The Planet Reigate Podcast
48: Our ‘Harlequin’ Q&A, more great stories from local volunteers, the sound of a steam train on local tracks… and more
Episode 48 “Our ‘Harlequin’ Q&A, more great stories from local volunteers, the sound of a steam train on local tracks… and more”
For Saturday 10th August 2024
TIMECODE – so you can go straight to what you want to listen to
00:00 - What’s in this episode
03:15 – The swimming pool in Bancroft Road
06:40 – Thoughts on what could be in Memorial Park
09:20 - The Good Time Guide: Local places to go and things to do this weekend
13:35 - GUESTS: Hear from four wonderful winners of local volunteer awards
32:45 - The Planet Reigate area news including:
34:25 - We answer your questions about the future of The Harlequin ahead of an Extraordinary meeting of the council this coming week
58:50 – The passing of John Shinner, the man who bought Priory Farm in 1957, and developed it to what it is today.
1:01:40 - Planet Reigate Stars - thanking local heroes. This week the story of a toy bus
1:02:45 – Planet Reigate area sport: featuring judo, football, RunReigate and the Reigate Triathlon
1:07:50 - The Good Time Guide: Local things to do and places to go this coming week
1:12:40 - The 60-second Soundscape: this week, the background to the Sunset Steam Express before we hear it steam through Reigate towards Redhill
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- Duration:
- 1h 17m
- Broadcast on:
- 09 Aug 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
This is the Planet Rigate Podcast. Hello Planeteers, this is Peter Stewart with the show exclusively uniquely and proudly about the hills, the high streets and the heaths of the Planet Rigate area and it's episode 48 for Saturday 10th August 2024 and this week this is how we're reflecting and celebrating our love of life around here. Well this week we'll hear from four wonderful winners of volunteer awards locally, yeah they give up their free time to help others in our local communities and are all winners of the Rigate and Panstead Barra Council recognition certificates and as winners hearing about what they do and why, surprisingly there are a few recipe tips in there as well, intrigued, stay tuned. Plus in our new sequence this week police investigates an attempted murder in Sulphurx and a death in a crash on Rigate Hill. We answer your questions about the future of the Harlequin ahead of an extraordinary meeting of the Council this coming week. We reflect on the closure of the main store in Red Hills Belfry and also mention some of the sales going on there at the moment and a new art display that is there in the centre until the new year. 120 homes are now likely to be built near Hawley, I'll tell you where, a warning about pollution in the river mole and rubbish being dumped near Horse Hill. Extra help being given to parents of six children at the hospital and also there a new summer house has been opened for cancer patients. News are more white lines and yellow lines, road markings on some of our more strategic roads and an update on the road issues highlighted near the aerodrome. Plus updates on battle bridge wreck, a Merstom wreck and Michael Crescent playground. You can quiz national politicians at a BBC event in Sulphurx airing live. I'll tell you how you can get a free ticket and news of the passing of a local farmer. You may not have known him but you will surely know of his work. I'll tell you some of what John Shinner achieved in his long and fruitful life later on in the show and in sport we feature judo and football, run Righate and the Righate triathlon. Plus of course we have the good time guide of events across the area across the week ahead. Planet Righate stars features a lost toy bus and our 60 second soundscape before we go. This is the Planet Righate Podcast. We have the good time guide of events across the area across the week ahead. Planet Righate stars features a lost toy bus and our 60 second soundscape before we go at the end of the show. This week from a train track in Righate. First of all talking about a few kind of catch ups and some communications over the last week or so. We've recently been talking haven't we about why Paul House in Bancroft Road in Righate is called Paul House and I suggested that there used to be a swimming pool there but it was odd because there was another one just around the corner opposite the town hall in Righate. We've had a flurry of stories come in over the last few weeks but nothing concrete. Now this week I was sent a link to a social media page. Now forgive me I try and be across email and three social media accounts Facebook and Twitter X and Instagram as well but I'm so sorry I've actually lost who it was that sent me the link to this mention on a group called Memories of Red Hill Righate so they said back in 2021 with a picture this is the pool at Paul House. Babs says I swam there in the late 1940s but it was never very popular because there wasn't much sun and the leaves from the trees used to fall in the water. That doesn't sound much fun does it? I don't know when it was built but must have been after Bancroft Road was built in the mid 1930s. I don't think it lasted after the 1950s. So Babs who posted that back in 2021 thanks for that and whoever it was that pointed that post to me a week or so ago thank you my apologies for misplacing your name I do apologise. Now I have uncovered some additional information on the pool in Bancroft Road. It was called should I tell you what it was called? Yeah okay the majestic pool. The majestic pool. Is that