The residents’ association of Hampton, est. 1956 Spring Newsletter 2021

Vaccination? Go to The Greenwood

The Greenwood Centre on School Road, . You enter through the alley on the right (see sign on wall) and exit through the main door s

For those of us directed to the Greenwood Centre in Hampton Hill for Inside... our Covid-19 jabs here is a picture of its frontage. Located in a side Notes from the Chair page 2 road, School Road, off another side road, Windmill Road, it’s possible News pages 2, 3 & 4 Committee members page 3 you could be unfamiliar with it unless you attended classes there. Event news page 4

s School Road from Windmill Road in Hampton Hill. The Centre is seen just to the right. Spring Flowers in Kings Paddock ▲

Apparently, patients from Hampton’s two doctors’ surgeries, the Hampton Medical Fisher’s Pond dredging works, see Notes from the Chair on page 2 ▼ Centre (Lansdowne) and Broad Lane practices have been so directed because of the Greenwood’s easy separation of entrance and exit, reducing the possibility of contamination as ‘vaccinatees’ move smoothly through. You can be in and out within ten minutes, sleeve rolled down again and clutching an explanatory leaflet given to you on leaving. Kindness and efficiency are what you’ll remember. Indeed, so efficient was the service the day I attended, 400 people out of a daily quota of 600 had already been vaccinated by noon. Parking is admittedly difficult, so for the sake of a few minutes, having a driver to drop you off helps. Blue badge holders can ask the marshals outside for help in parking. All in all, when your time comes, have no fears, just reassurance. MW  Notes from the Chair Obituary John Shankster With the light getting brighter on the horizon, Many of you will recall John’s both seasonally and metaphorically, I hope you boyhood escapade to the Victory are all keeping well. in Europe celebrations outside Buckingham Palace in 1945 Have you noticed all the work being done on the waterways around Fisher’s Pond (Summer Newsletter 2020). in Bushy Park’s Woodland Gardens? On my daily walks, I have been fascinated to see the birds bemused by the heavy machinery and the easier access to tasty morsels caused by the dredging. The work is to improve the flow and quality of the water by removing the build-up of sediment. This is all part of The Royal Parks Mission: Invertebrate project that I have been hearing about on their regular Podcast https://bit.ly/3kTf7u3. The gardens are also looking a little bare at the moment due to the clearing of the Rhododendron ponticums, a non-native invasive species being removed John died recently aged 88, leaving to improve the site’s ecology. us with a 13-year old’s take on the most popular event of those wartime years: the end of them. You can read COVID-19 Community Champion a summary at the end of this piece. I have volunteered to represent the Society in this capacity. The aim is to share As a boy John went to Hammersmith relevant information with you through this newsletter and by email. If you have been School of Art and later trained as a offered a vaccine (at time of publication this covers ages 56 and above) , I would draughtsman and engineer, working encourage you to arrange one through the national booking service, which can be as a consultant on contracts as accessed at the NHS website. The system allows patients to choose a time slot and varied as the Palace of Westminster and the Shah of Iran’s palace to location that suits them. Anyone unable to book online can call 119 free of charge, H.M. Prison Lewes and the steel anytime between 7am and 11pm, seven days a week. mills of South Wales. Vaccine Myth Busting: Myth: The vaccine can give you COVID-19 A quiet man who loved a chat and listening to other people’s opinions, Fact: Some vaccines contain the germs that cause the disease they are immunising John also enjoyed travel, history and against, but they have been killed or weakened to the point that they don’t make you music. What’s more he sailed his own sick. But in the case of a coronavirus vaccine, none of the vaccines contain a live ‘Jonosboat’ at Hampton Sailing Club. coronavirus, and they therefore can’t give you a coronavirus infection. With sons Jonathan and Chris, he sailed Jonathan’s ketch ‘Dedushka’ back and forth across the Channel. Meal Train – all aboard for helping out With his brother Len, he sailed in Through friends of ours that have found themselves in difficult circumstances, Scotland’s Western Isles and further I have become aware of an innovative ‘crowdsourcing’ online platform that helps afield in the Mediterranean and the schedule and organise homemade meal-giving for other people. If you are trying to Caribbean. help your friend, family or associates through a difficult time, this might be for you. Over the years John loved to paint By managing contributions, the person you are helping can say what meals they do and draw and attended various art classes and groups. He was also a or don’t like and your friendship group can see when each of you are providing for prolific potter, and since retiring them. Sounds really helpful. Find out more at mealtrain.com. joined the Sunbury Art Group, organising a Friday morning class The New Baron of Hampton where his draughtsmanship was much appreciated. I read in the excellent Hampton Guide, that drops through our doors twice a year, that we now have nobility in Hampton, sort of. Evgeny Lebedev, who has lived in John married Rosemary in 1961, moving to Hampton in 1966. All who England since the age of eight and owns the Evening Standard and the Independent knew him will miss him greatly. newspapers has chosen the title ‘Baron Lebedev of Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and of Siberia in the Russian Federation’. Prime minister I promised you a summary of what Boris Johnson offered the multi-millionaire media magnate a cross-bench peerage happened to John and Len after they’d for services to both the media industry and also charities, including the Evening had their fill of seeing the royal family Standard’s Dispossessed Fund (£13 million +) and the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation and Winston Churchill from the railings (£10 million +). The 40 year old lives in in Home Park. of Buck House. Falling darkness reminded them a street bonfire back I look forward to seeing you all soon. home in Hammersmith was planned so Kind regards, William Redfern, Chair they caught the bus back home. THS

