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Leatherhead Town Centre & District Rates Relief Application The Leatherhead & District Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring Hurst Warne Ltd to apply for Rates Relief on behalf of those Members who have been adversely affected by the town centre development. It is widely accepted that the long-term building works have caused a significant number of shoppers and visitors to look elsewhere for the goods and services they require, resulting in many businesses in the town centre suffering a drop in their income. Letters outlining the offer have already been sent to all Members in High Street, Church Street, Bridge Street and North Street. Hurst Warne are Chartered Surveyors and Commercial Property Consultants based in Leatherhead. They are Chamber Members ~ and Maurice Johnson, a Director of the company, is currently Vice President of the Leatherhead Chamber. Although the Leatherhead Chamber will be funding the administrative costs of the application, this will be a non-profit exercise for Hurst Warne ~ and Members who are successful in their application will be charged a nominal fee of 10% plus VAT of any relief/reduction achieved, with all monies received in this respect being donated to local charities. We very much hope that those Members who have suffered hardship as a result of the Leatherhead town centre building works will benefit from this joint offer by the Leatherhead Chamber and Hurst Warne, and offer our best wishes for a productive outcome for all concerned. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to Hurst Warne for this very generous offer ~ and in particular to Maurice Johnson's colleague, Nick Smith, who will be spending a considerable amount of time in pursuing the applications on our Members' behalf. "Thank You" to Maurice, Nick and Hurst Warne, from the Chamber and its Members.
From
the Pen of Peter Stait … Railway Bridges The outstanding section of painting work to the railway bridge by the station has now been completed and the trough deck has been pigeon- proofed. Property News 36/38
High Street (formerly Creature Comforts) 31
High Street (formerly Brahms & Liszt) 28
High Street (currently vacant) 16/18
High Street (formerly Ashtead Travel and J.Humphrey) 63
High Street (formerly About Time) Swan
Centre and Cornhill site Subject
to contract, terms for the occupation for retail use of the unit
formerly occupied by Brennan's have now been agreed and the matter
is in Solicitor's hands. Again
subject to the completion of legal formalities, building works for
the reconfiguration of former Pimms premises and demolition of the
former Cornhill office block should commence within the next six
weeks. 19
Bridge Street (formerly QEFD) 6/8
Bridge Street (CA Clear) Car
Parking Changes
to the current regulations will come into force on 1st October.
The Station Road car park is to become short-term parking only and
all short-term car parks in the town will have a maximum stay of
three hours, one less than at present. These measures are intended
to provide more parking spaces for shoppers using the town. Longer
term and all day parking will continue to be available at the Randalls
Road (station) car park.
Christmas
Trees David
& Sylvia Sharland are once again organising the sale, delivery,
decoration and display of Christmas trees on behalf of the Chamber
of Commerce. Leatherhead Town Centre is brightened during the Festive
Season by the decorated Christmas trees which are wall-mounted throughout
the High Street, Bridge Street, North Street and Church Street.
Our warm thanks, as always, go to David & Sylvia for all their
hard work in helping to create a bright and cheerful Leatherhead
each Yuletide. The cost of a tree, dressed with its lights, and placed in an existing wall bracket at the end of November is being kept at a very reasonable £30 this year. This charge also covers the maintenance of the lights throughout the festive period and the dismantling/collection of the tree after Christmas. The cost of a bracket if you don't already have one is £20, supplied and fitted. All profit goes to the Christmas Festival in the Town and replacement lights. If you have not already ordered your tree and would like to display one or more outside your premises, please contact Sylvia or David on: 01372 274795.
Arts
Alive 2002 Bringing
Mole Valley Alive with "Arts Alive 2002" ~ a staggering
57 events will make up this year's Arts Alive Festival, which
runs from Saturday 12th until Saturday 27th October. Now
in its fifth year, the Mole Valley arts festival has established
itself as a focal point for community arts in the district. Celebrating
the role of both the professional and amateur artist, the festival
is a cornucopia of arts and crafts, as well as a few surprises.
Festival organisers and artists are encouraging visitors not just
to watch, but to bring alive hidden talents with workshops and dance
lessons. To launch Arts Alive 2002, organisers invite the public to a day of free festival fun at The Theatre, Leatherhead, on Saturday 12 October from 11.00am until 2.30pm. The
whole family is encouraged to drop-in and out throughout the day
to try out a range of arts activity. For young children there will
be puppetry, the amazing Wrongsize Stilt Walkers and The Book of
Miracles, a storytelling show suitable for 7 to 11 year olds. There
will be plenty of live music to enjoy, including toe-tapping music
of the 20s and 30s from The Jelly Rollers. The amazing Senegalese
drumming band "Sounds of Sunugal" will bring an international
flavour to the festival. Local musicians Roger Hind and The Sidewinders
will also be providing lunch time music in the relaxed setting of
The Theatre coffee shop. Mole
Valley's dynamic theatre company "StormtheStage" invite
young people to join a youth drama workshop, and StopGap will be
presenting a dance workshop. Project X will be hosting a DJ and
Music Technology Workshop during the afternoon. For more information, or to receive an Arts Alive brochure, telephone Mole Valley Leisure Services on: 01306 879188. Arts Alive 2002 is sponsored by Kellogg Brown & Root.
