March 2009 Archives

Twenty jobs will be created when the refurbishment of the Thames Club in Wheatsheaf Lane is complete.

Work on the new £1.8m health club is expected to start in the next two weeks and be completely by the autumn.

A charity concert will be performed by Staines Musical Theatre Group on Saturday, April 25 at Shepperton Village Hall in Shepperton High Street at 7.30pm.

Tickets for Let Us Entertain You cost £7.50 and are available on 01784 469778 with proceeds going to the Shooting Star Children's Hospice in Hampton.

Thorpe Players next dramatic event sees the premiere of not one, but two new plays, both by local authors. "Another Sunday and Sweet FA" is by Chertsey's own Terry Pattinson and describes the hypocrisy behind some football matches. The second play is by KK Verrain, who has written for the group before, and is a fast paced comedy of wedding receptions called "Always the Bridesmaid". The evening will be completed by a performance of "After Liverpool" by James Saunders, which has won the Players two awards in the recent months.

This all takes place at Thorpe Village Hall on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th March at 8pm. Tickets are just £7 from 07923 583295 or on the door.

The spring round of Spelthorne Council area forums has been cancelled.

The meetings between residents and councillors arranged for March 19 at Matthew Arnold School in Staines, March 31 in Stanwell village hall, April 8 at the Salvation Army Centre in Ashford and April 28 at St Paul's College in Sunbury have been axed due to lack of interest.

The council is considering ways to boost attendance and a recommendation will be presented to the executive committee at its meeting on Wednesday, March 18.

Sixty Staines Preparatory School pupils strutted their stuff on their very own catwalk in a show to mark London Fashion week.

The event on Saturday February 28 at the Gresham Road school raised more than £500 through ticket and clothes sales to go towards buying a minibus for the school.

A 78-year-old from Staines is training for his 23rd London marathon.

John Starbrook, of Gloucester Drive, has taken part in more than 40 marathons and will be running for Age Concern and Help the Aged on April 26.

The charity is appealing for more runners who have gained their own places through the ballot to support them. Anyone interested can contact events@helptheaged.org.uk

Members and friends of Staines Congregational Church gave their minister Stan Short and wife Claire a big send off as he retired after 27 years at the place of worship.

Stan and Claire met at the church as teenagers in the early 1960s and were married there in 1967, before leaving to serve in the London City Mission for 15 years. They returned in 1982 when Stan initially served as assistant minister, before taking on the role of church minister.

Litter bugs will face on-the-spot fines of up to £80 in Spelthorne from April 1.

The borough's two street scene officers and the Stanwell community warden will have the power to dish out fixed penalty notices to anyone tossing away chewing gum, cigarette butts or any other rubbish.

Spelthorne Council spends about £1m a year on street cleaning and officers plan to train up more staff to issue fines over the next 18 months.

A bit of 'oh la la' is coming to Staines High Street in the form of a French market on Thursday March 19 and Friday March 20.

Shoppers can pick up traditional French produce at the market between 9am-5pm.

They witness crashes, dangerous driving and are subjected to endless abuse but one cyclist is getting his own back by shaming his tormentors on video-sharing website YouTube.

Known only as Andyb000, the video blogger has posted 49 films documenting his journeys around Chertsey, Egham, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Egham and Woking.