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The Hampton Society 3 Society Hampton The 2021 newsletter Spring Image from Trumpton courtesy of Gordon Murray (Trumptonshire) Ltd. s A warm welcome to our new members . members new to our welcome A warm April. this membership your renew to come you when so doing consider to Order Standing by pay currently not do you if it appreciate really We would Order Standing annual members now pay by Over 84% of our Membership on Update @thehamptonsociety.org.uk enquiries at us Contact 342813 07540 Cesenek Lesley 3543 8979 020 Fordham Alice Other committee members 4450 8941 020 Cluse Le Bridge Sylvia Planning 9654 8979 020 Waters Maura editor Newsletter Linda Brignall 020 8979 9499 Membership 9499 8979 020 Brignall Brian Treasurer 3604 8973 020 Hill Rosemary Secretary 670911 07761 Sassi Iacopo Deputy chair 7071 8286 020 Redfern William Chair members Committee below.secretary development, contact the please Hampton’s and Society the in a part playing and committee the joining in interested are you If year. the during co-opted be or April in Meeting General Annual our at election for stand can and committee the to join eligible is Society the of member Any events for our members. We also organise talks, visits and acontribution. make can we where to see community the affect that issues current to discuss ayear times committee members. We meet four six to up and officers elected of consists It Society. Hampton The of body governing the is committee The committee your About www.williamredfern.co.uk Redfern William by produced and Designed Waters. Maura by Edited Newsletter production:

020 8286 7071. 8286 020

News Windfall For Stables Flushed with the success of a £1 million ‘crowdfunding’ effort to save Park Lane Stables in Teddington, manager Natalie O’Rourke can now afford to be more ambitious. More grazing land for 23 horses, an arena for disabled riders and coach driving sessions could all be afforded should more funds become available. The threat of closure loomed for Park Lane when their landlord decided to sell the property. Half their million-pound target had been raised, but when the BBC Breakfast TV programme aired the story, as did two London TV newscasts later the same day, the target was toppled by nearly £350k. Gift Aid also raised £227k for the cause. “We still welcome any extra support” says Natalie. “We’re a charity with ongoing costs and every little really does help”. THS

 ”No carrot? I’ll make-do by licking your cheek!”

Events Events update calendar Zoom Talks Because of Pandemic restrictions we branched Our talks are free out into Zoom talks in the autumn ranging from the to members but Windsor Beauties paintings of Restoration England, please bring your to the postponed Battle of Britain, and lately Henry membership cards VIII’s art collection. The latest offering on Zoom was ‘Boatyards and Bands, Artists and Inventors’, a take Due to the popularity on life on Twickenham’s on 10 March. of our talks and events Although this last talk is too late for Newsletter and the size of our Summer Party in 2021? readers, but we can maybe look forward to seeing venues, we may have We’ve pencilled in a provisional date for our summer each other at a Summer Party this year after all! to turn people away party at Hampton Sailing Club for Friday, 25 June, if we run out of room. only four days after the Government’s relaxation Important Notice Arrive early to avoid of the Pandemic restrictions which have so disappointment. blighted our lives for a year. Regarding email Addresses Of course we must be prepared for many a slip *If you are not receiving regular notices by between March and June, but at least we’ll have time email on breaking information and events that we No email to give you plenty of notice both on our website www. manage to organise between printed newsletters, thehamptonsociety.org.uk nearer the time, by it may be because you have not notified us with address? email* and in our Summer 2021 issue, due in your email address or that it might have changed early June. to what we have on record. If you think this is the case, please send your details to If you want to According to the Daily Telegraph, “June will likely see , or be informed of the lifting of remaining restrictions on numbers and [email protected] contact on . You the latest event social contact, allowing much larger numbers to Linda Brignall 020 8979 9499 can also find a link to our latest email newsletters information but congregate again”. It goes on to warn at the bottom of the home page of our website, don’t have access “The Government’s document predicts there will www.thehamptonsociety.org.uk. to a computer, be no legal limits on people socialising together by Finally, please add enquiries@thehamptonsociety. please contact the end of June. The date is the earliest possible to your ‘trusted’ contacts and address book time rules could be eased, and any setback in the org.uk Alice Fordham on so that our messages don’t get filtered out of your vaccination programme or more variants could push 020 8979 3543 and inbox. Thank you. she will try to call that date back.” you directly. So, modified rapture, I think. But we must think positively…

4 The Hampton Society Spring newsletter 2021 Please visit our website: www.thehamptonsociety.org.uk