Village News Spring Edition 2021 May 2021 www.lowerkingswood.co.uk Change in the Village As we start to exit the pandemic, as individuals and as a community, we can reflect on both the challenges and changes it has caused. The Lower Kingswood Residents’ Association (LKRA) has not been immune to change; as will be highlighted in this Newsletter, our Chairman and Secretary have stood down. Currently, Ian Floyd is Acting as our Chairman and Gill Utting as Secretary; these positions will be reviewed at the next AGM. Covid rules have changed how everyone interacts; like others, we have all had to learn how to use Zoom and other internet connecting programmes effectively. However, this challenge has not stopped LKRA from working on behalf of the village and its residents. Since our last Newsletter, we have been busy assisting residents with many challenges during the pandemic, offering support to organisations such as the British Legion, who celebrate their 100th anniversary this year, and we have recently started working with other Resident Associations to launch a project to improve our local green space and create a 'Green Corridor' from the M25 to Burgh Heath. See page 8 for more information on this, including how people can get involved going forwards. This new normal has prevented us from communicating with residents through our regular Newsletter. Going forward, we aim to review its format, and we welcome any suggestions on what is required in a community Newsletter. Currently we are also looking to modernise the website and if anyone has the skills and time to assist us please get in touch via the contact section of the website. We have a limited budget and would consider both commercial and voluntary offers. Another challenge of lockdown has been holding public meetings; with the rules starting to be relaxed, we hope to hold our Annual General Meeting (AGM) as soon as possible after 21st June. At present, we are seeking to secure the Church Hall for 30th June, but at this time, they are unable to confirm its availability. We will update residents as soon as we can. It is hoped that as many residents as possible will attend to raise issues they consider important and help us decide LKRA's future direction and how LKRA can improve its communication with residents. In recent months we saw a temporary but fundamental change in our children’s education. We want to thank all residents who donated electronic devices to assist those who do not have ready access to computers and to local companies such as Fidelity and their staff, who have been working hard with the community to refurbish and distribute those donated. Finally, change is also coming to our County Councillor representation regardless of the election result; both Bob Gardner and Jeff Harris will be standing down after many years of service to our community. May we take this opportunity to thank both for their help and assistance. Lower Kingswood Residents’ Association We very much Acting Chairman Ian Floyd appreciate the support Acting Secretary Gill Utting of our advertisers but Treasurer Faye Miles their appearance in our Babylon Lane Ruth Jones newsletter and/or our Beechen Lane Jackie Cox website does not Beechen Lane Tracey Godwin To contact LKRA please use the constitute a Dents Grove Stella Rixon website Contact Us page on recommendation. Greenacres Belinda Harrington www.lowerkingswood.co.uk Holly Lodge Mike Baker THANK YOU to the Lower Kingswood Residents’ Association Chairman and Secretary The Lower Kingswood Residents’ Association (LKRA) said thank you to David Patel and Bob Brown who as Chairman and Secretary respectively have steered the LKRA for about 20 years. David and Bob decided the time had come to retire. David has been at the hub of village life being the newsagent and postmaster, posts he has recently retired from. The LKRA committee received contributions from residents towards a retirement gift for each of them. The plan was to make a presentation at the 2020 AGM, however due to Covid-19 this wasn’t possible. Instead each was presented with a gift outside the Post Office on Tuesday, 15th December at 12noon at a socially distanced ceremony. County Councillor Bob Gardner made the presentations giving a short and amusing appreciation of them both saying that they will have seen many changes over the 20 years. Bob said that their unwavering support has been crucial to keeping the residents together as a village and making the village a place where people chose to make their home. There is a unique quality that new and old residents never want to leave. He concluded with “thankyou David and Bob; words cannot describe how grateful we are for your many years’ service to our LKRA”. We are grateful too to our local photographer, Rachel