G Live partners with local charity and school
G Live partners with local charity and school in association with their Guildford International Concert Season
Guildford’s annual International Concert Season, produced by G Live, consists of a programme of classical concerts performed by orchestras from the UK and around the world. Last week saw the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra mark Rachmaninov’s 150th anniversary with ‘Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini’.
G Live selected The Cheryl King Trust as their charity partner for the concert season and, at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performance on Friday 10 November, a bucket collection, led by charity ambassador and BBC Radio 3 presenter Sarah Walker, raised over £2,000 for the charity.
The charity’s aim is that no young person in Surrey should be prevented from learning a musical instrument because their parents can’t afford it. They achieve this by providing bursaries for instrument lessons and grants for music ensembles. The donations from Friday’s performance will fund 8 students in Surrey to have music lessons for a year.
G Live also welcomed students from ACS International Schools to the venue, where they participated in a coaching session with members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, before experiencing their final rehearsal in preparation for the concert.
Future concerts in the Guildford International Concert Season include Dvořák’s ‘New World Symphony’, also performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (24 February 2024), and Beethoven: The Man and his Music, with chamber ensemble performances of some of Beethoven’s most popular sonatas and trios, including the ‘Moonlight’ and ‘Pathetique’ sonatas, performed by the English Piano Trio (11 April 2024). The last night of the Guildford International Concert Season includes Bruch’s ‘Violin Concerto’ (17 May 2024) performed by one the country’s most distinguished violinists, Guildford’s Chloe Hanslip, with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra.
For a full What’s On guide, visit glive.co.uk
G Live, London Road, Guildford GU1 2AA
Box office: 0343 310 0055
glive.co.uk
Twitter: @GLiveGuildford | Facebook: @GLiveGuildford | Instagram: gliveguildford
Property Market Comment – Winter 2023
Latest property market comment from Anthony Brown, Director of Chantries & Pewleys – property experts for Guildford and the surrounding villages.
Community Update – January & February 2024
Sutherland Memorial Hall
The BCA, along with other local groups (known collectively as the Burpham Community Hub) has been working hard to get the Hall back in use for all of the community.
The first task was to get registered as a charity and we are very pleased to announce that this was achieved last November. Now the less good news. At the beginning of this process GBC were asked to confirm that they could issue two leases on the same premises – ours as well as the existing lease to the nursery. We were told this would be fine. GBC now say this information was wrong and it cannot be done. Instead they will change the nursery lease to a licence – this may take some time – and the Community Hub will be granted a lease. This will allow both organisations to share the Hall and make optimum use of it for the community.
The Running River
This is the Running River which flows from Stoke Lock to Sutton Place. The planners of Weyside Urban Village describe it variously as “an unlicensed drain” and “an open sewer.”
Well, it may look pretty foul these days but it has a noble history which begins in Sutton Place.
The manor was granted to Sir Richard Weston by Henry VIII in 1521. His great great grandson was also Sir Richard Weston, born in 1591. He spent some time in the Netherlands where he became interested in inland navigation and how locks work. This gave him the idea of using locks to make the River Wey navigable from Weybridge to Guildford. As a Catholic and Royalist, his property was sequestrated during the Civil War and he went into exile. He was able to return to England during the 1640s and instigated a bill in parliament to authorise construction of the Wey navigation – a massive undertaking finally completed in 1653.
Sir Richard was also responsible for creating the Running River, using the techniques he had discovered – water meadows kept the ground warm in winter and the river irrigated fields between Stoke Lock and the north side of Sutton Place in the summer. He also made many agricultural improvements including this irrigation scheme and crop rotation.
Maps of the early 1960s show the course of the Running River but the Slyfield dump and the industrial estate destroyed the centre section. The land is currently owned by GBC and Thames Water who are involved in the Weyside Urban Village project. We have been told that the Running River will be integrated into the Village as an historical asset.
Our thanks go to Jim Allen who has worked hard on behalf of the BCA and Burpham Neighbourhood Forum to help preserve Sir Richard Weston’s incredible legacy.
Joint BCA/BNF Public Meeting
November 2nd 2023
There is so much going on at the moment it is difficult to keep track of what is happening. This joint meeting was held to inform residents about major projects which will affect our Ward in the near future.
It was well attended with over 80 people in the audience.
The topics covered were:
- Weyside Urban Village by Christian Holliday
- The London Road Active Travel Service by Andy Clapham
- The Gosden Hill development by Sue Hackman
- The relocation of the Sewage Treatment Works by Jim Allen
We would like to thank all the speakers.