Cornerstone
Charity Cup 2002 Drawing
business leaders together for the benefit of the community, Cornerstone
Ministries are very excited to announce the "Spurs Legends
v Cornerstone FC (players from the local business community)
Charity Cup Match" on Sunday, the 6th of October at
Leatherhead Football Ground. Pre-match
events, including Brazilian Soccer Skills Display, Hotshot Competition,
Local Schools/Clubs Mini Soccer Match, and Autograph Opportunities
run from 2 p.m. ~ followed by the match kick-off at 4 p.m.
All monies raised throughout the day will be donated to LEAP, which
has been running since 1986, and is dedicated to meeting the needs
of young people in the local community. Ticket
prices are £4 for adults and £2 for under 16's. Following
the match, there will be a Charity Football Dinner at Sandown Racecourse
at 8 p.m., including a football and music memorabilia auction. Tickets
for the dinner are priced at £35 per head. Telephone this number also if you would like to take advantage of the Corporate opportunities available, for example: to book VIP seats ('rub shoulders' with Spurs legends, including Phil Beal, Tony Galvin and Martin Chivers); to arrange sponsorship of the match, kit, trophies, footballs or programme; to raise the profile of your business by advertising from perimeter banners.
Members
News New
Members The
Chamber extends a warm welcome to our new Members ~ we hope they
enjoy the benefits of Membership, and we look forward to meeting
them at future Chamber events. Metro
Café … Joined
the Chamber in early August, and is run by Miss Karen Parry. Based
at: The Theatre, Church Street, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8DN, you
can obtain further information on opening times and menus by contacting
Karen on: 01372 361144 (telephone and fax). If you prefer to Email,
the address is: mail@karenparry.freeserve.co.uk. Southbank
Glass & China … A "Cookshop"
~ located at 40 Church Street, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8DW ~ have
become Members during September. Mr Christopher Ray, Partner, can
be contacted by telephone or fax on: 01372 375097, and via Email
at: chrisray9@hotmail.com. W.E.H.
Nunns … Have joined us just before going to print! Established in the mid 1890's, this retail menswear outlet is situated at 16 Bridge Street, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8BZ. A family-run business since 1930, the Proprietor is Mr Richard West, and Richard can be contacted by telephone on: 01372 373432.
Chamber
AGM and Autumn Reception Both the AGM and Autumn Reception & Social will be taking place at Fetcham Park House on Thursday, September 26th. The AGM begins at 7.00 p.m. ~ with the Reception following, at 7.45 p.m. Changes to the current Board of Directors will be voted on at the AGM ~ and Chamber Members will enjoy meeting one another … as well as representatives of local and central government and other local organisations … at the Reception after the meeting. We
look forward to meeting those Members who are coming along, and
hope you will all enjoy a successful and pleasant evening on the
26th.
Christmas
Party & Charity Raffle We
do hope that more of you will be tempted to bring along your colleagues,
family and friends, and enjoy the Dinner Dance on the 13th of December
~ an evening of festive cheer guaranteed to get you into the seasonal
party spirit ! And
if you are able to donate prizes for the Charity Raffle ~ we'd love
to hear from you … please do contact the Chamber office with
details.
Storage
Space Required Do
any town centre Members have a bit of spare room which could accommodate
a shed of approximately 10' x 8' ? The Chamber is in desperate need
of some secure outdoor space in which it can erect a shed to store
market equipment. So, should you have a suitable area which you'd
be happy to rent-out to the Chamber, please do contact the Chamber
office.
Letters
to the Editor Members
Soapbox Dear Sirs, At
the recent meeting at the Theatre in Leatherhead under the Chairmanship
of Prof. Whitelegg I was taken aback by the views of the Leatherhead
Chamber. We had to sit through a video extolling the virtues of
pedestrianisation of York. To say the least, this shows little,
correction, no understanding of what shopping areas are all about
and what makes Leatherhead work or not work. My
conclusions, drawn from the University of Life, are that there are
several types of shopping environment. There are large shopping
areas where people go to shop. Typically, Kingston, Guildford and
the likes of York. Shoppers are prepared to drive or go by Park
and Ride to visit the major stores, John Lewis, Alders, larger M
& S and so on as well as the numerous smaller chains and possible
specialist shops. The
next group includes the likes of Leatherhead. Visitors will not
travel from afar to come to Leatherhead but wish to Pop In to the
Bank or main Post Office or jewellers or (in the past) to pick up
some artists paints. In other words they don't wish to shop but
only to make a 'quick' visit. The fact that the quick visit may
take half, one or two hours is not relevant. The user's perception
is that it is a Pop In visit. This means they need to park easily.