Thornhill for recording this occasion. A Change At The Village Shop & Post Office Kingswood Terriers Football Club After 31 years of serving the villagers everyday needs, Dave and Penny have finally decided to take a well-earned It was with great excitement that retirement; thankfully, they will still be part of our Kingswood TFC welcomed community as they are remaining in the village. On the grassroots football back to the 3rd April, Dave and Penny were present to hand over the Recreation ground in March. running of the shop to its new owners Suthan and Jeva, whom we welcome to our community. Suthan and Jeva Although the club have provided are keen to maintain the shop as an important part of the zoom training over Lockdown - it is village community and reinforced this by asking not quite the same as being with representatives from the Lower Kingswood Residents’ your team. Association to participate in its opening. Those villagers Surrey FA have awarded our who have visited the shop recently will have found a few Ladies section the highest Kitemark changes, with a new layout and a much-increased stock, standard award for Women's including an extensive selection of fresh fruit and Recreational Football in the county. vegetables. Congratulations to Kingswood However, many Ladies and a huge thank you to the things will remain volunteers that made this happen. the same such as We are actively seeking more boys a warm welcome, an efficient post and girls for our youth teams. The office and a Ladies team also continue to grow commitment to in numbers. If you are interested in the villagers' playing or volunteering for needs. Kingswood TFC please contact Photo taken by Rachel Thornhill [email protected] www.lowerkingswood.co.uk Spring 2021 Lower Kingswood Village News Page 2 We are restarting our 'Run the Rec 5K’ events on Saturday 29-May 2021 @ 9.00am in the Kingswood Recreation Ground. This is a free community event for adults and children and you are welcome to bring your dog for this 5km run. Please note children 11 years old and under will need an adult to run with them. We are working with the local 9th Reigate Scout Group to arrange refreshments in the scout hut. If you are interested in running, jogging, walking or joining in the fun as a volunteer to help marshal, tail walker, timekeeper, etc, please book tickets and for further details via with this URL https://runtherec_kingswoodrecreationalground.eventbrite.co.uk Future events on the last weekend of these months in June, July, August, October, except early January 2022. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Reigate & Banstead Borough Council for supporting ‘Run the Rec’ events & especially for a grant to purchase a gazebo. We will follow government guidance as we move between steps of the Roadmap. We are excited to have the 'Run the Rec’ events restarting and look forward to seeing many of you there. Jackie Cox & Belinda Harrington Kingswood W.I. Singing Happy Birthday to ourselves on March 10th proved to be hilarious on Zoom. With everyone’s internet travelling at different speeds, no-one in sync, what fun it was. I t just had to be done however, as it was Kingswood WI’s 90th Birthday. The Committee delivered a Cream Tea to every member. Lovely scones, jam and clotted cream, which we all ate at same time on Zoom. Delicious and a lot of fun. Marjorie Knight has been a member for 56 of those 90 years. What a lot of changes throughout those 90 years she must have seen. Although we no longer wear hats to the meetings, we still raise our voices to a rousing chorus of Jerusalem, make jam, chutney, delicious cakes, but on top of all our crafting activities we can surf the net, use our iPhones, iPads, and get on to Zoom for our meetings and to join in lectures from Surrey Federation and our WI Denman college. Having so many WI friends in the village has meant we can stand and chat from our front doors or go for a walk with one other person out in our beautiful countryside right on our doorstep. It keeps us fit and in touch with our friends. With Spring on its way our gardens are flourishing and with the rule of six we can now meet in our gardens and admire our handiwork. Our local WI is thriving, and we hope to return to all our activities very soon. If you are interested in joining our WI in Lower Kingswood. Under normal conditions we meet every second Wednesday at The Church Hall in Buckland Road at 2:15pm. Please contact our president. Lower Kingswood Village News Page 3 Spring 2021 www.lowerkingswood.co.uk Fly-Tipping & Dog Poo! Lower Kingswood Lower Kingswood Residents’ Village Fete Association is aware of a number of flying-tipping incidents in the village recently, especially several in Stubbs Lane near the Recycling Centre.