ringing a few bells? Are you tying up a few other things about majestic in Righate? No I don't mean the wine warehouse up Bell Street. Well I was doing a bit of research that kept coming up but it's really interesting. I just need to tie up a few loose ends before I bring you more on that hopefully in the next few episodes so listen out for that it's intriguing it's fascinating and I just love relatable local history where you can go oh that's the reason because when you live in an area it's right isn't it that you just take it as that's what happens that's how Righate is that's how Red Hill is that's why that road is called Battle Bridge Lane for example but you don't necessarily think of the reasons behind it but but I have got some fascinating I thought they were fascinating and I hope that you will join me in thinking they were fascinating as well partly because I know that looking at the stats when we do local history they are some of the most listened to features on the show so more on the pool in Bancroft Road and about Bancroft Road itself because that's quite new isn't it Bancroft Road you know relatively speaking in the next few episodes plus I've uncovered so we've talked about the pool haven't we opposite the town hall we've spoken and it back in the day several episodes ago about donnings and why donnings is called donning so you know Red Hill we're not leaving you out when we're talking about swimming pools but there was another swimming pool that I alluded to I think it was last week we've got more on another swimming pool locally coming soon as well now last week also mentioned about a consultation by Rygett and Bancroft Council about parks and open spaces in the area and what you want well Sarah said talking to a friend this weekend about Memorial Park and how much more can happen there a community fader family festival or the ice skating rink that Rygett didn't want yeah back in the day a few years ago now Kerry said there was a really lovely festival at Memorial Park back in 2019 but nothing since unfortunately and and then she went on there used to also be a Red Hill beer festival held in the park but I think that's the one that now takes place in a hall in Merstam Michelle said I believe a lot of the issues are to do with the expense involved in fronting the cost of additional police and licensing that is required to host an event in a public place and Natty said there used to be a free music festival in the summer it was a long time ago but great fun so great to read all your thoughts and memories about Memorial Park now that does kind of hint doesn't it on what other things go on in Red Hill and we got a special report a little bit later on I posted this on Wednesday in fact on on my Facebook page and and the couple of we love social sites about the Harlequin now a couple of weeks ago there was a meeting at the town hall about the Harlequin a big decision is going to be made this coming week about the Harlequin and I've read through the report and I've come up with kind of everything you need to know about the Harlequin and its future and the future of arts and provision of creativity and so on across the borough I'll bring you that bit later on in the program this week however yeah what have I been up to this past week I was beside the train tracks as a steam locomotive came through the area on Tuesday night I've been on Rygate Heath recording some more about the history of the Heath and that feature is upcoming I've stored that I'm looking at my big board the big board of of scheduling notes and about when different items are going and I can see yeah that's probably going to be in September and another piece in October why might I be doing something about Rygate Heath in October November time okay piece those two ideas together and also on Friday night after this is actually recorded because it goes live on Friday morning but on Friday night or Friday afternoon right about four up us for I'm going to be at Priory Park for the second annual cyclocross event that we featured in episode 46 the good time guide things to do and places to go on the planet Rygate podcast hearing the stories from some of the area's great volunteers in a few moments time after part one of the good time guide don't forget to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app you may have to look for the word follow and then what that will mean is that every episode is automatically downloaded to your device and of course if you want to mention for your events getting in touch with me hello at the planet Rygate podcast.com or you can fill out the form you'll find on the planet Rygate podcast.com give me a couple of weeks notice if you could okay so Saturday the Hawley Lions book store is going to be out on the high street from 9am to 1pm as well as books they're also going to have some free children's toys to give away as well so why don't you pop down there and see them some of sport open days activities on Saturday and this is happening at the Hawley Leisure Center so they've got some taster fitness classes spin body conditioning zumba pilates mindfulness dance fitness and power pumping as well and also some taster swimming lessons as well so it's on Saturday and all the details you can find better dot org dot UK slash Hawley yeah better is the is the group is the company's organization that runs some of our local leisure centers so better dot org dot UK slash Hawley Rygate caves has another open day on Saturday you can go to Rygate caves dot org dot UK to book and also for prices and times as well