All the topics generated a lot of interest and in some cases provoked lively discussion. The meeting was judged to be a success and we propose to hold similar meetings in the future.
…and on the subject of roads
The BNF recently conducted a survey of roads in Burpham. The main roads were tolerable but the side roads and pavements are often in poor condition.
One part of London Road pavement floods in wet weather, forcing mums with pushchairs into the road.
Other stretches are uneven, a hazard for all but especially for the elderly or disabled. We are asking you to take a look at your own road and pavements and get back to us with a review – pictures of dangerous damage would be great. Please email to secretary@burphamca.org.uk
Community Update – November & December 2023
Japanese Knotweed
Guildford has been identified as one of Surrey’s knotweed hotspots this year; 90 infestations have been reported, 42 of them within 4km of the town centre.
It is incredibly invasive – even a small piece of the root can generate a new plant and it’s very difficult to eradicate. Knotweed can damage property and reduce the value of your home. We know that it has been found along Clay Lane and is now being dealt
with by National Highways but it will take several years to clear it completely. How did it get there – well, it usually spreads from garden waste that has not been properly disposed of, or could even have been deliberately dumped.
If you think you have knotweed in your garden, you are not legally required to report it but you can be prosecuted if you let it spread to your neighbour’s garden. Contact GBC if you see it on council land. If you want information to help you identify it, there are many useful websites – www.japaneseknotweed.co.uk is very informative, with lots of pictures showing the very distinct seasonal changes and they, and other websites, offer a free identification service.
Riverside Park
In the last issue of Burpham Pages, we noted that the stream draining the wetland and lake overflow had been partially cleared but was still heavily silted.
There as some doubt as to whether GBC would be able to complete the clearing due to funding issues but we are pleased to say that the work has now been done, and the risk of flooding reduced.
Gosden Hill
Members of the BCA Committee met with representatives of Martin Grant Homes in September for preliminary discussions about the proposed development.
We are pleased to report some very positive outcomes; however, there is a deal of work ahead as we still have many concerns about essential infrastructure, especially safe and effective access and the impact on Burpham of the increased traffic.
London Road Action Group
Surrey County Council have sent a letter to all residents concerning the active travel scheme but it seems that many residents have not received it.
In a news update on 29th September Surrey County Council state that they have contacted the delivery company and the error is being rectified, so you should have received a copy by now.
The online survey closes on 13th November so there may still be time for you to have your say. Go to Surrey County Council website, London Road Burpham Active Travel Scheme.
The final public meeting is being held on November 8th at Guildford High School.
Dates for your diary
Christmas Social Evening This will be held on Saturday 9th December in the Village Hall.
Details are not yet finalised but we are hoping to have a fun evening of Christmas games and activities plus drinks and nibbles. We’ll send out final details nearer the time – looking forward to seeing you!
Winter Lectures 2024
By residents for residents
8pm at the Village Hall in Burpham Lane
Fri 5 Jan
English Pyramids
Andrew Plumridge gives us a whistle-stop tour of the surprisingly numerous English pyramids.
Fri 12 Jan
What Happens to Waste After it Leaves Our Bins?
Graham Fox enlightens us about the way we deal with rubbish.
Fri 19 Jan
The Hidden History of Nursery Rhymes
Hidden secrets, sex and violence – Henry Spyvee explores what nursery rhymes really mean.
Fri 26 Jan
The Sorry Story of the Clandon House Fire
A guide from the historic house explores its history and the consequences of the great fire in 2015.
Fri 2 Feb
Sun, Sport & Sights on the Way
Andy Clapham recounts his experiences, both sporting and cultural, following rugby around the globe.
Matrix is a youth charity with a mission...
…to support and uplift young people across Guildford Borough.
Established for nearly 25 years, Matrix helps young people catalyse change by nurturing, inspiring, connecting and empowering them.
What can this support look like? Matrix provides projects and opportunities for vulnerable and at-risk youth both in schools through 1-2-1 sessions and in the community through hubs, workshops, work experience, traineeships and their Youth Café at The Hideaway.Through these projects they aim to create safe spaces for young people where they can connect, learn and grow as individuals.
