New Year weight-loss tips!
With every new year comes resolutions – one of the most common being to lose weight. So if you’re looking to kick-start your 2019 with a lasting change a Guildford slimming expert is sharing her top tips to make your New Year weight-loss resolutions a reality – and all without giving up your favourite foods!
Nicky Exell who runs a Slimming World group in Guildford and has been a Consultant with Slimming World for 6 years, says: “With the rise of trendy fad diets, people are often seduced by the promise of fast weight losses and take quick-fix routes to lose weight. However, these methods of weight loss aren’t sustainable – after all, who wants to feel hungry all the time or give up their favourite foods indefinitely? Especially when that often means that by February New Year’s resolutions are a distant memory.
There’s no magic pill when it comes to weight loss and the best weight-loss plan is the one you can stick to. Our members lose weight by making small changes to the way they shop, cook and eat and filling up on Free Food – foods that are low in calories but satisfying like pasta, lean meat, fruit, veg, potatoes and more – so they don’t have to go hungry or give up their favourite meals, as well as gradually becoming more active and getting bucketloads of support along the way. They develop healthy habits that they can keep up for life, so they can not only reach their target weight but stay there forever.”
“With the rise of trendy fad diets, people are often seduced by the promise of fast weight losses and take quick-fix routes to lose weight…”
Here are Nicky’s top tips to help you discover a new you this New Year:
1. Make small and simple swaps
A huge misconception about losing weight is that you have to make dramatic changes and survive on lettuce leaves and carrot sticks. However, with Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan, members are encouraged to make small and simple swaps like switching from oil to low-calorie cooking spray and full-fat butter to low-fat spread, and swapping the white bread for wholemeal bread.
2. Plan, plan, plan
Losing weight is much easier when you get in the habit of planning your meals for the week. Pick meals that you know you’ll enjoy, try new dishes to keep things interesting and make a shopping list – it’s impossible to enjoy healthy meals if you don’t have the foods you need to make them in your kitchen!
3. Get support
When you’re losing weight, having a strong support system around you is vital. If you join a Slimming World group your fellow members, who are all on the same journey as you, will celebrate with you and boost your weight loss when you’re doing well, and pick you up if you ever have a more difficult week.
4. Get active
But don’t run before you can walk! If you currently lead a more sedentary lifestyle, and the thought of exercise makes you sweat, don’t let your fears steer you away from getting active – after all, exercise isn’t just about Lycra and aerobic classes. At Slimming World we encourage our members to make simple swaps – from taking the lift and using the car for short journeys to taking the stairs and walking to the shops. Increase your activity levels gradually until you reach the recommended level of 30 minutes five times a week.
5. Track your progress
Having a visual reminder of your long-term goal is a great way to help you stay on track with your weight-loss journey. Not only is it a great way to see the amazing progress you’re making, it’s a good way to keep yourself inspired and committed. Some members recommend using measurement charts and progress pictures to keep them motivated – not only will they remind you why you’re losing weight, they’re fun too!
“There’s no magic pill when it comes to weight loss and the best weight-loss plan is the one you can stick to.”
Contact Nicky Exell on 07399 953818 or email nickyexell.sw@hotmail.com
Community Update – September & October 2023
Celebrating 50 years of the BCA
The BCA was founded in 1973, mainly to ensure that Burpham’s voice was heard with the re-routing of the A3. From that point onwards, we’ve been at the heart of the community – putting our point of view across, often irritating the various local authorities but mainly trying to represent everyone in our lovely community.
When we look back at what we’ve been involved with, from the Sainsbury’s and Weybrook Park developments in 1983 onwards, to the Flood Action Group and Forum in 2013 onwards, it’s clear that the current committee and our predecessors have been keen to get involved in any project.
We’re enormously grateful to everyone in Burpham. When we started working with Burpham Church to offer support to people who were struggling due to the pandemic, we were inundated with offers of help. When we started raising funds for two defibrillators, local businesses, other organisations and residents were quick to contribute. Also, whenever we put out a call for litter-pickers, plenty of you put your hands up. A big thank you to you all!
It was splendid to see so many of you at our Summer Social at the Village Hall on 24th June – lots of familiar faces and plenty of new friends. Special thanks to our Chairman and wine connoisseur, Andy Clapham, who not only gave us some interesting facts about wine but entertained us all with a quiz. And then on to the wine tasting! Did we know our Chardonnay from our Sauvignon Blanc… or our Malbec from our Pinot Noir? Who knew that we had so many wine experts in Burpham?