the archway theater in Hawley presents a live or living to one act plays written and directed by Abigail Field and also by Jenna Simmons Wood each piece provides a window into the effects of depression of both the person directly affected and also the people surrounding them as well performances at 745 on the 10th plus a matinee on Saturday at two o'clock so two and 745 and interesting both Abigail and Jenna were until recently members of the archways young adults workshop so performing and Abigail I know has already started her undergraduate drama course at university and Jenna has been involved in the stage management of several shows as well archway theater dot co dot UK and tickets there are 12 pounds and the planet Rygate podcast is proud to be official media partner with the archway theater in Hawley for more information and booking details go to archway theater dot com or phone oh three double three six double six double three double six now just mentioning this as it's for Surrey's air ambulance which of course is based in the planet Rygate area a red hill aerodrome there's a heli fun day Surrey on Saturday at low sleep parks that's near Guilford between eleven three you can meet the crew you can see the helicopter up close as well various demonstrations games and prizes and food stalls as well let's move on to Sunday the 11th Charlotte says we're hosting an open day our new coaching and healing centre in Rygate co our equina centre Charlotte says we two sisters passionate about bringing in the healing power of horses and the outdoors to others if you're interested in booking a coaching session or a professional passionate about the health and wellbeing of others she says would be really interested in collaborating or simply finding out more about what we do then please join us for a free open day it's between ten and two that's a petridge wood farm stables now that's just off wood hatch road if you can picture it yeah so just be on the lakes and if you're going from the lakes over to like the hospital direction it's up there on the right hand side but R H one five JJ is what you need to know petridge wood farm stables R H one five JJ it's a free open day on Sunday between ten and two and when you go along tell them you heard it all about it on the planet Rygate podcast. We're so lucky aren't we in the area because we've got so many people doing great things for other people I mean I mentioned people like this every single week in our planet Rygate star feature local people who've done something really good usually just a one off but there are some people who dedicate hours of their time every week over months over years sometimes over decades helping other people they're running groups they're giving support they're lending their expertise certainly their time and their experience and their goodwill and a few weeks ago there was a special presentation at Rygate town hall for long service volunteers and we featured those a couple of weeks ago and more recently there was another ceremony for people who've been volunteering but not quite as long as some of those other guys for 40 50 years some of them and this week we're featuring those other recipients of volunteer awards they get a special certificate they get a badge as well these are all sorts of people who've given up their free time to help others in our local communities and we applaud them quite literally actually for what they've done to help the planet Rygate area be an even better place to live. My name is Sehe Ibrahim we are the first Muslim scout group in Rygate called Bitlahem Muslim or a minority in Rygate and Bensted and Christians are a minority in Gaza and Palestine so we choose Bitlahem so we can make twinning between our group and scouts in Gaza and Bitlahem as well. Fantastic I haven't heard of you before to my shame how's it all going when did it when was it set up. It was informally set up 18 months from now formally set up last time we had a big opening ceremony we attended by the epitomea Ramadan and it was amazing everyone was asking about the fasting and how you break your fast how you're praying and the ceremony and the scouting make it easier to invite your friends and we informed them how we break fast how we do praying how we do this it was interesting for them and it was interesting for us that they don't know about what we're doing and it was really amazing because there's a lot of I guess misinformation through media through social media and so on about Muslims and Christians as well it kind of misunderstand isn't it so getting together and sharing knowledge while you share food or share activities is a great way forward. Absolutely we share lots of things together so it was a high value of opportunity of in are all one and we are speaking about what's overlapping between our cultures they loved our food which is like global food from everywhere our scat group is very very very different than all the scouts in the area it's lots of backgrounds Nigerian African Syrian Palestinian Egyptian we have lots of so when when the epitomea came say this is an international food festival this is like celebrating culture and this is celebrating diversity in Reige so it's the place that minorities feel home and feel welcomed and feel better for the future and feel that they are here in the United Kingdom are welcomed which is very important to feel when vast majority of our kids unfortunately are facing bullying at school and they have a safe space to speak about about it and absolutely we have to extend the thanks to Central