Over the last year Matrix worked with almost 2000 young people in both schools and across the community – supporting them with their mental health and wellbeing through 15 different projects. A Year 10 student expressed about their 1-2-1 sessions: “They do help, it is good to talk about things. I don’t normally get the chance to do that because I’m not really comfortable doing it.” By providing a safe and supportive environment, Matrix helps young people develop the confidence to speak up and seek help when they need it. This, in turn, can lead to improved mental health and overall wellbeing.
Could you help support the young people of Guildford?
Matrix needs volunteers to support their growing projects. As well as an extra pair of hands, volunteers additionally bring different experiences all from different walks of life and different age groups.
There’s a few simple ways to support Matrix with their mission:
- Transition Coaches
- Kitchen Volunteers
- General Youth Work
If you would like to volunteer with Matrix, please get in touch with Josh at volunteering@matrixtrust.com
Boots Pharmacy in Kingfisher Drive to close
Despite Angela Richardson MP trying to intervene, Boots has decided to go ahead with the planned closure of their Kingfisher Drive pharmacy early in the New Year.
This has left the local residents of Burpham dismayed, especially since they have already lost Lloyds Pharmacy from within the Clay Lane Sainsbury’s. Now, they have to travel even further to collect their prescriptions from already highly busy pharmacies in the Guildford area.
Angela Richardson wrote to Boots’ Senior Vice President & Managing Director voicing local patients concerns over the pharmacy closure and asking him to reconsider. Following this, she had discussions with Boots’ Healthcare Development & Public Affairs Director, Head of Public Affairs and Regional Pharmacy Manager to discuss the matter.
Whilst Boots did review the situation they decided to proceed with the closure. We await to see if the Integrated Care Board (ICB) can extend the pharmaceutical contract to another party.
Most patients are being offered to have their nominated NHS pharmacy moved to either of the nearer options being Boots Pharmacy on Epsom Road or Boots Pharmacy on Stoughton Road. If these options are not suitable, there are slightly further options within 2 miles of Burpham, which include Villages Medical Centre on Send Barns Lane and St. Luke’s Surgery on Warren Road. Beyond that, there are the town centre pharmacies.
Headway Surrey look for a new chairperson
Headway Surrey, the brain injury support charity, is looking for a new chairperson, can you help?
Beccy Bowden became Chair of Headway Surrey, the brain injury support charity, in 2019 and now would like to step down as she should have retired in October 2023. It is a 4-year term of office.
Headway Surrey provides cognitive rehabilitation, support and services for those affected by brain injury in Surrey. Set up in 1985 by families with brain injury and legally established as a charity in 1994.
We are looking for a Chairperson who can help us lead the Board of Trustees and the charity to ensure that people living with brain injury in Surrey reach their maximum potential and recovery.
For further information about the role please download our PDF file here.
Someone in the UK will be admitted to hospital every 90 seconds with a brain injury.
Brain injury is indiscriminate, it is sudden and devastating for an individual and those around them. There are no ‘typical’ clients – we support people over the age of 18 in Surrey who have brain injuries. If we have space we will accept some people from outside the borders of Surrey. Brain injury can happen to anyone, from any background, ethnicity, religion, gender etc.
Brain injury can be traumatic or acquired brain injury, more commonly known as TBI or ABI (ABI tends to incorporate TBI as well). Some examples of brain injury cause are stroke, road traffic incident (as pedestrians, cyclists, motorbikes, cars, vans, lorries etc), trips, falls, sports injury (eg. cycling, skateboarding, jogging, boxing, rugby, horse riding, skiing, climbing), assault, combat, domestic violence, work accidents, falling objects (high winds, construction industry), hypoxia (lack of oxygen), brain tumour, aneurysm, encephalitis, meningitis and other viruses that attack the brain.
Headway Surrey provides a comprehensive range of bespoke cognitive rehabilitation sessions at Headway Surrey, Centre Workshops, art, communications, creative writing, guest speakers, 1:1 sessions, group sessions, helpline, Drop In Friday Friends, Family and Carers Survival Toolkit Course, Understanding Brain Injury Course, counselling, online coffee morning, individual or family brain injury education sessions, walking and talking group, young person group and hospital link worker support. Our services can be offered online or face to face.
Specialist Rehabilitation Coordinators with Accredited Certificates in Brain Injury Studies from Northampton University and Brain Tree Training provide a range of services to enable us to deliver sessions to aid the development of new neural pathways to enable those with brain injury to live well, re-learn skills, live independently and to their best ability.
We encourage students studying speech and language, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychiatry and neurology to volunteer with us. Which offers a 2-way learning opportunity. We offer holiday work experience to a limited number of 6 form students who are interest in the brain injury area of work. We offer a full range of volunteering opportunities for adults from all walks of life.