We think we celebrated the BCA’s 50th in style. Here’s to the next 50 years! Thank you all for your continued support.
Flood Forum Meeting at the Riverside Park
The walk took place on July 14th, led by Angela Richardson MP and attended by members of the BCA Flood Action Group and representatives of Guildford Borough Council (GBC), the Environment Agency and the National Trust.
The previous few weeks had seen little rainfall.
The group saw that the stream which drains the wetland and the overflow from the lake has been partly cleared by GBC. It was mostly dry but heavily silted. It was agreed that it should be cleared out so it will flow properly in wet conditions. This will, however, be dependent on availability of funds within GBC.
It has been suggested that the BCA might be able to organise a volunteer group to assist but this has not so far been accepted by GBC. One observer expressed surprise that GBC seemed reluctant to relinquish control over essential work which they may be unable to fund.
London Road Update
The Sustainable Travel Reference Group was set up to help Surrey County Council (SCC) ensure that stakeholder views are understood and properly considered during the engagement process.
It provides a forum for dialogue between SCC and its stakeholders, at each key stage of the scheme.
It is facilitated by the Consultation Institute, an independent not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to promote good practice in public consultation.
The BCA is represented on this Group as part of the Guildford Residents Association and also as part of the London Road Action Group (LRAG). Other members include residents’ associations, councillors, schools and young people, cyclists, disabled people, businesses and a bus company.
SCC now propose a much less disruptive implementation plan and are trying to improve the design of the scheme. The BCA welcomes these improvements although some safety concerns remain.
The group met twice in July and is in the process of helping to design a public survey which will be conducted during the school summer holidays, so it may still be open when this is published (early September).
Public meetings are planned for September at which the details of the proposed design and implementation plan will be put forward.
It is currently thought that work will commence during summer 2024 and the Burpham section (New Inn Lane roundabout to Boxgrove roundabout) may take about 6 months to complete.
In order to give SCC a true view of public opinion we urge everyone affected or interested to take part in the survey and public meetings.
Details will be provided to BCA members in a newsletter when they are available.
Community Update – November & December 2022
Hedgehogs Rule!
Back in 2020, Sainsburys lodged an application to extend their store which threatened a Local Green Space and its resident hedgehogs, now officially classed as vulnerable mammals. Many local people objected, as did one very well known non-resident, Brian May, co-founder of a hedgehog charity, Amazing Grace. The hedgehogs won the day! We asked Elizabeth Lee to tell us about these enchanting animals.
I am a volunteer for several wildlife charities. I am especially passionate about hedgehogs and trying to help the declining population in Burpham and Merrow. Through my Facebook page ‘Hedgehogs of Burpham and Merrow’, I try to offer advice and assistance to anyone that has hedgehogs in their garden or if they find a hedgehog in need of any help. It is lovely to be able to share local hedgehog stories and to try and make a difference in our community. I would love to hear of any new sightings, as I am aware of hedgehogs on Weybrook Park, especially the Devoil Close area, Gosden Hill, Bushy Hill and Merrow Park. A few remain around the London Road area and in Jacobs Well, but sadly the population mostly seems to have disappeared on Weylea Farm.
To encourage our prickly friends into your garden, there are lots of things that you can do. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and must never be given milk. Plenty of fresh water and meaty cat food in jelly or kitten biscuits, can be a life saver, and will mean that your prickly friend will keep on visiting you.
The key piece of information that I give to people is that hedgehogs are nocturnal, and if out in the day they are likely to be sick or injured. Unfortunately a lot of people do not realise this, so it is always best to call your local wildlife rescue, The Wildlife Aid Foundation in Leatherhead on 01372 360404 for advice. Never try to care for a sick hedgehog yourself as they are extremely complex little creatures.
Other important suggestions would be to make your garden as hedgehog friendly as possible, for example creating hedgehog highways for free roaming between gardens, checking areas before using any garden machinery or before lighting bonfires, creating ramps in ponds, eliminating the use of chemicals and keeping netting off the ground. Making your neighbours aware of the presence of hedgehogs is also very important and indeed also the parks team at the council if they cut back areas locally where they could be nesting. Hedgehogs can have two litters of babies per year, typically of up to six hoglets.
