Brookwood Village Newsletter October 2006

Brookwood Village News
October 2006
Dear Reader, OK Hear we go again. It's October already. This year just seems to be rolling away. Where did the Summer go?? Hope that you are all keeping well and have settled back into your own routines.Thanks also to everyone that has sent me articles and information for the news letter. By the way this is my annual edition, I took over as editor last October and its been quite a learning curve. Keep reading & thanks. Comments or copy to cameoproductions@ntlworld.com or 852410 or the little box in the Post Office. Mike Peel. Ed.

The New Porch helps put St Saviours Church in the Spotlight
The sun shone and a packed congregation welcomed the Rt. Rev Christopher Hill, Bishop of Guildford, who presided and preached at a special service at St Saviour’s Church on Sunday 17th September. The invitation to the Bishop had been sent over a year ago and with God’s great timing, this coincided with the completion of the building works which had been taking place over the summer. These included a brand new porch and clear glass doorway facing onto the road; removal of awkward steps at the back of church which have now been replaced with a ramp, and a coffee bar area providing a safe enclosed space where tea and coffee can be served after morning services. The money for this project has been raised by generous donations from members of the congregations and our special thanks go to Robin Blee, churchwarden who has overseen this project from the start. We wanted our building to be able to express the warm welcome which we can each give as individuals – our desire all along having been to ‘make the building as friendly as the people’. The alterations will make a really big difference, especially on the 1st Sunday of each month at the 20:20 puppet services when the church is full of families with young children. Why not come along and see for yourself? PS. and don’t forget the multi Golden Wedding celebrations and thanksgiving on Sunday 8th October at 3:00 pm followed by refreshments. Everyone welcome. Ed.

Brookwood Memorial Halls
We are looking for a Man/Woman Friday for several very important odd jobs in and around the Village Hall. This is a chance for competent volunteer DIYers to offer to do a job or two, materials provided - otherwise the Hall will have to engage professional contractors and pay from the Halls hire revenues...you can guess the rest! So please if you can help out with one or two of these jobs before winter overtakes us, Please contact John Thornton 829926 or Howard Bailey 289058

Brookwood Lye Meadow Conservation Talk
Brookwood Memorial Hall (small) Thursday 12 October 2006 7.00 pm
Please support local canal ranger Pete Bickford who will be giving an informal talk about the conservation and management techniques that are used to protect the varied species of wildlife that live on our doorstep. Pete’s slide show and talk will try to answer questions and ally fears about the future of the meadow and how you can help. Refreshments will be available in the break. Editors note. Older members of Brookwood will remember that in 1984 the local council were considering allowing an industrial site, which included an oil refinery, to be built on Brookwood Lye Road. That’s when the BVA were formed. Lets ensure that this area is maintained

Bisley Shooting Range Open Day
The date for this has now been changed to Saturday October 14th.
Sorry for the confusion but the organisers had to change the date after I had gone to print.

Obituary: Arthur Raynes 1932 - 2006
Local Brookwood residents and members of the BVA committee were saddened to learn of the death of Arthur last month. Arthur was a great friend to many in the village and worked tirelessly from his home in Knaphill to support the local area. He died only days after receiving an award for his local voluntary work but unfortunately he was too ill to collect it. Arthur was nominated for his work with Knaphill Care and Knaphill Residents Association, which he helped to set up, and his work with the British Legion. He had recently suffered ill health and will be sadly missed by his family and friends.

Crime Update
You will all have received separately a flyer from BVA about yet more break-ins as, unfortunately, the village continues to be being targeted in an ongoing way. At the last count burglaries had reached double figures, with money and jewellery being the main targets. There have also been a number of attempted break-ins. I have even had a report of a 8 foot rowing boat being taken from a canal-backing garden. This theft was particularly strange as the owner’s property is very secure and the easiest way into the garden is across the canal. How the thieves actually got into the garden is a mystery and an even bigger one is how they escaped with the boat. They must have punted away or used their hands because the oars were secured in the owners shed. Did you see anyone acting oddly, and very wet? Clearly they must have felt they were up the Swannee without a paddle!!! Sorry !!!! But its not all bad news. You may have read in the local press that the robber that held up our off-licence has been arrested and jailed, and that youth’s caught on camera in Woking after a robbery, had their pictures published in the paper and have also been arrested. It goes without saying that if you have seen or heard anything locally then call the police. Finally; If you have purchased a satellite navigation system for your car then be warned that they are the most sought after items in thefts from cars by thieves. Ensure that you remove the item from your vehicle and also the tell tale suction marks from the windows. Keep safe and remember. Crime can’t crack itself.

A Cunning Conundrum
You are in a room and there are two ways out. One door leads to certain danger and the other leads to safety, but you don’t know which is which. There is a guard on each door. You know that one guard always tells the truth, and the other one always tells lies; but which is which? You can only ask one question to one guard. Now think about it. What is that question?????
Thanks to Natasha from Bentleys Garage for this.