Background about Headway Surrey
Operating from a ground floor custom built, fully accessible Centre, called Headway House, at 21 North Road, Stoughton, Guildford, GU2 9PU we provide a comprehensive range of services.
We support adults with acquired and traumatic brain injury (ABI & TBI (more commonly combined as ABI)) to live well with their brain injury and optimise their cognitive rehabilitation recovery. We support ABI survivors to become independent, re-skill and re-enable them to their maximum level.
We support families, carers, employers and others connected with the survivor with education, advice and support. We raise awareness of brain injury and our services with the general public.
Headway Surrey is an independent registered charity and company limited by guarantee established in 1985, becoming a registered charity in 1995. It is an independent charity with an affiliation to Headway UK, the national brain injury association, which enables us to use the Headway Logo and to tap into the resources of the other groups and branches throughout the UK and Ireland.
Headway Surrey currently employs 10 members of staff (F/T equivalent 6) and is supported by a team of about 20-30 volunteers, including Trustees. We hold the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
At the end of the financial year 1/4/2023 income = £194,849 and expenditure = £241,329.
Income is mainly from:
- Adult Social Care £77,330
- Grants £45,340
- Private funders £19,555
- Sports Challenges £14,320
Our Services
Our work is based on cognitive rehabilitation and encompasses a comprehensive spread of subjects affecting brain injury survivors, their families and carers. Our current main services are:
Day Centre – Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am-2.30pm. Up to 16 individuals are offered a regular full days of cognitive strategy and skills to assist recovery/reskilling of the brain in order to maximise independent living skills. Areas covered include executive skills, memory, attention, decision making, information processing, emotional behaviour, communication and life skills, IT sessions, creative writing, art, crafts, gardening and seated Boccia.
1:1 Sessions or Family Sessions: Tailor made to support individuals or families.
Online Coffee Mornings – For survivors and their families/carers to gain peer support and discuss topics that matter to them.
Friday Friends Drop In – Third Friday of every month, breaking down isolation, offering peer interaction and support, friendship and conversation practice. This helps to add to a routine, help alleviate social isolation, reduce depression, improve cognitive skills and conversation practice.
Telephone Helpline and Website – Providing information and support to a wide range of individuals and organisations. Clients are also supported on a wide range of social welfare issues – including Adult Social Care funding, housing, employment and personal resource management in areas such as personalisation budgets, housing and disability benefits.
Family and Carers – A 6-week Family and Carers Survival Toolkit Course. Modules include: understanding brain injury, cognition, emotion and behavioural changes, communication and fatigue.
Understanding Brain Injury Course – A 6-week course for those new to the service with a brain injury, it includes goal setting and selecting further groups to transition into.
Counselling Service – Short term counselling for survivors and family members to help with their mental and emotional wellbeing.
Walking and Talking Groups – with volunteer speech and language therapists.
Young Persons Group – peer led interactive group for the 18-30 year olds.
Links to the Hospitals, Health Care and Social Care – ABI Link Workers raise awareness with those affected by brain injury in all the main hospitals, often with a regular clinic/presence in the hospitals, Adult Social Care Services, Locality Teams, Community Care Teams, NHS, GPs, Stroke Pathways, Surrey Coalition of Disabled People, Long Term Neurological
Rethinking Resolutions
Christine Sciberras, Founder and Head Coach at Melita Fitness.
Here we go again. It’s the season for New Year resolutions and love them or hate them, many will be looking for ways to improve health or lose additional weight gained over the holidays. Often the starting point for many is to join a gym and resolve to go there 2, 3, 4 times a week. Or to go on a diet and cut out carbs, alcohol, sugar, whatever.
But why we do it, year after year?
Because inevitably, we are failing.
As a population, most of us are not getting enough exercise and nearly 40% of us are at an unhealthy weight.
And yet come January 1, we will make the same set of resolutions and expect a different result.
It’s perfectly natural to use January as a time for reflection and goal setting. But if you’re looking to improve your health and fitness, I’d urge you to start from a place of acceptance and self-love. Losing weight doesn’t require drastic diets or excessive restrictions. Getting fitter doesn’t require extreme or unsustainable workout routines.
So instead of doing what you’ve always done, how about an alternative approach:
- Find a way to move your body that works for you! It might be dance or swimming. If you enjoy it, you’re more likely to stick to it.
