February 2009 Archives

Thousands of pounds were raised for Woking and Sam Beare Hospices on Saturday (21) as two Weybridge choirs united to perform together.

Both the Weybridge male voice choir and the Treble Clef ladies choir took to the stage at the Christ the Prince of Peace Church, in Portmore Way, Weybridge and raised over £4000.

Unearthly goings on are occurring at St James' Church, in Weybridge where a fox has been digging up a 135-year-old grave.

The Parish of St James' is on the corner of Church Street and Heath Road and has been having trouble with a furry friend digging up one of the old graves.

Situated by a tombstone dated June 1873, the ground has been freshly dug up and paw prints scatter the soil.

Users of an internet message board have accused police of "heavy handedness" after motorists were pulled over in Weybridge High Street.

Police carried out Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) operations to catch cars that are untaxed, uninsured and without a valid MOT, plus anyone wanted for an offence.

But users on the car forum, Honest John, claimed police had been over vigourous after witnessing an elderly man being pulled over on Friday February 13.

A Welsh author hopes to unearth information about a Weybridge-based coroner who presided over the notorious Jack the Stripper murders in 1960s London.

Neil Milkins, of Roseheyworth, Arbertillery in Wales, is writing a book, which will be published later this year, on the murders of eight prostitutes in the Hammersmith district of London between 1959 and 1965.

It was named the Hammersmith Nude Murders, because each victim was found naked except for stockings dumped in areas around London or in the River Thames, and the nickname given to the unknown serial killer was Jack the Stripper.

A new choir is being launched in Elmbridge that is specifically aimed for women.

The Elmbridge Ladies Choir has been formed to act as a sister group to the Elmbridge Choir, whose numbers were getting so large, that they started a waiting list.

Members of CRISIS have hit out at Surrey County Council restricting the amount of people who can attend the next Elmbridge Local Committee Meeting on Monday March 9 despite it being a 'meeting in public.'

CRISIS - Cross the Road in Safety- was set up in September 2008, to campaign for a safe crossing incorporating traffic calming and parking restrictions by Cleves School in Oatlands Avenue, Weybridge.

A fashion lecture is being held in Weybridge to raise money for the Woking and Sam Beare Hospices.

The talk on the history of underpinning is being held on Friday February 20 in the parish hall of Christ the Prince of Peace Church, in Portmore Way.

Everyone is welcome to attend, doors open at 7.00pm and all money raised goes to the hospices, who provide palliative care and support for patients and their families.

For more information, phone Marion Newitt on 01380 818461.

Looking ahead to the National Apprenticeship Week 2009, Brooklands College Administrator Sarah Webster thinks back to when she trained as an apprentice.

Pupils at St George's College Junior School were treated last week as painter and children's author Roger Smith gave them their first painting lesson.

Roger Smith, grandfather to reception pupil, Ben Rogers delighted the children as he taught them the basics of painting.

IT MAY not be set in the hills of sunny Los Angeles, but believe it or not Walton was once known as Little Hollywood.

Visitors to Elmbridge Museum can find out why by learning all about pioneering film director Cecil Hepworth, who set up studios in the town in 1899.

'Lights, Camera, Action' is a free family event at the museum in Church Street, Weybridge, on Saturday (14), highlighting the work of Cecil Hepworth.
After setting up the studios with his cousin Monty Wicks, Hepworth became the most respected and dynamic figure in British Cinema.

Some of his silent classics including, How it Feels to be Run Over, from 1900, and Rescued by Rover, from 1905, can be viewed at the event.
A museum spokeswoman said: "Elmbridge has played a significant role in cinematic history with the Hepworth Studios, and we are keen to share a little of this history with families in the area.

"Hepworth films were real family affairs, with Hepworth's daughter Elizabeth and the family pets often in starring roles.
Rescued by Rover, a film about a beggar woman who kidnaps a baby and is rescued by the family dog, was one of the film company's first financial successes, and is now regarded as an important development in film grammar, combining shots to emphasise action.

The museum spokeswoman said: "Watching Rescued by Rover and knowing that Hepworth himself rather than the family dog is driving a car adds another dimension of enjoyment to these old silent films, something that museum visitors can themselves appreciate on the day."

Hepworth would work on three films a week raging from melodramas, comedy to travel.
Other work includes the funeral of Queen Victoria in 1901, Black Beauty in 1906, Dumbsagacity in 1907 and Alf's Button in 1919, to name a few.

Visitors can get the chance to make a zoetrope, thaumatrope or phenakistoscope, devices that produce an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static pictures during sessions which run from 11am-1pm and from 2pm-4pm.
For more details call the museum on 01932 843573.