Sheets Heath Bridge
August, September, October !!! The long awaited refurbishment of Sheets Heath Bridge is nearing completion…..we hope. This has not been without even more frustration to the bridge’s neigbours. Drunks and youths have been climbing over the works to gain access creating noise and a nuisance. I took the picture below and if you look closely you can see 4 lesser white spotted painters. You have to look very closely because they are shy and they hide. When, I hear you plead. End of October hopefully I have been told. A Bridge Too Far ??

Lost and Found
Centenary Teddy Bear Hunt. Three people found and named the one hundred Teddy Bears in Brookwood correctly. The three winners' names all went into a hat and the lucky winner of the Harrods Teddy Bear was Amy Hardiman. Well done Amy. The runners up each received a prize and they were Isaac Downs and Rebecca Hardiman. Thank you to everyone who displayed Bears in the village and to those who entered the quiz..

A final Teddy Bear Joke from Georgina.

What’s white, furry and tastes of peppermint?

A Polo Bear

Brookwood School Update and Thank You
Many of you will have seen a lot of activity in and around the school over the last few months, and
we thought it might be an idea to let you know what is happening.
The existing three boiler systems have been replaced with one. This has understandably meant a
great deal of disruption, including the removal of asbestos from the cellar, replacing pipes and radiators
and knocking holes in the walls. The inside work was almost complete by the beginning of the
autumn term, but the heating engineers will still be on site for a few weeks completing the boiler installation.
Our Reception class is also now much bigger as we have had a wall knocked down, a
new floor and cupboard, new the sinks and a new shower cubicle in the cloakroom.
The builders have begun to dig up part of the playground and are building an extension to the
school kitchen. Once the building work is complete the kitchen will be refurbished to convert it into a
cooking kitchen rather than simply a servery. All this building work is very exciting, and will help to
enhance the education we are able to offer our children. We are looking forward to its completion,
and are confident that the disruption will all be worth it in the end!
I would also like to add a big thank you to all the villagers who again kindly went to trouble of delivering
Sainsburys and other vouchers to school. Our Sainsburys PE order has just arrived, and it is
wonderful to be able to afford items that we could otherwise never be able to buy.
Finally. our Centenary Year is over, and we would like to say an enormous thank you to everyone in
the village who came along and joined us in our celebrations. We renewed old friendships and made
new ones, and learnt a huge amount about the history of the school. Brookwood Village helped to
make it a very special year for the school. Janice Oakley - Head Teacher.
(Thanks also from me and lets do it all again in 2106. Ed)

Secondary Schools Transport Problems Update.
In the last news-letter I reminded parents about a potential problem with transport to local secondary schools. Unfortunately the problem still persists and not only with children’s return journey’s. I have been informed that pupils travelling to both Winston and JSB schools have been left standing on Connaught Road as the buses pass by them full. One new pupil was even given a detention for being late!!! How unfair is that? The transport guru’s are unlikely to listen to the BVA and so I suggest that you complain directly to them yourselves and I will ensure that Councillors Goldenberg and Compton are made aware of this worrying problem. On another subject it is now the perfect time to remind people who have 3 year olds to register them at their local school. The closing date for registering a Reception child for next year is Thursday 19th October and anyone with secondary age children should also know that their application forms must be submitted by Friday 20th October. Not long now, so get your forms filled in. Ed.

What do you know about Brookwood Cemetery and its history? Memorial crypt in Brookwood Cemetery

Local Historian Barry Faeden sent me this; In a leafy Surrey woodland, right on the border with Hampshire, and close to one of the main training camps of the army, stands a cemetery full of family tombs, gravestones and memorials of past citizens, rich and poor, from Victorian London, and of soldiers tragically killed in wars gone by. The Necropolis Cemetery was founded in 1852, but the land on which it sits goes back further still. The cemeteries' occupants include: Margaret, Duchess of Argyll (1912-1993), John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) the artist, Edith Thompson (who was executed in Holloway prison in 1923), Eleanor Smith, the wife of the Captain of the Titanic and Sir Henry Thompson, who first championed cremation in England and who is BURIED in the cemetery, plus many more. It is no coincidence that the cemetery is situated directly next to Brookwood railway station, as it was used to house the dead of an ever growing London in the 19th century. As the population around the mid 1850s was growing beyond the control of the authorities, so Brookwood was built to take the strain away from London's already overflowing cemeteries. Although now in ruins the two station platforms that used to run through the cemetery can still be seen to this day. In the daylight and on hazy summer days, Brookwood Necropolis is a place of beauty, stillness and tranquillity, with its huge Redwood trees. its never ending pathways, and rows and rows as far as the eye can see of white crosses in memoriam to the war dead. It stands out as one of the most fascinating, yet inspiring places of rest and honour. An old church as the heart of the grounds also stands proudly, adding to the cemeteries peaceful surroundings and charm. Even though many of the dead are victims of past wars, it is a mixed faith cemetery, of Christian, Muslim, and Zoroastrian beliefs, and so it stands as a monument of hope to many who wish for a more peaceful world, so the people buried within the graves did not die in vain. But by night the place takes on a whole new characteristic, one of mystery, and creeping foreboding, wonder and fear.....Barry Stevens. Read about ghostly stories from the cemetery next month. Ed

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