Coffee with a copper

10.15am – 11.00am
Sat 1 March & Tue 20 May
Barber & Brew coffee shop

We offer a free drop-in session with our local police officer PC Ingham to raise any questions or issues you like. PC Ingham has a special interest in burglary prevention. She can offer advice about protecting your house from theft, responding to anti-social behaviour and reporting on things that trouble you in your neighbourhood. Book a slot in advance if you want to be sure of a place, by writing to secretary@burphamca.org.uk. Free tea or coffee for anyone who comes with a question.

Advice drop-in

9.30 – 11.00am
Sat 15 March
Barber & Brew coffee shop

We offer free 15 minute informal consultations with:

• A tree specialist
• A planning application specialist
• Your local county and borough councillors

Book a slot in advance if you want to be sure of a place, by writing to secretary@burphamca.org.uk.
Free tea or coffee for anyone who comes with a question.

Flood seminar

10.00am – 11.15am
Fri 28 March
Village Hall in Burpham Lane

A one-hour discussion group about the impact that the town centre flood scheme will have on Burpham. This should be of particular interest to people living near the Wey. The Guildford team will come to explain how the new flood defences work, and what that will do to the waters heading downstream towards us.

BCA free taster day

Saturday 26 April
Time and locations across Burpham

The clubs and societies of Burpham will offer residents FREE one-off taster sessions to sample their activities. We include sports clubs for all ages, special interest groups and wellbeing sessions. These will run in the Village Hall, the Hub, the Sutherland Park sports pitches and club buildings. Everyone is welcome. A full list of offers will be available at the end of March. Members will receive a mailing; others can view the offer on our website or on the BCA noticeboard at Kingpost Parade. Places will be numbered so book in advance to be sure of a place at secretary@burpahmca.org.uk

BCA floral walks

Sat 19 April (Meet 10am)
Tulip time at Dunsbough Park (Ripley)

Stunning display of tulips in the grounds. We expect the cost to be £9. Lifts offered. Meet in car park. Allow 2 hrs.

Sat 3 May (Meet 10am)
Bluebell time in Chantries Wood (Shalford)

Assemble 10am at Chantries Car Park at the end of Pilgrims Way near Shalford GU4 8AW for a FREE group walk to the Chantries, and – if climate change permits – see a carpet of bluebells. Sign up to get a last-minute weather check. NB The walk starts with a 10-minute climb up to the ridge which will be broken by a brief commentary on The Chantries and The Pilgrims Way. The rest is easy-going or downhill. Approx 1hr 15 mins.

Burpham Village Fair

12.00 – 3.00pm
Sat 12 July
Sutherland Memorial Park

The Burpham Village Fair is coming and free to all! The fair is a joint effort between partners including BCA, the church, the Hub and several clubs. You can look forward to stalls, activities for the kids, food, sports and entertainment.

All change!

The shift to a unitary council

Surrey County Council has begun the process of moving to become a unitary authority. This means merging county and borough councils so that services, planning and the council itself become a single body.

For this reason, the County Council elections in May have been cancelled. We don’t yet know what other towns we might be packaged with, or what area a councillor will cover. Burpham may survive as its own ward or be combined with other neighbourhoods in the way we do for county council elections now.

Critics of the scheme think it will move power away from people and create a distraction as the administration is restructured. Others think that it will ensure better joined-up planning with economies of scale.

The implications for Burpham might be helpful because the planning of Gosden Hill has been disappointingly piecemeal across different services. On the other hand, we would be joining a smaller pond with some very big fish in it. Woking, for example, has well-reported debts we would not wish to share. We’ll keep you posted.

New team members

We are pleased to say that we found a new Treasurer to take up the reins from Susan Poole who has served the BCA for many years. Our new Treasurer is David Hawke who has been co-opted onto the executive. We have also co-opted the equally welcome James Hanson, otherwise known to you as the vicar of Burpham Church. We welcome both and give our heartfelt thanks to Susan for her years of service.