Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Fair at Queen Elizabeth Park Stoughton
Friday 3rd June, 12.00-5.00pm
Nearly 20 years ago now, the first residents started moving in to the new Queen Elizabeth Park estate in Stoughton. This estate was built on the site of the former Women’s Royal Army Corps barracks. As many will know, Queen Elizabeth II, then a teenage Princess, served in World War 2 as a driver and mechanic in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and worked at the Stoughton site.
So residents of Queen Elizabeth Park thought it was only right that we should commemorate the Queen’s 70th anniversary of acceding to the throne – her Platinum Jubilee. She is the first British monarch who has ever reigned for this long.
On Friday, 3rd June (Friday of the long Jubilee bank holiday weekend – 2nd to 5th June) Q E Park is holding a Community Fair, from 12 noon to 5 pm, to be held on our main Green, at Railton Road, GU2 9LX. We hope to feature: live music, bouncy castles, ice creams, cream teas, children’s fancy dress competition, a dog agility event, tombola, raffle, face painting, a baking contest and many other items. Bring a folding chair or a rug, and stay for the afternoon!
It will be free to attend, though there will be charges for some attractions. Any profit from the day will be donated to charity. Plenty of free parking around the event.
Local businesses can get involved by: sponsoring the event; taking advertising in our programme; donating raffle or other prizes. If interested please email: social@qepark.co.uk
More details will be published closer to the time, on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/QEParkGuildford and via leaflets and posters.
The Burpham Winter Lectures are back
These one-hour Winter Lectures are given by local residents for local residents and this year were postponed a couple of months due to lockdown. Here’s a run down of the first lectures of 2022.
Andrew Plumridge kicked off this year’s postponed Burpham Lectures with a quirky and informative account of those architectural fancies Gargoyles, Grotesques and Hunkypunks.
These brooding creatures originated in France (think Notre Dame Cathedral) as a way of routing water off the roofs of churches and towers. They are cleverly disguised outlets for lead piping. Water gushes down the roof and is discharged through the mouth of the creature to clear the walls. The word gargoyle is derived from the French word gargouille for throat.
The range of animals and people represented in gargoyles is prolific – lions, snakes, griffins, dragons, evil-looking imps and – less flattering – local celebrities such as vicars, lords and lawyers. Happily, gargoyles are placed well above ground level so masons were able to poke fun at the personalities of their town from a safe distance.
Once you have one gargoyle, your sense of symmetry may crave four – one for each corner, but without the rainwater. The other three are grotesques. And if you live in Somerset and the South West, you may well call them hunkypunks.
Yes, Minister!
Bob Hughes, formerly MP for Harrow and a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, entertained and educated his audience at the second Burpham Lecture. Getting ministers, or anyone, to act in your favour is not just about passion, it needs cool-headed planning. It is all too easy, says Bob, to make a negative impression and he cited the examples of mass identical emails, extreme attention-seeking tactics and petitions as less effective than direct discussion. People in power are interested in ideas which are aligned with their priorities, have evidence to back them up and there is a good way to implement them.
Bob himself led the effort to get soft landing floors installed in playgrounds, a simple idea which has saved a lot of broken bones and prevented some deaths. He accepts, though, that not every good idea will be taken up by ministers because they have to juggle and choose between competing ideas.
Far from the image projected by Yes, Minister, Bob said that a good working relationship between politicians and civil services was central to forging workable policy. For people wishing to promote their ideas to government, the best approach is to work through one’s local MP.
3 things everyone (but especially women) should be doing
When it comes to our health and fitness, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. The options are endless and it can be tricky to know where to start. Christine Sciberras, Founder and Head Coach at Melita Fitness, gives us some tips on how to make some small but effective changes to our fitness.
So let me help! Here’s three things we should all be focussing on.
1. Lift heavy stuff
There are many reasons for this: resistance training helps you build lean muscle, it helps you build stronger bones and it helps you burn more calories.