Not all hedgehogs hibernate now, due to climate change, and autumn juveniles need to be of a certain weight to survive the winter. From October, any hoglet under 200 grams needs to go to rescue. Any between 200-400 grams please call your local rescue for advice or feel free to message me through my Facebook page. Any over 400 grams looking healthy, out at night, please help with supplemental feeding. At any weight, if out in the daylight, circling, wobbling, sunbathing, injured or with fly strike (looks like grains of rice) please seek help straight away.
Hedgehogs have faced a huge decline in population over the last sixty years, but together we can work to increase their numbers and make our gardens a safe haven for them. I look forward to seeing any new members on the Facebook page and anyone is welcome to join even if further afield.
Riverside Nature Reserve
When cattle are in the Nature Reserve, the gates have to be closed but there have been problems with access for people using mobility scooters. The first gate installed, on the left of the photo, could not be opened by people on their own thus removing their independence. The new double gates, shown on the right, are intended to overcome this problem. We hope they do… If you use the gates, please let us know how you get on.
Other News
After lengthy correspondence with GBC, we hope that the 2nd defibrillator the BCA bought will soon be installed at Sutherland Memorial Park.
We hope to have a Christmas Social some time in December – drinks, nibbles, a seasonal quiz and a tombola or raffle. At the time of writing (early October) the date isn’t settled so keep an eye out for bulletins or notifications on Nextdoor.
New Beginnings
Jane Agg, Churchwarden
At the start of September approximately 1,200 children* living in Burpham will return to, or start at, school, college or preschool. Over the summer they will have cleared last year’s books and projects from their school bags and been kitted out with new school uniforms.
In school the premises team will have been busy with maintenance and the teachers will have put a new set of names on the coat pegs and refreshed their classrooms, ready for a new school year and new classes. September is a time of new beginnings.
Here at Burpham Church we too had a clear up and refresh over the summer. The biggest project was when our church car park was resurfaced, to be ready we had to clear away items that had been put there temporarily and overstayed their welcome. It can be very satisfying to have a clear out especially when someone else wants exactly the item you no longer need. We’ve learnt that it is always worth putting items on Freecycle, our junk is another person’s treasure! Even our stack of pallets were wanted by someone else.
This clearing out of the past and starting afresh can apply to more than just the physical clutter in our lives. We all have things that we regret, things that we said or did, or didn’t say or didn’t do. Remembering these can be like a weight on us, but if we take these regrets to God he will lift them from us. God’s promise in the Bible is an encouragement that we can leave the past behind and have a new start. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” Isaiah 43:18 & 19. Maybe this September could be your time to clear out the regrets of the past as well as the physical clutter of the past year. Time for that new beginning.
As the children go back to school we invite you to come back to church, or join us for the first time. You will have a warm welcome. We have services at Church of the Holy Spirit, New Inn Lane every Sunday. Our regular pattern of services resumes on 10th September.
- 9.15 Parish Communion
- 10.45 Contemporary Worship with Children’s Activities
Find out more www.burphamchurch.org.uk
*2021 Census data
Church Office: 01483 825533
www.burphamchurch.org.uk
Kindness: such an ordinary word
Jane Agg, Churchwarden
Happy New Year. May 2024 be a peaceful year for you and those you love.
One of the phrases that stays with me is ‘Jesus help me to give myself away to others being kind to everyone I meet.’
Now that the fun and excitement of Christmas and New Year is over, life can feel a bit ordinary and even dull. We are back into the same routines with the next break a long way off. Each day I, and many Christians all over the world listen to a short reflection on an app called Lectio365.
While the theme and the verses from the Bible vary at the end of every weekday, they use the same prayer for the day ahead. One of the phrases that stays with me is ‘Jesus help me to give myself away to others being kind to everyone I meet.’ It’s the use of the word kind that makes me think.
As a teacher I have told many children to be kind to each other, it can seem a rather ordinary, bland phrase that just means ‘be nice’. As I’ve thought about it, I’ve realised that it is much deeper than that, at its heart kindness is about noticing someone. Noticing others as an individual not just part of a crowd. Noticing someone and responding to them often in ordinary ways. Noticing the person who walks their dog on the same route as you each day and giving them a smile, noticing the driver who has been waiting a long time to turn into a line of traffic on the London Road and letting them in front of us. Kindness is an ordinary word but receiving kindness can make a dull January day brighter.
I wonder who you could show kindness to today?
I wonder who will show kindness to you?
We would love you to join us at one of the activities or services at Burpham Church. There are opportunities to meet some local people at Drop In on a Thursday morning for older residents and our Caterpillar Café toddler group on a Friday morning for under 5’s.