forces of church and we are gifted from San Joseph's 17th of Regeton Chair Tony Brown the absolute support we don't have such experience in leader I was a scout in my country I was like a cup and explore but haven't been a leader before 17th of Rege extended all the training 5th of Rege just give us the campsite everyone is welcoming us and everyone is supporting us with facilities with campsite with toys with games with support with van riding because we don't have the deal licensed no one ever saved any energy or money or anything to support our group so it's a very welcoming environment and I'm pleased and honoured to be in in this community and congratulations for your award tonight thank you very much I'm honoured to serve this community it's amazing to be one of Regeton's constituents really my name is Deborah Mead and I volunteer with the Brigitte Trust that has been going for 40 years now we provide emotional support for people who've received a life-limiting diagnosis in my present situation I'm supporting a woman who's had a diagnosis of motor neurone disease and has had to manage going from being fully mobile and being able to communicate to having very little movement and very little communications you're helping them emotionally to come to terms with their diagnosis but also practically I guess as well with things they might need paperwork and tying up her face for once or better support for the family as well and I guess there's also a lot of people who don't have family they didn't perhaps marry or their partner has died perhaps they didn't have children or they're abroad that's specifically why the Trust was set up to be there so that nobody really had to endure their final period and chapter in life without some emotional support to deal with the things that we all have to face when that time comes so it's possibly less relevant to people who have very supportive families but particularly for people who are isolated and maybe have mental health difficulties as well or don't have a network of support they may have family a long way away it sounds very important it sounds very serious but I guess you also have to have a few laughs as well don't you it can't just be all very emotional and serious that's true yes I mean quite often the time spent with the client might be revisiting memories or it might be focusing on things which have given them pleasure or made them laugh with one client I have at the moment we actually just go back and find old programs on YouTube that she particularly enjoyed that we can relive all music that she enjoyed rather than actually exchanging a lot of words because now we've got to the stage where lengthy conversations are just not possible it's very good for identifying and finding precious moments in that person's life and you can see in their response you know what they enjoy so or what was meaningful to them and revisit it and hopefully that gives them some joy I'm Emily I got the award for a youth cookery course I came up with the idea about a year ago and Claire the lady who nominated me she brought it to reality I do it because I love cooking and I'm looking to be a chef one day and I did a cookery course when I was younger my mom brought it actually and I just wanted to further that and hopefully inspire another young child to infuse them about how about your joy of cooking and pass that off yeah well it's a very of ages but it's just a group of people around template and the area and what kind of things are you teaching them I showed them a few techniques and recipes and flavors okay so what kind of flavors what's what are you into I quite enjoy Asian cuisine we made things like cats who curry my favorite dish and salads and showed them balanced meals what is your tip for a great cats who curry honey honey it's a bit more no longer a secret but it makes it sweet and balances the flavors more what kind of honey because there's honey and there's honey isn't it you're not going to say one of these menuka honey that's 20 pound apart no just any generic honey if you taste it you can like balance it with more salt and it works really well that's part of the experience isn't it knowing when you taste something it needs a little bit more of this or less of that yeah most of cooking actually is balancing flavors as my head chef keeps telling me so what is it that you want to go on do you say you want to be a chef what what kind of place what kind of restaurant or hotel or abroad what's your goal I want to work in Michelin star restaurants for a while and then learn more skills and move on to maybe owning my own restaurant it's a hard life I've seen Gordon Ramsay there's a lot of shouting goes on it can do but if you find good restaurants and good team it's like a family so there's not that much shouting shouting is probably an example of someone kind of not being able to manage a situation so I'm guessing if it runs properly there should be no shouting busy bit stressful but no shouting yes exactly and what if the young people told you when they've been on your course what kind of feedback have you had some people have like researched more and asked to learn more skills there's been one or two that have been really excited to further their knowledge so you may be having some more ships coming chasing your tail and coming up a few years behind you yeah exactly well congratulations you must be really pleased and proud to have got the award tonight I am bit shocked also really prepared but I'm very happy with it my name is Francis Taylor and I work alongside a lovely