For women it’s especially important as we lose 5% of our muscle mass every decade. And that starts in our 30s!
We need to work to reverse this atrophy so that we can continue living full and active lives.
The way to achieve this is resistance training – lifting heavy stuff. You don’t need fancy equipment or complex movements. In our classes, we use a kettlebell (or two!) and simple but effective exercises, like squats and lunges. This method of exercising gives your body a clear signal that it needs to adapt and build stronger muscles.
But don’t worry, you’re unlikely to become ‘too muscular’ by accident! Unless you happen to be The Rock’s long-lost sister!
And the good news is that you don’t even need much time. A recent study found that 1 to 2 hours per week means you are 1/3 less likely to become obese.
2. Eat proper food
We live in an obesogenic environment. Our food is designed to be easily accessible, extremely palatable, and easy to consume. Millions of £££s go into developing this kind of food and making it irresistible.
This ultra-processed food is exactly the type of food we should be eating less of. Although ironically it takes up around 80% of a supermarket’s floor space.
We should instead be eating more vegetables, fruit, nuts, pulses, and good sources of protein too.
3. Prioritise rest
Now I know that for some of you with young children, this might seem impossible. But let me tell you why this is important.
When you lift heavy stuff, you damage your muscles. This is the signal your body needs to build back stronger. And this building can only happen when you are resting.
The other reason is this:
bad sleep = unbalanced hormones, especially the hormones that regulate satiety and cravings.
So you see without good sleep you’ll struggle to grow stronger. And you’ll struggle to make healthy food choices.
So prioritise your sleep: put your phone away, leave the tidying, switch off the telly. And get yourself to bed early instead.
BONUS TIP!
Whenever you’re making changes to your lifestyle, I recommend starting with the smallest possible change.
Pick one thing: like going to bed earlier or starting an exercise class. Focus on this one thing and stick with it until it becomes engrained.
Avoid overhauling too much in one go. Instead pick something so small, that you cannot fail to achieve it. Because once you achieve it, you’ll feel amazing.
And you’ll be excited to do more!
Guildford in Bloom 2022
Guildford in Bloom Launches Annual Gardening Competition for Residents and Schools .
The Guildford in Bloom Gardening Competition, which is open to residents and businesses in Guildford Borough launched on 14 February 2022 alongside the Schools in Bloom Competition which launched at the end of January 2022. The theme for this year is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, so judges are expecting to see lots of red, white and blue as well as purple, the theme colour for the Platinum celebrations.
Schools, conservations areas and community gardens will earn an extra few points if they have planted a tree for the Jubilee, and as always gardens that are eco-friendly, peat free, and take care of and encourage wildlife will score highly.
Cllr Paul Spooner, Chairman of Guildford in Bloom says:
“Guildford in Bloom are delighted to be able to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by encouraging residents, businesses, pubs and community groups to enter the competition and embrace the theme. So many people have embraced their gardens during the last two years and tried to grow their own vegetables as well and creating colourful spaces to relax and unwind – the importance of our outdoor spaces is growing.
We hope that our Guildford gardeners will rise to the challenge in the Queen’s special year. Any garden, big or small, private or a business can enter Guildford in Bloom. We’d love to see your photos and stories, please share them on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages by using the hashtag #GIB2022 and show us how you’ve interpreted this year’s theme.”
To take part, please go to www.guildfordinbloom.com to download the entry form, and once completed send that to info@guildfordinbloom.com no later than Sunday 19 June 2022.
Judging takes place between 27 June – 15 July 2022. You can keep up with the competition on the Guildford in Bloom social media pages – visit @guildfordnbloom on Twitter and Instagram and on Facebook here
www.facebook.com/GuildfordInBloom The school competition is also underway and children across the borough will be designing and creating their gardens with the Platinum Jubilee theme, and keeping a journal, diary or scrapbook to record their progress. Entries for the Schools in Bloom Competition, sponsored by Edwins Garden Centre, need to be in by 22 May 2022 and judging will take place between 7 to 16 June 2022. Entry forms for this competition can also be downloaded from www.guildfordinbloom.com
The winner of #bloomingschools will receive £50 to spend on plants or gardening equipment for the school, together with other prizes.