More details on our website www.burphamchurch.org.uk
Church Office: 01483 825533
www.burphamchurch.org.uk
What are you waiting for?
Jane Agg, Churchwarden
I wonder what you are waiting for. Maybe a joyful event such as birth of a baby, or maybe something you are worried about such as the results of some tests. How long you have been waiting? Days, weeks, months or perhaps years?
In the Bible there is a story about two elderly people Simeon and Anna who had waited for many years, many decades, for the arrival of the messiah. When Mary and Jesus brought Jesus to the temple aged eight days their long wait was finally over. This tiny baby, Jesus, was the person they had been waiting for, for all that time. This Christmas at Burpham Church we will be thinking about the people who were waiting for Jesus, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and wise men and more.
Here at Burpham Church we are waiting for the arrival of our new vicar. Times of waiting may be frustrating and anxious, but sometimes they can be helpful times of preparation. As part of writing the information for our recruitment pack we must write a Parish Profile. This is information for candidates that sets out what our church, and what the community of Burpham are like. We have started by doing a survey of people who attend church, it’s confirmed that Burpham Church is very much the church for Burpham. 58% of people live in Burpham, 40% of people live in a neighbouring parish and 2% travel over the three miles. (The person has been seconded to us while we are without a vicar!)
We asked people why they come to Burpham Church rather than attend one of the many other churches in Guildford and the overwhelming response was because it’s local, part of the Burpham community.
There are plenty of opportunities for the Burpham community to gather at one of our two churches in November and December. Services are for everyone.
- Remembrance: Sunday 12th November 10.45am There will be a short Remembrance Service with the two minutes silence at the war memorial in St Luke’s Churchyard.
Advent and Christmas
From Friday 1st December our online advent calendar will go live. You will be able to find the calendar on our website here www.burphamchurch.org.uk
- Christingle: Sunday 3rd December 4pm Church of the Holy Spirit
- Carols by Candlelight: Sunday 10th December 4pm St Luke’s Church
- Community Carols: Sunday 17th December 4pm Church of the Holy Spirit
- Nativity Service: Christmas Eve 4pm Church of the Holy Spirit
- Christmas Day Celebration: 10am Church of the Holy Spirit
- Christmas Day Communion: 10.45 Church of the Holy Spirit
We hope that you will join us for one or more of these opportunities to sing Christmas carols together and reflect on what you are waiting for.
Church Office: 01483 825533
www.burphamchurch.org.uk
The secret of happiness, in 2023?
Another new year, and another set of crises that we hadn’t even imagined twelve months ago! Anyone relate to that phrase “Stop the world I want to get off!”?
I confess I hadn’t even realised that was a film title from 1966 until I googled it to see when the phrase first appeared! Clearly that feeling that everything is out of control has been around somewhat longer than I’d imagined, but surely becoming harder and harder to ignore.
As we head on into that clean sheet of 2023, I wonder if happiness seems simply unrealistic and out of reach. I recently came across this quote from JC Ryle (a 19th Century Anglican Bishop).
“To be truly happy, a person must be able to look in every direction without uncomfortable feelings. They must be able to look back to the past without guilty fears; they must be able to look around themselves without discontent; they must be able to look forward without anxious dread.”
What a challenging, and yet thought-provoking statement. How are things in every direction for you? Some of us look back at the past with deep shame and resolutely turn to the future so that we don’t have to face the reality of what has happened to us and through us. Others of us are so scared of what the future might hold, that we keep our eyes firmly fixed on the past when everything felt safer. Still others of us try to live in the moment without care for others, for the past and ignoring what lies ahead. But none of these approaches are ultimately very satisfying. I wonder if JC Ryle was onto something all those years ago? For him and for Christians around the world, the secret of such happiness is not a thing nor a mindset, but a who. A few weeks ago at Christmas we celebrated again the coming of Jesus, 2000 years ago. An irrelevant middle eastern religious leader, or perhaps, “Immanuel – God with us” as the Bible declares it.
This is why JC Ryle, and millions of Christians both before and after him, have been able to do a genuine 360 look at life without distress. Once you have truly discovered that God is with you, it enables you to tackle life differently however much difficulty lies ahead and whatever has passed already. Maybe something worth exploring in 2023?
With every blessing
Rev’d Joanna Levasier
Church Office: 01483 825533
www.burphamchurch.org.uk
Wondering with a conker!
As I write this, we are firmly in the Autumn season: the autumn leaves are turning and the acorns are piling up underfoot. (Is it me, or do there seem to be a particularly large number of acorns this year?)