The last group is the convenience store, Alldays, Spar or garage
shop/store. This is for those that wish to drive to the venue, buy
from one location and go. The large supermarket also drops into
this category. I would
urge ALL Retailers to give this point some serious thought and if
they agree with the above argument then make the point to the Leatherhead
Chamber. In my opinion the Chamber undid much of the effort of the
Leatherhead Ahead action group. The Chamber purports to support
Leatherhead Ahead, via its Website, and agrees that more ready access
parking is desirable yet its video played right into the hands of
Prof. Whitelegg; for which he, no doubt, was very grateful and did
not present the arguments for Open Access and more parking. I wish
all well but do feel strongly that those with a voice should understand
that about which they are talking. With the Chambers' current views
this is evidently not the case. PS: If the Chamber does want to do something constructive might I suggest that it presses both the Swan Centre owners and Mole Valley to install Pay on Exit meters in the local car parks. This at least will take the pressure off visitors rushing to leave because they do not wish to have a parking ticket. If the car park managers decline the suggestion then perhaps the Chamber may consider asking the local retailers to assist in raising funds (public/private finance type initiative) to fund the construction of pay as you leave barriers. The parking fees might be based on the first 30 mins free with a scale increasing such that for over 4 hours stay would be expensive for the short stay car parks. I am absolutely convinced that this would improve the public's attitude towards Leatherhead overnight. Yours,
… (Nick Hoskins - Corporate Office Supplies Ltd)
Members
Spotlight (An opportunity to publicise your organisation to the Membership. Two profiles will be presented in each Newsletter, copy approximately 250 words. Contributions are published in order of receipt. Your next Newsletter will be printed in November.) FLYING
START DAY NURSERIES Flying Start Day Nurseries in Ashtead are a dream that came true for me. After a long career in teaching, and being a working mother with three children, I appreciated the problems parents have whilst striving to combine a family with career. Flying Start at Barnesmead opened in September 1994 with a baby unit being added in 1995. Due
to long waiting lists and the demand for places, Flying Start at
Moorlands was opened in December
1999. The
nurseries now cater for approximately 180 children between the ages
of 3 months to 5 years. The
nurseries aim to provide children with the best quality care, in
a stimulating family environment, which will enable them to develop
and reach their full potential. The nurseries employ approximately
35 members of staff. Training is given on site for any staff wishing
to obtain NVQ3 status. In November 2001 we gained Investors In People
recognition. As
education has always played a large part in my life I am particularly
proud of the standard achieved in our pre-school classes. This is
reflected in the way schools actively make a point of commenting
about our children's attitude to learning, and their continued development
at school. I would
be pleased to show any Chamber members around the nurseries and
to discuss any childcare requirement their staff may need. Fish
fingers, baked beans and jelly available only on certain days !!! Proprietor:
Mrs Elizabeth Chambers, B.Ed. (Hons), Cert.Ed, Dip.SLD, P.P.A. O.U.
(The First Years of Life) Barnesmead, Woodfield Lane, Ashtead, Surrey
KT21 2BT ~ Tel/Fax: 01372 276825 Moorlands, The Marld, Ashtead,
Surrey KT21 1RW ~ Tel/Fax: 01372 279935
METRO
CAFÉ The
Metro Café is based inside The Theatre in Church Street,
Leatherhead, and offers a unique environment in which to sit, relax
and enjoy a cappuccino or a pot of tea. Seating is also available
outside, so sunny days can be enjoyed ! As well as a variety of
coffees and other hot and cold beverages, a wide range of food is
served from breakfast-time until mid-afternoon: fresh croissants,
bacon sandwiches or a fresh fruit salad might tempt you in the early
morning ~ with a wide selection of sandwiches, rolls or ciabatta,
fresh salads, jacket potatoes and soups available throughout the
rest of the day. A "Metro Special" is Panini, available
with six different fillings. With
a full takeaway menu too, and the ability to cater for special events
and business meetings and discussions, Metro Café provides
an ideal environment and service to both the business community
and visitors to Leatherhead. We
are open from 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Monday to Saturday For
further information, or to make a booking, please call |
