December 2008 Archives

A charity yoga workshop at River Bourne health club raised £380 for the homeless charity Crisis.

Thirty-five people took part in the one and a half hour session at the Chertsey club, which was organised by yoga and pilates instructor Heather George.

The coroner at the inquest of train crash victim Terri Mansell is in discussions with rail regulators about improvement works to be enacted as a result of her death.

Terri died at the pedestrian level crossing in Moor Lane, Staines in April when she slipped and was hit by a train and at her inquest last month Dr Karen Johnson asked rail operator Network Rail for a list of similar crossings nationwide.

Dr Johnson is now in talks with the Office of Rail Regulation to establish what work needs to be done on those crossings and when it must be done by.

A decision is expected in January.

Street-savvy youths from Spelthorne signed a petition pledging not to carry knives and presented it to Spelthorne MP, David Wilshire, at the House of Commons last week.

More than 5,000 young people signed the petition, 'Knives Wreck Lives' - organised by the Spelthorne Youth Council - which launched on October 27 and presented their pledges to their local MP on Tuesday, December 9.

The classic Christmas Nativity tale will be told at Two Rivers shopping centre on Tuesday 23rd December when Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and stable animals arrive for a special display.

Families can enjoy a magical and traditional Christmas atmosphere and meet and greet some furry festive friends as well as learn more about the Nativity story between 11am and 4pm at the Costa Coffee ring.

Herald & News readers have been touched by the poignant story of Melissa Huggins, the beautiful 27-year-old Staines teacher who needs to raise nearly £200,000 for lifesaving cancer treatment.

Melissa, a teacher at St Ignatius Primary School in Lower Sunbury, has an aggressive, fast-spreading brain tumour and the only treatment that can save her is proton radiotherapy - a highly expensive cure only available in America.

A Staines prep school teacher is celebrating the first anniversary of her online creative learning service by launching a competition to find a superstar artist.

French teacher Claire Eastaugh set up Creat&Wait - a free service designed to encourage fun and imaginative learning - last year and its success has prompted her into launching a drive to encourage budding young artists to show off their work.

This is the new development planned for Majestic House in Staines.

Planning permission for one huge building on the site in the High Street was obtained earlier this year but the land was bought by new owners Landid and Rreef in January who have scrapped the plans in favour of a more open development.

A woman in her 20s managed to fight off a would-be bag snatcher in Staines by hitting him with her umbrella.

The victim was approached from behind by the man as she walked along the bridleway between Gresham Road and Knowle Green on Thursday December 3 between 4.35pm and 4.45pm.

Spelthorne Council is set to spend £100,000 on valuation and condition surveys of all the land and buildings it owns.

Approximately £70,000-80,000 has been earmarked by council officers for the condition survey to help decide what work needs doing and between £20,000-30,000 has been set aside to ascertain the rental value of council properties.

Detectives in Spelthorne are appealing for witnesses following an assault in Staines High Street on Saturday December 6 at about 2am.

A 21-year-old man from Ashford was approached by the suspect, who punched him on the left side of his face before running off. The victim sustained minor swelling to his left cheek and a small cut on the inside of his left lip.