One of the great things about the UK is that we really do seasons, and after the parched summer, doesn’t autumn seem particularly welcome this year?
As well as the leaves and acorns, I have to confess that I have never grown out of enjoying conkers. How about you? I remember we used to collect them obsessively at school, even as teenagers, when I recall surreptitiously climbing into a garden next to the playground which had a massive horse chestnut tree, to try and get even more to put in our bag. I still find it very hard to walk past a horse chestnut tree with fallen conkers without stopping to see if there are any shiny ones to pick up or, even better, unopened cases waiting for my foot to release their treasure. Squashing those prickly cases to reveal a shiny new conker never fails to bring me joy! Don’t you just love the feel of a new conker – silky smooth and shiny, just perfect.
But the thing about conkers, is that smooth glossy look doesn’t last long. The pleasure they bring is very short-lived, for very quickly, shiny fades to dull, and the new conker joins the other hoards of yesterday’s conkers which really aren’t quite as entrancing, and off I go to find a new one. Yes – I’m conker fickle, always after the next new shiny perfect one!
I wonder how many other things in life are like that conker – promising much, but only providing temporary pleasure that fades quickly and needs to be replaced with something else.
But I wonder how many other things in life are like that conker – promising much, but only providing temporary pleasure that fades quickly and needs to be replaced with something else. And so, we fill our houses with lots of stuff we don’t need, because the thrill of the new thing fades too quickly. Perhaps you can identify with always looking for the next thing to bring you pleasure or that elusive ‘satisfaction’ that always seems to be promised by the next experience.
Or perhaps you struggle with finding that perfect Christmas gift for someone who seems to have everything – what is there ‘new’ that you can give to bring someone joy? Are we looking for things in the wrong place?
Jesus Christ said: I have come that they might have life, life in all its fullness. What a promise! What an invitation! Who wouldn’t want life in all its fullness? Perhaps as we approach Christmas and that moment when we remember God choosing to enter our world himself, as a human baby in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, perhaps you might like to investigate that claim for yourself. Could it be that there is something or someone who isn’t like that proverbial conker – shiny and perfect today but dull and disappointing tomorrow? You never know, it might be worth a look.
With every blessing
Rev’d Joanna Levasier
Church Office: 01483 825533
www.burphamchurch.org.uk
The Sister's Preserves Story
Burpham Pages is all about ‘local’. Local community, local businesses and local events. We’ve recently been exploring local produce and in doing so have spoken to Jackie Turner who runs ‘Sister’s Preserves’.
In 2016 I grew an abundance of tomatoes and by September I was left with a lot of unripe ones. I experimented with my Mum’s runner bean pickle recipe from the 1970s and gave my brother, Tony, a few jars of the resulting, yummy green tomato chutney. He served some in baguettes and ploughman’s lunches in his Wiltshire deli. One customer liked it so much he asked if he could buy a jar. Tony replied, “I don’t have any to sell, my sister makes it, I’ll ask her.” The next few times the same guy came into the shop he asked, “Have you got any of your sister’s chutney?” …and so, my brand name was born!
I did a lot of research, got qualified in food safety and hygiene, had our kitchen and practices inspected by Guildford Borough Council (which wasn’t as scary as you might think!), and started making chutney to sell at fairs and farm shops. Since then, I have extended the range of chutneys and added jams, marmalade, mustard and other products depending on the season.
Great tasting products should be available locally, and buying from a small business makes a real difference to real people. I love to use traditional, family recipes, but also to experiment and create new combinations of flavours. I now have returning customers saying it is the best jam and chutney they have tasted!
Great tasting products should be available locally, and buying from a small business makes a real difference to real people.
I pick a lot of the produce myself, working with the seasons; picking rhubarb in April, strawberries in June, blackcurrants, elderflowers and tomatoes in July, beetroots and plums in August, apples and elderberries in September and quinces in October. Several friends and neighbours swap a bag of something they have grown for a jar of something I have made. I love the community feel this brings to my work.
Sustainability is important to me so my glass jars are made in Britain from partially recycled glass, and are fully recyclable.
Sustainability is important to me so my glass jars are made in Britain from partially recycled glass, and are fully recyclable. My gift boxes contain only biodegradable materials, no plastic; and at Christmas time I use natural baskets and biodegradable cellophane to create a range of tasty hampers.
