Village News

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.

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.

Tree felling on a vast scale has transformed the appearance of the Green Dene end of Crocknorth Road. Beetles invaded large numbers of Norway spruces there and the landowner took the decision to commission clearance work before their deadly exploits spread wider afield. Once that work is complete a huge planting of other species of trees will then be embarked upon.

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.

We are indebted to all our residents who volunteer their own time and efforts to help out in the village. Whether they are enthusiastic litterpickers, drive a community bus, offer their services to the Wheel of Care, or help run the Nomad Theatre, the Repair Cafe or the Horsley Live Music Club, we appreciate their support. Just before Christmas, the Chairman of East Horsley Parish Council organises an event to recognise the valuable help provided by volunteers. The occasion is marked by two awards, one for the Volunteer of the Year, nominated by residents and voted on by parish councillors, and one by our Chairman, Robert Taylor. This year the awards go to:

Moyra Brookes - Chairman’s Award

The Nomad Theatre, situated behind Bishopsmead Parade, is an impressive local facility used not only for amdram productions but also by several local and neighbouring groups, including youth groups and the Horsley Live Music Club. It is a great asset to the village which would not still be open were it not for all the hard work that Moyra and her team of fellow volunteers put in every week. This is not a one-off village event, but an ongoing management job, which is undertaken voluntarily by Moyra, when it should be a paid job - as is the case with arts facilities in other villages (such as Cranleigh). Although Moyra does not live in Horsley, the work that she does benefits the village massively, and she deserves our recognition, which we trust will increase local interest and support for this valuable local asset.

Moyra Brookes is awarded this year's Chairman's Award in recognition of her considerable commitment to sustaining this important community facility over many years.

Moyra Brookes was presented with her Chairman’s Award after the pantomime dressed up as Queen B!  

Alex Veys - Volunteer of the Year

We are delighted to announce the winner of this year’s Volunteer of the Year Award is Alex Veys.  Alex is the driving force behind the launch of the Repair Cafe.  One of his two nominators stated, “his meticulous attention to detail and his people skills at marshalling all the volunteers to great effect combined with his perpetual geniality has been nothing short of a masterclass”.  Another nominator wrote “Alex is always cheerful, and nothing seems to faze him.  Everyone who volunteers to help out at the Repair Cafe knows what they are doing, identification badges and paperwork seamlessly appear.  He has invested a huge amount of time to launch this project, and he is to be commended for his efforts”.

Alex Veys

We have received an important message from Villages Against Wisley New Town (VAWNT) concerning their long-running campaign, which has been fought long and hard by the whole community. Please read HERE.

Having reported in our Autumn 2024 newsletter that work was to shortly get underway to install a brand-new mobile phone mast just off Ranmore Common Road close to Crocknorth Road, we can now report that in response to the community's concerns, the application has now been withdrawn.

THIS VACANCY HAS NOW BEEN FILLED

East Horsley Parish Council is seeking a new Parish Clerk & Responsible Financial Officer from Summer 2025 following the retirement of the present clerk.

The Parish Clerk ensures the Parish Council complies with all statutory requirements, maintains sound financial management, oversees all our contractors and responds to residents' enquiries.

The job offered is a part-time position of 20 - 25 hours per week based in the Parish Office, East Horsley Village Hall.  For those not already working in the sector, a suitable training programme would be agreed.

Interested candidates should contact the Parish Council chairman, Robert Taylor at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a detailed job description.  Please send your detailed CV no later than 15 January 2025.

Public Consultation Questionnaire

The Parish Council is currently exploring the feasibility of building two Padel courts on Kingston Meadows. We would love to hear your views

Please take a minute to answer our questionnaire Questionnaire

The Friends of Effingham Junction Station have recently won an award from Britain in Bloom for the planting on the station, which is entirely in planters as the banks are out of bounds. The group is part of East Horsley Parish Council’s Railway Task Group, as Effingham Junction Station is in East Horsley. The group aims to improve the experience of using the station, including its environment, accessibility and facilities.

Residents may also have noticed that the ugly barriers down the access road to the station have recently been removed. This was also an initiative of the group with the barriers being taken for reuse by West Horsley Place.

Residents can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if they have anything they want to raise about Effingham Junction Station with the Railway Task Group.

Please email the East Horsley Parish Clerk at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in joining the Friends of Effingham Junction Station.

Beautiful new stained glass windows at St Martin’s Church were dedicated by the Bishop of Guildford, the Right Reverend Andrew Watson, at a special service on 13 October. The windows are intended as a memorial to the Covid pandemic – as a reminder of its far reaching effects and also of the strength of the community in coming together to fight it. Speaking to a full church, the Rev Renos Pittarides spoke movingly about officiating at the funeral of a parishioner in the early days of the first lockdown when he was the only person present; one indicator of the profound effect Covid had on our day-to-day lives.

Derek Hunt, the designer of the windows, explained how he had used the English Oak Tree as a symbol of steadfastness in the face of adversity, of regeneration, recovery and of growth and renewal through the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. 

The central section of the design contains the suggestion of an oak tree, surrounded by decorative symbols of growth and renewal, in the form of plants and seeds. The bottom of the design contains a decorative frieze reflecting the ornate brickwork of the adjacent Lovelace Mausoleum, in celebration of the many buildings of this style locally. The upper right section of the design contains binary code spelling out Saint Martin in memory of the huge contribution Ada Lovelace made to the invention of computer code. The central top windows contain the inscription ‘They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, planted by the Lord to Glorify Him’ (Isaiah 61:3) and the words Faith, Hope and Love are central to each triptych. There are small animals hidden within the design of the lower frieze; below the word ‘Faith’ is a lamb to represent faith in Christ, below the word ‘Hope’ is a goldfinch, to represent the hope of resurrection, and below the word “Love’ is a pelican, to represent the love of Christ.

During the service, Councillor Holly Haling accepted on behalf of the parish council the gift of an oak tree from the church. This will be planted next to the old bowling green at St Martin’s Place as another reminder of the pandemic that will hopefully stand for the next 400 years.

The windows are a wonderful addition to the church. If you want to see them, the church is open Tuesday to Sunday (9.00am – 4.00pm). They are definitely worth a visit.

Pictured above - Right Reverend Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford, Derek Hunt, designer of the windows, Reverend Renos Pittarides, the Rector of St Martin’s Church, East Horsley - Supplied by The Diocese of Guildford, Church of England