Readers of this site will already be aware that the Council undertook an eight week cattle grazing trial in Sunbury Park. The purpose of the trial was to try and enhance the local biodiversity whilst undertaking this historic method of grassland management.

Cows will naturally graze the more dominant grass species and in turn allow the less plentiful plants to establish. The Council and Friends of Sunbury Park are striving to encourage increased levels of wildflowers onto the site which would aid pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies. The Council strongly rejects any rumour of potential land change for future developments.

The use of grazing animals is a major part of modern conservation management and is employed in other areas of the Borough such as Dumsey Meadow (Site of Special Scientific Interest).

The Council emphasises that it is not their intention to isolate anyone from using the park and would simply ask that those enjoying the park to do so in respect of others, just like any other park within the Borough. If the cows return next year, a permanent water supply would be installed. Furthermore an improved entrance at the Green Street car park would be provided to ease access for pushchairs and mobility scooters.

It's a well known fact that those who are against a plan are more likely to register objections whilst those who approve rarely signify their support (the silent majority). With this in mind and whether for, against or indifferent, please take a few moments to let the Council know your views by completing the feedback by Monday 4 January 2016 by clicking here

Chennestone Primary School PTA warmly invites you to come and join in the fun and support your local school. There will be toys and treats, craft activities, cakes, raffle and tombola along with fantastic food and fun; and games for the whole family.

There will also be performances by the school choir and Fuschia Dance Group. Admission £1 for adults (children free).

On Friday 27th November SCC welcomes a big chart name from the early ‘70s to the Club for the first time in the shape of EDISON LIGHTHOUSE. They were originally a studio band who had a huge No.1 hit at the start of the ‘70s with “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)”, but with that success, a permanent touring band was put together, and lead singer Brian Huggins and bass guitarist Peter Butt have been with the band ever since, also featuring Simon Aldridge on guitar and Shepperton resident Stephane Booroff on drums.  

They are hugely popular on the ‘60s and ‘70s revival circuit, regularly doing the big weekend holiday camp shows plus theatres and clubs across the country throughout the year, and this is a very rare appearance in this area. They are top class, highly professional and polished entertainers, with an act drawing on classic material from the 60s & 70s era, so it’s a show that’s guaranteed to hit the button with their audience. Don’t miss it! There’s plenty of info at www.edison-lighthouse.com.

This Christmas, The Riverside Youth Theatre is proud to present The Snow Queen at The Riverside Arts Centre, Thames Street, Lower Sunbury, from 10-12 December, 8pm, tickets are £8 each.

Adapted from the story by Hans Christian Andersen. Set in the far North, The Snow Queen is an exciting adventure, but it is also a magical story about love – a child’s innocent and unshakeable love.

Gerda has to go on an unimaginably dangerous journey to save the life of her dearest friend Kai. She encounters trolls, marauding robbers, a prince and princess a talking reindeer and the beautiful but cruel Snow Queen.

Tickets can be purchased online or via telephone 07871 992988.

A group of local artists are exhibiting paintings, photographs, drawings, textiles, ceramics, sculptures, prints and cards in the Orangery at Squire’s in Halliford Road, TW17 8SG

Different interests and materials make for a varied and eclectic exhibition. Some works are figurative, some abstract. Some are humorous and some are thought provoking. All works are for sale and there is a wide price range, from large framed paintings to unframed photographs, prints and cards.

Dates and times: Thursday 19 Nov to Sunday 22 Nov 2015, 10.00am – 5.00pm (Sunday 10.00am – 4.00pm)

Faulty goods, misleading claims and substandard services mean Christmas presents fly back on to the shelves in January, according to new figures from Citizens Advice.

Analysis by the charity shows that people are more likely to call its Consumer Service helpline with complaints about items such as toys, computer games and jewellery in January than any other time of year. 

Citizens Advice, Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are urging people to get to know their new consumer rights as Christmas shopping gets underway. The organisations are highlighting how the new Consumer Rights Act, brought into effect on 1 October, can help people to shop with confidence and get their money back when things go wrong.

The findings reveal that complaints to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service about toys doubled in January 2015 in comparison to the rest of the year, while problems with DVDs, video games, games consoles, and sound systems rose by two thirds.

The top five most complained about personal goods in January 2015 were:

• Tablets, notebooks and laptops hit the number one spot. Last January saw 850 complaints, one third higher than the rest of the year. 
• Women’s clothing - complaints rose by a fifth.
• Televisions - the helpline saw 29 per cent more enquiries. 
• Toys - toys had the biggest increase in complaints, which were more than double than any other time of the year
• Jewellery -  complaints increased by 40%

Complaints were most likely to be about defective goods, while one in seven people contacted the service because of misleading claims and descriptions about their purchase. One in twenty complained that businesses didn’t honour their cancellation rights.

For more information, click here

Something of a departure from the customary Christmas market, the festive season this year will start with a Christmas Fayre to be held on Thursday December 10th from 5pm - 9pm in the Orchard Meadow car park opposite Avenue Parade. Live reindeer, sponsored by Crest Nicholson, childrens entertainment, Santa’s grotto, stalls and carols . There will also be a large community raffle with many excellent prizes. Tickets will be on sale in the village and proceeds will be going to the Princess Alice Hospice.

Members of the Sunbury and Shepperton Local History Society will be mounting an exhibition of historical photos at Sunbury Library. The one-day free event will take place on the ground floor between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 14th November.

The exhibition promises some previously unseen photos including those with a royal theme to celebrate the birthday of the Prince of Wales. History books will also be on sale.

For more information please visit: www.sslhs.org.uk or call Nick on 01932 564585 or Brenda on 01932 784866.

Cllr Quentin Edgington has been elected as the new Leader of Spelthorne Borough Council, following the death of Cllr Robert Watts earlier this month.

Cllr Edgington was elected to the Council in May 2015 and is a Conservative ward councillor for Riverside and Laleham. He works as an Area Manager for a funeral directors and previously served as a councillor for the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames.

Cllr Edgington said: “This is a real honour and I would like to thank my colleagues for putting their trust in me and electing me to the role of Leader. Spelthorne is a fantastic Borough and I am pleased to have the opportunity to serve the residents and continue the excellent work undertaken by Cllr Watts. I have lots of plans and ideas and I look forward to implementing them together with my fellow councillors and all the staff at Spelthorne Council.”

Cllr Edgington has appointed Cllr Maureen Attewell and Cllr Joanne Sexton as Deputy Leaders. Cllr Maureen Attewell replaces Cllr Colin Davis as Cabinet Member for Waste, Environment and Parking following his resignation from the Cabinet.

The other Cabinet positions remain unchanged.

LOSRA has been updated on the following works at the Community Recycling Centre (CRC) at Charlton Lane which are due to be completed during the month of November:

• The roof and wall cladding for the new reuse facility in the community recycling centre will be installed.
• Work will begin to erect the steel frame for the Recyclables Bulking Facility.
• A number of large concrete pours will take place to form the slabs for the Anaerobic Digestion Facility tanks.
• Work will continue on:
  • The drainage pipe to carry surface water from the site to the infiltration pond.
  • The ramp to link the community recycling centre with the new bulking facility.
  • The new weighbridge.
• The containers at the rear of the community recycling centre remain unavailable due to the building works. The site continues to accept the full range of materials with a reduced number of containers, with additional staff on hand to assist site users.
• Please note that as the recycling centre is typically less busy in the winter months, particularly towards the end of the day as evening draws in, from 1 November it returns to its usual winter closing time of 4.15pm.