Sceptical novelist Charles Condomine invites self-proclaimed medium Madame Arcati to his home for a seance, hoping to gather material for a new book. When the hapless psychic accidentally summons the spirit of Condomine's late wife, Elvira, his home and life are quickly turned into a shambles as his wife's ghost torments both himself and his new bride, Ruth.

For many years this play was the longest-running comedy in the history of British Theatre and is now brought to us by the Shepperton Players at the Riverside Arts Centre, Thames Street on 29th, 30th & 31st January. Tickets at £10 may be bought through the box office on: 07505 206757.

To help encourage more re-use and recycling, Surrey County Council would like to know what you do with your unwanted clothes and home textiles.

The questions in the survey include what happens to items which could still be used, and what happens to items which aren’t suitable to be used again. To complete the survey, click here

The next Music Night at Sunbury Cricket Club falls on Friday 23rd January, and it’s a very special occasion, as it’s a Jazz Night which commemorates the 80th anniversary of the birth of Tubby Hayes, probably the greatest British jazz musician of all time, who died tragically young in 1973 when he was just 38. The gig features THE SIMON SPILLETT QUARTET – Simon is one of the UK’s very best tenor saxophonists, winning the British Jazz Award in 2011, and is recognised as the leading exponent of Tubby Hayes’ style of jazz within the genre – he was described by Jazzwise magazine as “the world’s leading Tubby-ologist”. Simon is also a noted writer and publishes hius biography of Tubby Hayes in a few months’ time.

He has acquired a reputation as one of the most distinctive, hard-swinging and exciting saxophonists on the current UK jazz scene, a regular at Ronnie Scott’s Club (he is appearing there the week after our gig) and performs at major festivals across the UK, as well as recording critically acclaimed albums and broadcasting on BBC Radio 3 with his own group.

His press reviews include high praise from leading jazz observers; “Formidable” (Humphrey Lyttelton, BBC Radio 2); Phenomenal” (Dave Gelly, The Observer) and “saxophone playing of the highest order” (Jazz Journal magazine), and The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings observed that “Spillett doesn’t shake you by the hand so much as grab you by the throat….”

Simon’s quartet features major names from the world of British jazz royalty; pianist John Critchinson was a member of Ronnie Scott’s band for eighteen years; bassist Alec Dankworth is the son of legendary bandleader John Dankworth, and has appeared at the Club with Tony Kinsey’s Quartet, and drummer Clark Tracey is the son of renowned jazz pianist Stan Tracey. There’s more info at www.simonspillett.com and there is plenty of video if you search his name at www.youtube.com

It will be an exhilarating evening of top class bebop jazz. Simon is a really exciting performer. and even if you are not a dyed-in-the-wool jazz aficionado, enjoyment of a really entertaining and electrifying show can be guaranteed. It really is a 'must see'.

Local residents have decided not to pursue the current request for a Judicial Review after the Court advised that there is no case to answer.

Surrey CC were aware of the legal challenge and therefore spent thousands more pounds of residents' money on expensive lawyers ensuring that the planning process used to pass the Eco Park application was procedurally armour-plated.

Surrey have simply ticked the right boxes in the procedure. It doesn't make what they have done, or what they are doing, any more right or good; and certainly not green or 'Eco' in safeguarding the health of Spelthorne's SCC tax-paying residents. The procedure needn't be decent, honest or truthful. That's irrelevant as long as it's legal it would seem.

A far more ecological and lower cost approach for Surrey residents, and one which would have removed the environmental risks (remember, judged too dangerous for the RHS's plants at Wisley!) from surrounding residents and schools, would be to send our processed waste to one of the many larger incinerators already built away from population centres and which are crying out for more waste fuel to remain viable. These facilities would also process the waste more cheaply per tonne with much more efficient energy recovery.

By contrast, Charlton Lane with its low energy recovery disposal, is ranked no better than landfill by DEFRA. In spite of SCC's misleading statements to the contrary, the County is not required to burn processed waste near to where it arises in order to excuse this low capacity inefficient plant. The much more 'Eco' and cheaper solution would also have avoided the need to build an unnecessary and disproportionately massive (for its small capacity) industrial plant at Charlton Lane.

Contrary to Surrey County Council's claims, no exceptional circumstances exist to justify what will be a huge plant in the green belt to dispose of a lesser amount of dry waste (45k tonnes per annum versus 400k tonnes in a not much larger and far higher energy recovery Eco facility). No, the only real benefit of this proposal is to ensure that the PFI grant profits for processing our waste are paid to SCC's exclusive PFI contractor, SITA, rather than to a cheaper and more 'Eco' competitor. It's shameful.

LOSRA together with Spelthorne Against the Eco Park (SATEP), the group campaigning to stop the development, are exploring several other avenues, and will not give up on such a misguided proposal which will soon turn into the biggest and dirtiest white elephant ever proposed in the County.

LOSRA sends best wishes to all its readers for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year

The first Music Night of the New Year at SCC falls on Friday 9th January, so that the post-holiday depression doesn’t have too long to set in before the fun begins again. The Club welcomes back THE NASHVILLE TEENS, who kicked off 2014 in great style on their first visit, so the Club is delighted to have them back to do the same job this year.

The Nashville Teens were one of the great R&B bands of the ‘60s and the band has been operating continuously ever since. They are best known for their big hits “Tobacco Road” and “Google Eye”, as well as their involvement in one of the best ‘live’ rock ‘n’ roll recordings ever when they backed Jerry Lee Lewis at Hamburg’s Star Club in 1964. Their storming version of “Tobacco Road” will once again be a highlight of the show, but we can look forward to a fine night of classic ‘60s R&B.

They will be led as always by original singer Ray Phillips, who has had an unbroken half-century career with the band, as well as making solo records and performing with other line-ups like the British Invasion All-Stars with members of The Yardbirds, Creation and Downliners Sect. With him in the current Nashville Teens is a line-up of seasoned performers, including Colin Pattenden, member of Manfred Mann’s Earth band when they had their big hits back in the 70s, on bass, with Simon Spratley of The Ian Campbell Blues Band on keyboards, Ken Osborn from Levee Camp Moan on guitar and Adrian ‘Spud’ Metcalf on drums. A great evening is in prospect.