Month: August 2024

Mole Valley Heritage Open Days

Heritage Open Days celebrates 30 years this year. From Friday 6 to Sunday 15 September 2024, Mole Valley will be celebrating Heritage Open Days by opening the doors of its most fascinating buildings and offering talks on many intriguing, local subjects – all available free of charge. 

Heritage Open Days is the largest festival of history and culture in England and this year marks the 30th anniversary since its inception. In Mole Valley, more than 50 events and activities take place across the district over the ten-day period. With the diverse range of guided walks, talks, exhibitions and more on offer, there’s no doubt that everyone will find something of interest.

 

This year’s national theme is ‘Routes – Networks – Connections’. Our volunteers – who dedicate their own time to enable each event and activity to take place – will impart their enthusiasm and knowledge to educate and inspire visitors. Experience free access to a number of heritage sites, including historic buildings, beautiful gardens, and areas of natural beauty that might otherwise be closed to the public.

 

Heritage Open Days in Mole Valley launches with a fascinating event on Friday 6 September, with speakers from The Charles Close Society for the Study of Ordnance Survey Maps presenting an in-depth look at a variety of maps from many sources and ages. Pre-booking is required, so to secure your place and to find out more information, visit the Heritage Open Days website.

 

It is best to plan in advance, particularly as some events require pre-booking as spaces will be limited. An online version of Mole Valley’s Heritage Open Days brochure can be explored now, with hardcopy versions available to pick up from locations across Mole Valley including libraries, the reception at Mole Valley District Council’s Pippbrook offices and the Letherhead Institute in the coming weeks.

 

Heritage Open DaysCouncillor Nick Wright, MVDC’s Cabinet Member for Leisure and Tourism, said: “This packed Mole Valley brochure shows that the Open Days will offer many fascinating and surprising events and activities across the district. The fact that this festival has reached 30 years speaks volumes for its enduring popularity and continued success. Make sure you don’t miss out this September, and discover what Heritage Open Days has to offer.”

Let Us Play asks Epsom & Ewell Colts

Epsom & Ewell Colts FC, a grassroots football club that has been a staple in the community for years, is facing an impending crisis due to premier League Club’s foundation. 

Blenheim High School, a core training venue for Epsom Colts girl’s grassroot players for over 20 years, has cancelled their booking at short notice to make way for their selective Chelsea FC Foundation. This decision affects 170 girls from Under-8s upwards who now have no place to train and
play the sport they love. This is not the first time Epsom & Ewell have experienced such issues, with Chelsea being given preferential treatment over our previous existing bookings at Nonsuch Girls School.

The club, run solely by local volunteers, has provided access to football for boys and girls for half a century. They do this not only for the love of the game, but because they know how essential it is to our community, and the physical and mental well-being and of our young people. Often, their teams are the crucial ‘third space’ that children and young people need
outside of home and school.

Nicola Brown,Head of Women and Girls Development at Epsom and Ewell ColtsNicola Brown,Head of Women and Girls Development at Epsom and Ewell Colts. said “It’s hugely frustrating – having run every single initiative from Wildcats to Squad Girls, to encourage girls to play football, and to have increased our numbers in the club (from a
handful to 364 female players), to then have to undo all of that hard work because we have lost our training venue to Chelsea. It feels like a real kick in the teeth”, “It is not the kind of comradery that we need in girls and women’s football.’’

Mary Sheard, a parent from one of the U8’s Girls team said, “Caitlin was really looking forward to getting back to training with her football team after the summer, so we are really upset that their training venue had been lost. The girls in the team have formed such a great supportive bond, and they are all so worried about what will happen to the team.’’

The loss of the venue is being felt throughout the year groups.
Steve Luff, Manager and parent. said “This decision undermines the very essence of community sports. Grassroots football is the lifeblood and future of the sport, nurturing young talent and fostering community
spirit,” “It’s a grave mistake to prioritise commercial interests or go for the cachet of a professional club over the development of local athletes,
who represent the true future of football.”

