February 2010 Archives

Volunteers braved the freezing weather and cleaned Staines town's rivers, alleys, and streets of rubbish on Friday (February 26).

The event was organised by Spelthorne councillors for Staines Sam Budd and deputy mayor John O'Hara, along with members of Staines Rotary club.

Volunteers from Egham and Staines are being called to help replant a hedge in Moor Lane.

The Egham and Staines Conservation Volunteers are working with Surrey County Council and the Spelthorne Tree Wardens to try and replant a hedge to control cattle and horses on Staines Moor.

The group are calling on people to meet on Sunday March 28 between 10am-1pm in the road.

For more information ring 01784 254904.

The campaign to keep Shortwood Infant School open has attracted a world-famous musician and a Surrey County Council cabinet member to its cause.

Richard Archer, front man for Staines based indie band Hard-Fi , and Denise Saliagopoulos Surrey County Councillor for Staines, have both spoken out at the possible decision to close the school.

Traders in the Royal Estate are calling for more lighting under a dark canopy due to a fear of crime when they close at night.

Shop owners in Edinburgh Drive are calling for A2Dominion to install a row of lights outside their shop, after claiming that it is near impossible to see when closing on dark winter nights, and stating that they fear a mugging or attack.

Rush hour drivers looked on in horror on Monday (February 22) as they saw a 12-year-old girl lying in a busy road after being struck in a near fatal incident.

The incident happened just after 7pm when a young girl from the Staines area was crossing the roundabout by herself.

A 10-year-old boy was assaulted in an unprovoked attack while walking with his family near a Staines estate on Saturday (February 20).

The boy was walking his dog with his mother and 13-year-old brother when they were approached by a teenager opposite the Dog and Partridge pub, near the Royal Estate in Kingston Road.

Pupils at Staines Prep have been creating their own mummies as part of their history lessons.

Year three pupils aged between seven and eight have been studying the cultures and practices of ancient Egypt by visiting libraries and the British Museum website to try and understand how to preserve a body for the afterlife.

With the information the children mummified their fellow pupils and placed lucky charms between the layers of bandages.

The kids then mummified their soft toys, and created decorative masks to adorn them.

A spokewoman for the school said: "Everyone found the task both challenging and fascinating."

The Mayor of Spelthorne was the guest of honour at the STEPS open day on Tuesday, February 9.

The alternative education programme, which helps young people who by their own admission don't work well in school, hosted an open day at the Staines Learning centre in Wyatt Road, to demonstrate what they had been learning.

As well as Mayor Councillor Caroline Spencer, representatives from the police were there to donate a cheque for £500.

By the end of March new initiatives will have been put in place by Spelthorne council in an attempt to improve public confidence in dealing with crime and anti social behaviour.

A £42,000 grant has been given to the borough council by the Home Office to fund schemes and to buy new equipment which will reduce the amount of crime in Spelthorne.

One of the initiatives to have been given funding, is the Construction Bus scheme, which was put in place last year and teaches children from age 11 basic skills such as carpentry, plumbing and bricklaying.

Disheartened school children visited the Mayor of Spelthorne today (Wednesday 17) to read poems to try and stop the closure of their school.

Children aged between five and seven visited Caroline Spencer in her offices at Spelthorne Council, in Knowle Green, and read stories and poems about the possible closure of Shortwood Infant School, in Stanwell New Road, Staines.