The Platinum Jubilee will also be celebrated at the free Picnic in the Castle Grounds Event on 4 June 2022 – picnic goers will be encouraged to dress up in keeping with the theme and bring flags to wave while they enjoy entertainment from the Castle Bandstand provided by Guildford Fringe Festival. Picnic is sponsored by Tunsgate Quarter and Experience Guildford. More details on the Guildford in Bloom website.
Feasts and festivals for the Saints in March and April.
It’s a busy couple of months for the saints as we have St David’s day (Tues 1st) and St Patrick’s day (Thurs 17th) in March and St George’s day (Sat 23rd) in April.
Saint David’s Day
Saint David’s Day is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on the date of his death (c. 589 AD) 1st March.
St. David, born in Caerfai, south west Wales into an aristocratic family, was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St. Davids) during the 6th century.
The feast has been regularly celebrated since his canonisation in the 12th century. It is not a national holiday, though there is strong support for it becoming a bank holiday in Wales. In the past, schools have taken a half-day holiday, which continues in some parts of Wales.
David’s fame as a teacher and his asceticism spread among Celtic Christians of the time. He helped found about 12 monasteries and his foundation at Glyn Rhosyn became an important Christian shrine.
Saint Patrick’s Day
Saint Patrick’s Day held on 17th March, the traditional date of the death of St. Patrick (c.385-461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
St. Patrick’s Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and commemorates St. Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilís, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Historically the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday’s tradition of alcohol consumption.
St. Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. There has been criticism of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations for having become too commercialised and for fostering negative stereotypes of the Irish people.
St. Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and Bishop in Ireland. It is believed he was born in Roman Britain in the 4th century, to a wealthy Romano-British family. His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church. When young, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Gaelic Ireland. After 6 years God told Patrick to escape his captors and flee to the coast, where a ship would be waiting to take him home.
According to tradition, Patrick returned to Ireland, becoming a priest and converting the pagan Irish to Christianity. He spent many years evangelising in the northern half of Ireland and converted thousands.
Patrick’s efforts were eventually turned into an allegory in which he drove ‘snakes’ out of Ireland, despite the fact that snakes were not known to inhabit the region.
Tradition holds that he died on 17th March and was buried at Downpatrick. Over the following centuries, many legends grew up around Patrick and he became Ireland’s foremost saint.
Saint George’s Day
George is the patron saint of England. His cross forms the national flag and features within the Union Flag of the United Kingdom. By the 14th century, he had been declared both the patron saint and the protector of the Royal Family.
It is thought that George was a Roman officer of Greek descent, martyred when sentenced to death for refusing to renounce his Christian faith.
The earliest documented mention of St. George in England comes from the Catholic monk the venerable Bede (c.673–735). English soldiers evoked St. George as a battle cry during the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453) and displayed his cross on their pennants.St. George’s Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century. But this tradition had waned by the end of the 18th century after the union of England and Scotland.
Similar to St. David’s Day in Wales, there is a growing reaction to the recent indifference to St. George’s Day. Organisations such as English Heritage and the Royal Society of St. George have been encouraging celebrations, and arguments have been made to make St. George’s Day a public holiday.
England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Moscow, Catalonia & Aragon in Spain have all claimed George as their patron saint, as have several other regions, cities, universities, professions and organisations.
George and the dragon
First recorded in the 11th century, the legend tells of a fierce dragon causing panic in the city of Silene, Libya. To stop the dragon from devastating the city the people sacrificed two sheep each day to him. But sheep were not enough and they were forced to sacrifice humans instead. Eventually the king’s daughter was chosen but no one was willing to take her place. George saved the girl by slaying the dragon with his lance. The king was so grateful that he offered him treasures as a reward for saving his daughter’s life, but George refused and instead he gave these riches to the poor. The people of the city were so amazed at what they had witnessed that they became Christians and were all baptised.