You can find Jackie’s products for sale in:
- Solar Sisters, Guildford
- The Crossroads Stores, West Horsley
- Taste Deli, Warminster
Find out more at:
www.facebook.com/SistersPreserves
The Stories of Guildford’s Public Art
Main image: The ‘Surrey Scholar’ created by Alan Sly to represent education in Guildford.
by Alex Rose
From the Surrey Scholar to the Sutherland Circle, let’s discover more about what’s around us every day. Guildford, known for its picturesque town centre, is rich in charming scenes and unassuming treasures. Among these are a number of carefully crafted art pieces, each of which has a story of its own.
Perhaps the most well-known of these is the grand statue of George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury, erected in April of 1993 at the top of the high street. It was sculpted by local artist Faith Winter, who studied at the Guildford School of Art, and unveiled by Robert Runcie, the then Archbishop of Canterbury. Born in Guildford, 1562, Abbot attended the Royal Grammar School and went on to teach at Oxford University. He was three times Vice-Chancellor of the university and took a leading role in translating the authorised version of the New Testament. Guildford continues to honour Abbot with a hospital, a pub, a secondary school and the towering statue. His tomb can be visited at
Holy Trinity Church.
Another recognisable sculpture of Guildford Town Centre rests at the bottom of the high street. The ‘Surrey Scholar’ depicts a young man holding a number of books and raising his mortarboard hat in a lively running position. It was commissioned for the Golden Jubilee by the University of Surrey, also coinciding with the University’s 35th anniversary. It had the brief of a ‘dynamic’ feel and was raised in 2009, a feat of engineering, as the Scholar balances on one toe on a sloping site. The 11-foot high, bronze sculpture was created by Alan Sly to represent education in Guildford. Interestingly, Alan Sly also sculpted the eye-catching ‘Surrey Stag’ outside the University – designed to represent its logo.
When we take a moment to notice the talent around us and appreciate our local environment, we may be surprised at what we find.
Erected in 2017 and distinctly recognisable, anyone who frequents Sutherland Memorial Park must be familiar with the ‘Sutherland Circle’. This creative steel art piece aims to explore themes of nature; each leaf-shaped structure is ornately decorated with individual natural scenes, including a bird flying over a child in a flower meadow or a robin surrounded by falling autumnal leaves. The structures surround a small cylindrical column with a plaque. It was created by artist Steve Tomlinson in close collaboration with a local school.
‘The Bargeman’, an intriguing sculpture located on Town Wharf, was commissioned by the Guildford Borough Council to celebrate the millennium. Facing the canal, a working
man made of steel coils wears a flat cap and coat and stands in a position to throw a length of looped rope. It was created in 2001 by Andy Quirk and Robert Kranenborg at Utopia Forge and designed to reflect the time when the Wey was a working river.
The Wey itself is a waterway of almost 20 miles connecting Godalming and Surrey with the Thames at Weybridge. The river Wey Navigation was created between 1651 and 1653 to offer Guildford merchants a convenient highway to London. It is one of the oldest river navigations in the country, and today the National Trust manages it as a leisure waterway.
So, it is safe to say that the bargeman represents an important aspect of historical life in Guildford and celebrates the gateway of local trade.
The newest significant public art piece in Guildford is the war memorial at the castle grounds (erected in 2018 and created by David Annand) honouring the lives of the eighteen residents of the town who have died in service since the end of World War 2. The bronze memorial depicts a young man in military uniform holding a plaque engraved with the names of those who died. The figure is surrounded by three arcs, which represent the three services and echo the Norman Architecture of Guildford Castle.
Public art in Guildford, however, doesn’t end there; a number of other pieces can be found throughout Guildford. Lewis Carroll’s impressive influence can certainly be sensed throughout the town for example, with ‘Alice through the looking glass’ and ‘Alice and the White Rabbit’ exemplifying local art. Outside the Odeon cinema, you may well have seen the only wooden sculpture on this list, ‘Rising Stars’, by Steve Geliot, perhaps a cheerful tribute to the stars on the big screen. Other art pieces include the extract from a Walter de la Mare poem on the side of the Parkway Premier Inn, the dancing figures sculpture on the wall of the youth centre at Haydon Place, many interesting statues on the grounds of Surrey University, and, more locally, the green man sculpture on the side of the Burpham Aldi, paying respect to the Green Man pub which stood in the location previously.
Clearly, many creative and captivating gems surround us whilst we go about our daily lives. When we take a moment to notice the talent around us and appreciate our local environment, we may be surprised at what we find.