He continues: “Our U18 girls grassroots football team faces immense disappointment as we have been ousted from our local school training facility and replaced by a professional club.” The vice-captain of the team, Elsie added “So much for encouraging girls, (and boys) football. How disappointing.’’

colts“The decision to displace our players in favour of a professional club’s pathway after so many years has been hard to take. It also goes against the objectives and aims of the
school listed in their last annual report,’’ said Pauline Russell, Chairwoman of the Club. ‘It
does not feel like the school has considered the needs for their facilities by the local community, which would have improved the lives of local inhabitants as noted in their Trustees’ report. We’d also welcome further conversations with Chelsea, to see if they could support us
with our venue crisis.”

Epsom & Ewell Colts Club has been actively campaigning for additional facilities and funding to meet the growing demand in the local area for many years. With no guarantees of new sites being built, the recent development only exacerbates the problem, leaving our young athletes without a suitable venue, potentially for years to come. The shortage of training spaces in the area has already been a significant challenge for
grassroots sports clubs over the years. Christchurch United, a local church-led mini soccer centre has also suffered from the recent changes at Blenheim.

With charges rising 220% to account for the expenditure to resurface their pitch, it is now unaffordable for the club to continue their sessions there. They are also now looking for an alternative location for their Saturday morning sessions – no small task when venues with availability are
scarce.

Pauline continues to say “Sports play a critical role in the development of young people, offering not only physical benefits but also teaching vital life skills such as teamwork, discipline, and resilience,We are calling on the
community, local authorities, and Chelsea FC to recognise the importance of grassroots sports and to work with us to find a solution that allows these 170 girls to continue their training on Thursdays without disruption. We are not against the development of a professional academy, and we have had many players selected from our club to further themselves at academies, but it should not come at the expense of displacing grassroots players who rely on these facilities. We need to look after this ecosystem and protect the
sport at grassroots level.’’

When Blenheim School was contacted regarding the issue, they were apologetic but steadfast in their decision. An offer was made to reinstate a two-hour slot on a Tuesday until Christmas, but that only helps four teams that will face the same issue come January.

If any local schools, clubs or venues can help with their training crisis, please contact
[email protected]

A petition has been set up if you like to sign it CLICK HERE

Press release supplied by Epsom & Ewell Colts.

MP Calls For The New Hospital At Sutton To Be Protected

New Liberal Democrat MP for Epsom & Ewell Helen Maguire has called for the planned new emergency care hospital in Sutton and the upgrading of Epsom Hospital to be protected following this week’s Chancellor’s statement to the House of Commons 

In the Statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that a number of infrastructure projects were at risk of being cut in order to balance the books following years of Conservative economic mismanagement including plans to deliver 40 new hospitals.

In response, Epsom & Ewell’s new Liberal Democrat MP Helen Maguire said that this should not include the new emergency care hospital at Sutton. Helen said that her constituents “cannot wait any longer” for the previously promised investment in the new hospital as it is designed to relieve pressure on Epsom and St Helier hospitals, by offering a new centre of excellence and a state-of-the-art facility for the most serious emergency hospital cases.

The new Lib Dem MP said that without it, staff and patients in Epsom, Ewell, Ashtead and Leatherhead would continue having to put up with sub-standard buildings on the two current over developed sites – both of which will also need to be upgraded once the new hospital relieves pressures on them.  She said that she looked forward to taking up the Chancellor’s offer of a meeting with the Health Secretary for those MPs whose constituencies are affected by changes to the scheme.

In that meeting Helen said they would put across her, and her constituents’ concerns, about any withdrawal of funding and the consequences this may have on local people.

Helen Maguire MP for Epsom & EwellHelen Maguire MP said, “We must be clear. The Conservative party’s economic vandalism decimated the public finances, left our services in tatters and stretched household budgets to breaking point. The Conservative various promises to build our new hospital were clearly not worth the paper they were written on.

“My constituents have been crying out for improvements at Epsom and St Helier and so it is vital that this project must go ahead.

“That is why I look forward to taking up the Chancellor’s offer of a meeting with the Health Secretary where I can relay the concerns of the people of Epsom, Ewell, Ashtead and Leatherhead directly, and to call on the government to protect funding for the new Emergency Care Hospital at Sutton.

“My constituents should not have to wait any longer for this desperately needed investment in our area and for our local health service to get back on its their feet after years of decline under the Conservatives.”

To contact Helen email [email protected]