The bones of Saint George are buried in the Church of Saint George, Lod, Israel.
Burpham's Boundaries
Throughout its history, Burpham has changed its size and shape many times, and the boundary commission is proposing to change the borders again in June, in time for the next round of borough elections.
The final proposals – still to be signed off – will, if agreed, expand our boundaries to include the roads of Ganghill, Abbotswood, Westward Ho and Boxgrove Avenue.
The new roads are currently split among neighbouring wards, but it does make some sense to relocate them into Burpham because they share the same journeys, schools, shops and amenities as we do. It also brings the size of Burpham into line with national expectations at around 2500 residents per councillor. We will retain two councillors, therefore.
The residents of the ‘new’ roads enjoy a distinctive neighbourhood. Many of their houses are protected from inappropriate development by being in a conservation area since 2011. Abbotswood in particular is home to many fine large arts-and-crafts houses built by the eminent architect Alfred Claude Burlingham. Several of us who live in Orchard Road or on the Sainsburys roundabout inhabit cottage versions of the Abbotswood houses. These were the ‘affordable housing’ of their day and have the same wooden beams, nooks and crannies, and wide rectangular leaded windows.
Burpham is facing fewer changes than some other wards. The plan is to merge Christchurch and Holy Trinity wards, and also Shalford and Pilgrims on the other side of town. Stoughton however will split in two, and Friary will be separated from St Nicolas.
Will the additional roads change the political balance of power in Burpham? Maybe. Although the new roads were resisted by the small number of people who responded to the commission’s draft proposals, Lib Dem councillor George Potter has accepted that they make sense.
Sue Hackman
We will aim to update you in the July & August 2022 issue of Burpham Pages, assuming that we have the outcome of the consultations.
Fortunately Burpham Pages is already delivered to all these roads as we did our own assessment of what was considered Burpham (in our opinion)!
Sight for Surrey announces Dame Judi Dench as Patron for Centenary Year!
Sight for Surrey has announced that acting legend, star of the screen and Surrey resident, Dame Judi Dench, CH, DBE, has agreed to become a Patron of the charity for its Centenary year, 2022.
Sight for Surrey supports and enables people in Surrey who are blind, vision impaired, deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind to lead full and independent lives, a mission that Dame Judi Dench holds close to her heart, as in 2012, she was diagnosed with macular degeneration.
Dame Judi said, “Sight for Surrey is a charity that I respect and support. I live with an eye condition and know first-hand how losing your sight can make even the most simplest tasks, like reading the newspaper, post or emails or a list of ingredients, a challenge! The work that this charity does in getting people set up and adjusted to life with a vision impairment is amazing and I am honoured to be their Patron in their Centenary year”.
Bob Hughes, Chief Executive at Sight for Surrey said, “we are delighted that Dame Judi has agreed to be our Patron during an exciting and eventful year for the charity. We have been supporting people in Surrey with a sensory loss for 100 years and look forward to many more. We hope that Surrey residents will be spurred into fundraising action this year and set themselves a fundraising challenge that will test their boundaries and highlight the challenges that people with a sensory loss face every day.”
Sight for Surrey supports over 8,000 people in Surrey who are blind, vision impaired, Deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind. The charity was established in 1922 when we first started assisting vision impaired soldiers returning from war and we have continued to help people in Surrey with a sight and/or hearing loss.
Mandira’s Kitchen Loves a Valentine’s Day Special
Evenings are still dark and there is nothing more romantic than a cosy night in! What is unromantic is spending all your time in the kitchen, so Mandira’s Kitchen are determined to keep romance alive and spicy – without time out in preparation.
Mandira’s Kitchen have put together a romantic Valentine’s Day Special Indian meal for two that can be delivered frozen to any UK Mainland address. It can be heated from frozen in just 4 minutes so there is no need to waste ages in the kitchen.
