wish he lent into them a little more.
The Northman is very well-paced and rarely dull, even its calmer scenes are stacked full of well-written character interactions and powerful performances, Claes Bang puts in an excellent shift as the villainous Fjölnir, as does Gustav Lindh, who plays his son Thorir. One of the things I really liked about The Northman was how it portrayed a character who was almost completely selfish in his motivations, not driven to stop his Uncle because his Uncle was an evil man but driven entirely by his own revenge and personal grudges. The film explores this throughout, introducing elements that make Amleth and the audience question the moral absolutism of his quest. While this complexity is appreciated, it falls a tad flat by the film’s conclusion.
Eggers has cemented himself as a visionary with his first two films, a master of substance and style, and The Northman deserves to stand amongst his stunning filmography. Overall though, it’s in the third act of his Viking Epic that this substance begins to wear little thin, certain contrivances in the plot begin to arise and it feels like the film is plodding along to the next beat until we reach the (admittedly thrilling) climax. However, that is a small gripe compared to the pure majesty of the film, a visual marvel and an absolutely exhilarating ride, I’ll be shocked it if doesn’t adorn top ten lists at the end of the year.