group of people in age concern most of them and also live at home or MHA they're another gorgeous lot of people and I suppose what I get out of it is what you give I get back you know some of the clients at age concern they're lonely so you stop and have a little chat with them or they might have a little worry and they'll offload it to you and if you can listen sometimes it's all what some of these people want just to listen the center manager she she just says can you do this today we're really short today because always short of volunteers and then they live at home and more of a driver my mum was live at home and it used to give me a Wednesday off and I used to look after my mum full time all the time so Wednesday off was I just loved it so I gave back to live at home but having coffee mornings in my house and I have at least 25 of the clients and I make all the cakes etc and then that helped them make money for live at home so it's another form of me giving back what I received for my mum now I've been told as well as cakes that your sausage rolls are a thing to hold now tell me the story about the sausage rolls that you provide I also volunteer up at Gatton Park so when we had the volunteers party each one of us would bring something and there was a gentleman who said I'm making a sausage meat plant so I said oh good I quite made those he said yeah but not my mind and he sort of quoted all I put was to sauce in it and I put red onion so I said oh well in mine I put and then I said what I put in so we almost became a competition and then it was like who's was best so he used to win hands down so I thought I've got to up my game so then I put cranberries in because it was Christmas time well that was the deciding factor so sausage rolls with a few cranberries is what makes it that's the secret now we should say that after the presentation of awards tonight people have had drinks and also if we turn round there's sandwiches in fact you've got some here on your plate and kind of chicken nuggets and cocktail sausages and bits of rocky road and so I can see some sausage rolls there now they don't look much to that they're from a local supermarket in rygats oh my gosh yes well bypass those they look a little sad I don't think they haven't got cranberries in but yes let's put it this way I'm guessing the council's money is being well-specked isn't it by going to a supermarket yeah keeps the low-core economy up absolutely now I've publicized quite a few things on the podcast with the with age concern MRR which is most of red hill rye gate that seems to be quite a thriving organization by thriving group it's thriving as far as we've got members and we've got some really lovely volunteers we always need more volunteers is out because you go out on the bus you're an escort and then funding the money just seems to fly out the door so to raise the money we do a once a month charity shop everything's hung everything's beautiful the donations that we get you know with labels on brand new things so the last one that we've just have we managed to make quite a lot of money that helps you take over for a few more weeks yeah but it's ongoing we had a couple who were 70 years married so a beautiful bunch of flowers was all and everybody had a glass of wine but all that has got to come out of the funds where are the sales usually held in world and way immersed and just down from where the moat house doctors is right near the football club just to give a you know a few pointers we do get a good clean tell that comes but obviously we'd like what like more to come to the charity shop and someone said to me recently that the thing is that people forget that old people didn't arrive as old people they've got a background they've got a life they had used they had families they had careers and they did exciting and fantastic things you know there was a lady I was talking to the other day and she was a fisherman well when you saw this lady that struggles to walk and you know had a one or two health problems and she was so interesting what she caught in the past where she fished and they've all got a little story behind them you know another lady she married got loads of grandchildren now in France and she names them all and and she's 100 just coming up to 101 this Christmas and they're all got a story of their own and how they've perhaps lived in the area obviously they may have moved into the area more recently but perhaps they've seen so many changes in the in the bar lots of them were the fallout from London because we used to call that the GLC estate which is now more or less run by Raven and so they came down from London when I was just a little girl and they were the most delightful people and some of those originals you know a top end of the 80s and 90s but they're the salt of the earth they mingled in what we call was south most and it will always be the newest state 60 years old but they were just marvellous people you know real London and it's real the real partners and yeah and that generation is slipping away you've got the new generations and that coming in equally like some of the young people here tonight they're just wonderful some some of them well it was fantastic wasn't it their whole breadth of experience and volunteering and dedication and giving time and expertise and differences of ages as well they were so young you know 17 and the two girls I don't think they were much more than 17 and 18 and to give up all that for the time so we're smashing yeah really nice so it must give you even though it's