For the second consecutive year, the Horsley Choral Society has taken top honours in their division at the prestigious Leith Hill Music Festival, held last weekend.

In a poignant moment for the group, the competition marked the final appearance of long-serving Musical Director Val Beynon. Under her baton, the choir delivered an exceptional performance, winning all three categories in their division.

East Horsley Parish Council congratulates the Society on this remarkable achievement, joining the many voices celebrating their continued success.

After 14 years of dedicated service, Parish Clerk Nick Clemens will retire in July 2025 following his 70th birthday. Nick’s leadership has been central to the success of our Parish Council, and we thank him for his outstanding contribution.

Following a thorough recruitment process, we are pleased to announce that Hilary Gullen will succeed Nick as Parish Clerk & Responsible Financial Officer. Hilary, currently Electoral Services Manager at Richmond Borough Council and an East Horsley resident, brings valuable local government experience. She will start in mid-May, working alongside Nick for two months to ensure a smooth transition.

We look forward to Hilary’s leadership as our Parish navigates upcoming changes in Surrey's local government landscape.

We’re pleased to welcome two new councillors to East Horsley Parish Council: Chris Hampson and Anna Mitchell.

Chris Hampson

Chris has lived in East Horsley for over a decade and applied to become a councillor to help preserve the village’s semi-rural character, while recognising the importance of appropriate development across the wider borough.

Married with three children, Chris is also passionate about strengthening our strong sense of community. He brings a broad professional background in strategy, finance, operations, and procurement, and looks forward to supporting the Parish Council in its work.

Anna Mitchell

Anna and her family moved to East Horsley in the summer of 2024 and are thoroughly enjoying village life. She has a strong interest in all areas of the Parish Council’s work, with a particular focus on history, heritage, and sustainability.

As a committed sustainability advocate, Anna makes daily choices to reduce environmental impact and promote kindness to the planet. She enjoys gardening, running, walking, and spending time in nature. If time allowed, she’d be out horse riding or painting.

With a professional background in communications and marketing, Anna brings creativity, energy, and a positive mindset to her role on the Council.

Just ten months after its launch, the Horsley Repair Café has earned official recognition. Last Saturday at the County Club in Guildford, the team was honoured with a Mayor’s Award for Service to the Community.

Volunteer-in-Chief Alex Veys hailed the award as a resounding endorsement of all the hard work the volunteer team has put in since the Café opened in July last year.

With the first Saturday of the month approaching, the Repair Café will once again open its doors this weekend to residents of East and West Horsley. Locals are invited to bring in a wide range of household and garden items in need of repair, along with garments and other textiles that can be mended.

While repairs are underway, visitors can enjoy tea, coffee, and a delicious selection of homemade cakes and biscuits.

Free parking is available, as always, at Horsley Towers—courtesy of the management

Photo - Cllr Andrew Franklin, Cllr Aileen Aitcheson, Jonathan Hill, Carol Wilson, Cllr Sallie Barker MBE, Major of Guildford

On Tuesday 24 March, The Friends of Effingham Junction Station carried out work at Effingham Junction train station. They pretty much finished clearing the area next to the access road including clearing the soil off the road and clearing the old footpath. While the East Horsley Parish Council (EHPC) awaits the arrival of a new warden, George’s Garden Services, based in the village, have been busy deputising (funded by EHPC). The border of the access road to Effingham Junction Station car park has been transformed. Previously, a dense mass of overgrowth, it is now free of everything long dead. Additionally, the public footpath flanking the car park fence is now once again clear having been buried for many years.

Thanks to sponsorship from funeral directors James and Thomas, the gravestone of Frank and Ellen (‘Nell’) Chown, has been expertly restored. The grave, situated in St Martins Churchyard, had become almost unrecognisable thanks to years of sap and other detritus from a nearby tree. Now, thanks to the efforts of Chris Bertram, funeral arranger at the East Horsley branch and K and S Memorials, professional grave and monument restorers for James and Thomas, the gravestone is now looking splendid with the inscriptions clear and eminently readable.

Horsley Choral Society will hold a joint summer concert with Oxshott Choral Society on Saturday 31 May at St John's School Chapel, Leatherhead. Entitled "Summer Days - Summer Praise," the concert will feature music by Mozart, Handel, and Mendelssohn, along with songs celebrating the summer season.

The choirs will be joined by professional soloists:

• Jane Searle (soprano)

• Elizabeth Searle (mezzo-soprano)

• Matthew Rickard (organist, pianist)

• David Harvey (piano accompanist)

This concert will be a particularly poignant occasion, marking the final appearance of Musical Director Valerie Beynon, who will be stepping down from her role with both HCS and OCS at the end of the summer term.

Tickets are on sale now:

• Adults: £18

• Under 16s: £6

• Box Office: 07444 722318

Looking Ahead: A New Era for HCS

From September, HCS welcomes Elspeth Wyllie, currently Musical Director of the Women's Choir at Blackheath Conservatoire, as she takes up the baton.

If you would like to join this friendly, mixed-voice choir, come along for some free taster rehearsals any Monday evening during term time at East Horsley Village Hall (8–10pm). No audition is required — just a love of music and the ability to hold a tune!
Autumn term starts 1 September.

Find out more:
🌐 www.horsleychoralsociety.com
✉️ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
📞 01372 457987

Our special guest at this year’s East Horsley Annual Parish Meeting is our new Liberal Democrat MP, Zöe Franklin. It’s nearly ten months since Zöe won the Guildford seat at the general election so an excellent opportunity to discover what she has been up to in the House of Commons and for her to hear concerns from residents. The Annual Parish Meeting is also the occasion where your Parish Council reports on the activities of the previous twelve months and provides a forum where you can ask questions of your parish councillors. The meeting will be held at the East Horsley Village Hall on Friday 2 May starting at 7.30 pm.  You are welcome to attend, bring along some friends, and learn more about the work of your local representatives both at parish and parliamentary level. Refreshments will be served.