Bringing some spice to Valentine’s Day, Mandira’s Kitchen have prepared a set menu which includes: Starter platter with Vegetable and Lamb samosas and Cauliflower Tikkis, all served with MK Pineapple Chutney; a main course of Gulabi Pulao (fragrant basmati rice cooked with beetroot to give it a delicate pink hue), Gondhoraj Chicken/Paneer (delicate boneless chicken or paneer cooked with a very fragrant lemon, yoghurt and cashew sauce), Mushroom and Corn Bonanza (sweet corn and mushrooms cooked in a delicious fresh spinach sauce), Shah Jehani Dal (from the dining table of Emperor Shah Jehan, a mix of lentils cooked with spices and coconut milk) accompanied by fluffy Naan bread. The Sweet Endings come with Gujar Halwa (a mouthwatering carrot pudding) Masala Chai, Chilli Chocolates and spiced chocolate samosas.
Every meal includes two free gin and tonic cans, a Bollywood playlist, a Kama Sutra quiz and a movie suggestion. Mandira’s Kitchen has also teamed up with Albury Organic Vineyard and Silent Pool Distillers to give you the option of adding wine or gin to your order.
Mandira Sarkar, owner and founder of Mandira’s Kitchen is very keen to spread a little love at this special time of year with her delicious food and says: “You cannot love well if you have not dined well goes the old saying. So, our Valentine day menu woos your eyes and your tastebuds. Clearly all designed to recreate the perfect romantic meal at home.”
All items can be ordered online from www.mandiraskitchen.com and either collected from Mandira’s Kitchen at The Silent Pool Guildford or delivered to any UK Mainland address. Special allergy and dietary requirements can be catered for by telephoning 01483 940798.
Become part of Guildford City’s new academy!
The newly launched Guildford City FC Academy is now looking for students for September 2022!
Once on the programme, new players will be given the opportunity to train on a regular basis, whilst also studying from a Department of Education approved curriculum. All match days will be taking place on the first team pitch at the Spectrum Stadium, with the squad taking part in the FA Youth Alliance League.
Students attend the Academy daily to train and to undertake a 2 year BTEC Level 3 certificate in sports. The course covers a range of sports related units including: anatomy and physiology; assessing risk in sport; fitness testing for sport and exercise; sports nutrition and leadership.
You can call Guildford City FC’s academy manager Adam Clarke on 07922 421 777 or you can email: info@guildfordcityfc.co.uk
Inspiring Women Concert
The Inspiring Women Concert, organised by Hennessey Brown Music & Guildford Cathedral, is the weekend following International Women’s Day and will celebrate women in music as composers, conductors and performers.
Inspiring Women includes performances from Amies Freedom Choir who are an ensemble including female survivors of human trafficking who sing together. In 2020 this choir was awarded the prestigious Women of the Year Community Spirit Award.
The concert will also include the girls from Guildford Cathedral singing works by Cecilia MacDowall and Imogen Holst. There will be an instrumental interlude with Harriet Mackenzie, two London Conservatoire and a professional cellist performing ‘Riff for Strings and Snare’ by Hennessey Brown Music composer Dominique Le Gendre.
The climax of the concert will be a performance of Cecilia Macdowall’s ‘Everyday Wonders; The Girl From Aleppo.’ The music of this work depicts the incredible journey undertaken by Nujeen Mustafa in a wheelchair from Syria to Germany. The solo violin part will be played by Hennessey Brown Music violinist Harriet Mackenzie and sung by the Guildford Cathedral Girls Choir, performed by the Conservatoire Concerts string orchestra and conducted by Katherine Dienes-Williams, organist and Master of the Choristers at Guildford Cathedral.
The aim of the concert is to showcase inspiring women in music. Tickets are available from the Guildford Cathedral Box office: www.guildford-cathedral.org/events/boxoffice/534 for more information.