- Carve out a time for yourself. We spend so much time running after our kids, family or bosses. But how much actual time do you spend doing ‘you’? Small pockets of self-care are so important for our overall wellness.
- Instead of focusing on all the things that you need to strip out of your diet, focus on adding good things in. Like plenty of vegetables, good sources of protein and a range of tasty flavours.
- Practice gratitude for yourself and your body. Instead of focusing on what you perceive to be ‘wrong’, focus on appreciating your body. Have fun with it, take care of it and feel appreciation for all the wonderful things it enables you to do.
- Find a supportive community. It’s so much easier to work out when you’ve got a great group of people around you. We run a fantastic women’s group training that makes exercise fun! Plus, knowing you’ll have support and motivation around you will help you through the rest of the winter. You can get started with a free trial week: www.melitafitness.co.uk/freetrial
Get strong. You'll like it!
Christine Sciberras, Founder and Head Coach at Melita Fitness.
Strength training is important. I bang on about it. Muscle mass. Bone density. You know.
But what we don’t talk about enough is that it just feels so good. And why you’ll like it! Because you will!
The ability to do things!
There’s the sheer satisfaction of doing things that require strength: the ability to lift heavy stuff, the ability to move shift furniture if needed. But also, the ability…
- to carry the overfilled shopping bags all the way home.
- to lift the bike up onto the car.
- to not even question whether you’re strong enough for that mountain walk.
- to be able to do handstands on the beach with the children…
Building your capacity to do hard things
“I’d never worked out with weights before and always thought I wouldn’t be able to. But Melita Fitness has made me realise I am capable of so much more than I thought I was.”
It’s a common theme, especially with women who are new to exercise or weight training. Strength training helps you to realise that you are capable of so much more that you thought. Almost every person who starts a class, baulks at the 8kg weight that I suggest they start on. But within 4 weeks, they’re squatting, lunging and overhead pressing it confidently and competently.
And this new confidence this permeates into daily life. It gives you the willingness and belief to try new things. It gives you the gumption to attack hard things.
Because 2 or 3 times a week you are doing something hard. And completing it. And so over time, your capacity to do hard things increases.
Self-acceptance
“For me, it’s the joy of learning what my body can do.”
Women, particularly those of us born in the 70s and 80s, have spent so much of our adult life conditioned to judge our body for how it looks. But these days we’re learning to love and be grateful for what our body can do instead. Strength training is a brilliant way to emphasis and experience this. Session by session we increase the repertoire of things we can do and see tangible evidence of progress.
Plus working out to increase strength is a more positive goal for body image and self-acceptance. It shifts from the focus away from the “exercise to lose weight” mantra that we hear about all the time, and towards a healthier relationship with exercise.
For longevity
Muscle mass is vital for women especially as we age. But really, specifically, have we thought about why?
It’s important for the things it will help us do as we age. Like:
- Get off the toilet unassisted when we’re 80+
- Keep up with the grand-children when we’re 60+
- Live a life full of adventure, right now!
For your mental wellbeing
“I feel physically and mentally stronger and no matter what the rest of the day throws at me. I know I have accomplished something and taken some time out of the day just for me.”
Whether it’s the release of happy hormones or the suppression of stress hormones, strength training leaves you feeling accomplished, with mental clarity and resilience to boot! And finally, it doesn’t need to be complicated. You can do it on your own with minimal equipment. Or join a group so you can’t go wrong.
Either way, pick up those weights and start your journey to getting strong. I promise you’ll love every moment of it!
Winter Lectures 2024
These one-hour Winter Lectures are given by local residents for local residents and take place at 8.00pm at the Village Hall on Burpham Lane.
Here’s a run down of the lectures for January & February 2024.
Friday 5th January 2024
English Pyramids
Andrew Plumridge gives us a whistle-stop tour of the surprisingly numerous English pyramids.
Friday 12th January 2024
What Happens to Waste After it Leaves Our Bins?
Graham Fox enlightens us about the way we deal with rubbish.
Friday 19th January 2024
The Hidden History of Nursery Rhymes
Hidden secrets, sex and violence‚ Henry Spyvee explores what nursery rhymes really mean.
Friday 26th January 2024
The Sorry Story of the Clandon House Fire
A guide from the historic house explores its history and the consequences of the great fire in 2015.
Friday 2nd February 2024
Sun, Sport and Sights on the Way
Andy Clapham recounts his experiences, both sporting and cultural, following rugby around the globe.
