Featured News

It was all hands and pruning shears to the pump at Horsley station when the station Friends gathered for an autumn snip back of planters and platform edges.

Also at Horsley, now there is agreement on an excellent platform 2 location for it, the planned “Welcome to the Horsleys” sign is on its way, giving alighting passengers a quick and colourful heads-up on all the many wonders of Horsleys East and West.

The Effingham Junction Station (EJS) Friends have also been busy; more colourful planters have arrived at platform 2 and the car park access road improvement project kickstarts soon when a not so fond farewell is finally bid to the “temporary” red and white plastic barriers.

And lastly for now, following the publication of the Effingham Residents Association (EFFRA) website of the excellent History of Effingham Junction Station by EJS Friend and EFFRA Chairman Vivien White, Railway Task Group Co-Lead Stephen Groom is now working on a History of Horsley Station. Please get in touch if you have or know of any old station photos or postcards! This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Rethink Waste is a free scheme available to anyone living in Surrey that offers a range of rewards for reducing waste. 

Surrey residents can sign up online and will receive weekly emails, which include engaging and gamified activities designed to help residents reduce the amount of waste they produce. Every time a member engages with content, they receive points, which can be used to donate to schools, charities or to enter prize draws.

Participating Surrey schools can win a share of £6,000 from the scheme to run an environmental project benefiting the school and its pupils.

So, not only will you be helping the planet, as waste reduction means fewer resources are used up when creating new products, you’ll be helping good causes too.

Rethink Waste is being delivered by the Surrey Environment Partnership, made up of Surrey County Council and the 11 district and borough councils in Surrey, in collaboration with Greenredeem, an organisation that provides digital engagement platforms to provoke environmental behaviour change.

Residents can take part in Rethink Waste now by signing up online at www.rethinkwaste.co.uk

The lastest volunteer to join the Parish Council is Sylvia Igglesden. Sylvia has lived in Horsley for almost 29 years. She and her husband Charles raised 3 boys who attended the Raleigh and the Howard. Before children 
Sylvia had a successful career in advertising working on blue chip accounts such as Kodak and Coca Cola. As a new mother she helped start a successful ski company Flexi Ski which continues today. 
While raising the boys she worked part time as marketing consultant, retrained as an Interior Designer, enjoyed a stint at Woking Football club, became a director at Catquin a company set up to increase the number of women in boardrooms. 
Now retired she continues to work as a volunteer. Over her 28 years membership at the tennis club, she has taken on many voluntary roles as well as playing team tennis. She also volunteers for Homestart charity, at the Lightbox in Woking and at West Horsley Place. 
It was only in the last 10 years that she picked up a paintbrush again and began a passion for expressive abstract painting. Spurred on by her art loving sister-in-law Jane, who was sadly diagnosed with Alzheimers in her late 50s, she now raises funds for the Alzheimer’s Society through the sale of her art.
A real eco warrior Sylvia likes to repurpose old artworks and charity shop finds. She regularly exhibits her work at West Horsley Place and recently at the Mall Galleries in London. 

The brand-new Nomad Theatre, constructed with a generous grant from the National Lottery, opened in October 1998 with the first two productions Under Milk Wood followed by Peter Pan.  The story of how the new Nomad Theatre came to be built will feature in the next edition of the Parish Council Newsletter.

Our newest parish councillor, Hilary joined the Council in July and is looking forward to helping build our community and improve the local environment.

She currently works for a London borough Democratic Services team and has a good grasp of local authority decision making. Prior to that, she worked as a mayor’s personal assistant and managed charity and civic events. Previous work roles mean she also understands how schools and the health service work. Her personal interests include history, music and science.

Hilary moved to East Horsley two years ago and has been really impressed with the vibrant community. She would like to become a more integral part of that community and help ensure it continues to thrive.

East Horsley has its own Dementia Music Therapy Group – for those living with dementia and Parkinson’s Disease. This is a local success story.

The music therapy group, called ‘Music Memories’, was set up on the back of fundraising by Joe Dimmock and Sian Lewis from the Duke of Wellington, who cycled from London to Paris in 2022 and raised £16,000. Led by a specialist music therapist - Val Marciano - the group emphasises ‘therapy’ in a structured way – including singing and a range of other activities. The group meets weekly with those attending accompanied by a carer, friend or neighbour. 

The power of music therapy is undeniable. Scientific research shows that music stimulates many different parts of the brain. For people with dementia, music can change mood and reduce anxiety; bring back words, memories and feelings; and connect people with loved ones. The first steps in using music might involve finding music they love, making a playlist (possibly through a streaming service) and then playing that music throughout the day as part of their care. 

Music therapy can have a very powerful personal impact and also offers benefits for the carers. The Music Memories team also hold workshops tailored for carers to explain how to harness the power of music therapy and to teach some basic techniques for using music in their day-to-day caring.

Music Memories is managed by The Loop – a local charity which was set up by the owners of Home Counties Carers. The Loop helps and supports care charities and voluntary groups across Surrey. Ingrid Clift from The Loop is passionate about Music Memories and says “The results of music therapy on people living with dementia and Parkinson’s can be amazing and profoundly moving.”

If you think this might help someone in your family, why not give it a try. 

Music Memories – the Dementia Music Therapy Group

Meets every Tuesday 10.30 to 11.30, in the Canterbury Rooms at St Martin’s Church, KT24 6RL

For further information, or to discuss what is involved, please contact Ingrid Clift at The Loop. Her details are:

T: 01483 964638 E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. W: theloop.org.uk