perhaps difficult to get volunteers for your group it must be nice to look around at an event like this and know there's a lot of volunteering and good stuff that goes on in the area it's a massive eye opener watching what people do other people do and you know it actually humbles me when they're working with people with learning difficult different skills you need so many different skills but yeah honestly it was wonderful lovely experience yeah I was very lucky to be here well congratulations I'll let you taste one of those sister roles no no it's all right oh bye pass I told you they're going to be a few recipe tips there and what is what is fantastic what really got me is and I suppose you would expect this from volunteers and you probably know some volunteers in your area you probably are a volunteer yourself because I know so many people are but weren't they all absolutely lovely when they super people I was going to say young people not not all of them were young I just won't mind me mentioning that but and so wonderful about each other you know as we've just heard you know the young people and how the other people do volunteer I don't mind doing my volunteering my volunteering is much easier than their volunteering over there those are the people I really respect those other people it was it was it was heartwarming it really was I hope you got something out of that I know I certainly did being there on the evening what about 10 14 days ago now you can follow all of our features because we split them up and we give links to those so you can hear them individually if you follow us on social media we're on Facebook we're on Twitter X and Instagram as well so you may want to hear us there and what I mean is that if you follow our post during the course of the week and we put out links then you can tap on the link and press play and you just hear that particular feature rather than the whole show because I know we're all kind of tight for time aren't we? Alternatively in our show notes for the actual podcast got all the timings there so you can scooch through particularly or specifically I should say to the feature that you want to hear that particular week we've got our Planet Rigate stars featuring a bus we got our 60-second soundscape featuring a train but now we've got our news and sports sequence on the planet Rigate podcast. Well first this week our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the person who died after an incident on Rigate Hill Tuesday afternoon around one o'clock. It's understood involved a pedestrian in his 60s and a car. Three men were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision, police are appealing for witnesses and four teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in Sulphards. Officers were called to an address on Brighton Road early hours of last Thursday morning the 8th. The victim a 17 year old boy taken to hospital with stab wounds, four people a 15 year old boy, a 16 year old boy, a 15 year old girl and a 16 year old girl have all been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Police now looking to speak to anyone who might have been in the area at the time so they ask were you driving through Sulphards in the area around Brighton Road between 1 a.m. and 1.15 a.m. So again we're talking about Thursday morning the 8th. Do you have CCTV, dash cam, helmet cam, footage that can help them particularly looking to speak to a taxi driver who police reckon might have witnessed all or part of an incident if that's you or you know who it might be please get in touch. Obviously not a taxi driver's in this neck of the woods because obviously not far from Gatwick and also London as well if you got any information please get in touch with police. Okay let's move on to some other stories and the latest on the Harlequin your questions answered now almost all staff are likely to be laid off at the Harlequin no Christmas pantomime and the council says quote we do not expect to be able to reopen the theatre in the foreseeable future of course all that after that rack crumbly concrete was found well almost a year ago now why am I telling you this now well a report which is going to be discussed by the council this coming week and what's called an extraordinary meeting shows the impact the closure has had in cultural and financial terms and also sets out the council's plans for the future so here at the planet where I go podcast I've read the proposals and here's what you need to know the questions have been voiced by artificial intelligence what is the background well on the 27th of September 2023 following the discovery of rack the crumbly concrete in the Harlequin theatres auditorium ceiling and other places as well the council immediately closed the building there was a non-intrusive visual inspection of the site in October 2023 instructed by the managing agents of Warwick quadrant on behalf of the lease holder of the entire site the council's insurers agreed the building should close on health and safety grounds what more do we know about the safety of the building now in August 2024 well not much to be honest as because other buildings around the country such as hospitals schools and police stations have had priority on the limited expertise available for these kinds of issues however a meeting was scheduled on the 7th of August this year so just a few days ago with the lease holder and the managing agent of the Warwick quadrant and with surveyors to plan more detailed survey work that will inform decisions regarding the future of the theatre and we'll hear more about what they discussed at a public meeting this coming week but it should be noted that a more detailed survey has not actually been done yet why might there have to be staff cuts well seven options are contained in this report that's going to be discussed at that meeting but it seems likely that there will be quote a substantial reduction in the Harlequin staff team that's partly because but simply money is running out the closure has meant there's been none of the regular income from hires of space at the Harlequin and without that it's council budget that should last until April next year it's actually going to run out in early October this year so for the past six months some of the staff have been redeployed in other parts of the council but they've been providing extra help rather than filling vacancies and the report says quote it is considered unreasonable to continue to maintain a full workforce while being unable to provide the full community benefit and so they could be a cut of the Harlequin team to to or maybe three staff so how many staff might lose their jobs well currently there are 17 members of contracted staff although not all of them are full time there are about 25 what they call casual staff and six vacancies now cuts in this kind of situation are usually calculated after considering total number of hours worked rather than actual posts staff and unions are already being consulted and retraining and other support will be offered oh thoughts obviously go out to those affected at this difficult time but won't making people redundant actually cost the council money well yes and not only those costs but also the costs of stopping contracts with companies the Harlequin has been working with but those unexpected costs are all being factored in what will the staff that stay actually be doing well they'll be focusing on delivering a business case for a medium term cultural offer for Red Hill for 25 26 okay so the theatre remains closed but what about a pantomime in Memorial Park again this year there'll be no big Christmas event this year similar to the big top panto in Memorial Park last year the report says that that event quote did require the council to incur substantial unbudgeted costs now the council report says quote it's not feasible to deliver a pantomime show in 2024 due to the costs and logistical challenges of delivery without a theatre venue along with the risk of low ticket sales making the show financially unviable apparently the possibility of a smaller scale Christmas show has been explored but it would they say quote present significant operational challenges and an additional budget requirement so it seems unlikely what about the pop-up in the bell free will that carry on but of course since the closure the Harlequin team has had a space in the bell free for some live performances and meetings but the council's short term agreement for that space is expected to end within the next few months what about the events at castle grounds this summer surely they've brought in some cash well not enough cash has been brought in from those it seems the report says quote it provides a positive cultural offering but alone is not a sufficient Harlequin offering in terms of cultural variety or financial viability is red hill guaranteed to be at the heart of the borough's arts and culture while the Harlequin is closed or into the future well no not necessarily the report just says it's looking at a business case for a medium term cultural offering for the borough quote based in red hill if possible unquote and that it will be quote no longer be based in Warwick quadrant over the next several months staff will be looking to find what they call quote a venue for a cabaret style performance space or possibly a partnership with a local school it looks as though we might lose all sorts of culture locally well undoubtedly there will be a reduction in culture and arts offered locally but it should be remembered that legally under the local government act of 2000 the council has a duty to promote the social economic and environmental well-being of its area and that includes some cultural activities and the council says quote in the longer term the ambition would be to have a cultural offering which is at least cost-neutral or indeed surplus-generating as originally planned for the Harlequin counselor Nadine Moses executive member for sustainability and leisure is quoted as saying our commitment to providing an arts and cultural offer in the medium and long-term remains strong however while the theatre is closed we need to rationalize our costs and focus our efforts on delivering future options the council says it cannot at this time commit to retaining the Harlequin as a cultural center for the arts in the heart of the borough many because it doesn't have the full information on the extent of that rack or the feasibility timescale or costs of any repair that meeting we've mentioned already that has already happened on the 7th of August should make things clearer but again it was only to discuss plans for more detailed survey work somewhere down the line we'll hear more next week I have an opinion on all this how can I be involved in decisions well the council has said we propose to engage with local stakeholders including existing and potential users of art and cultural spaces residents customers and others in developing the offer now an action group of concerned residents has also been set up and these sorry performing arts have also been very keen to have their voice heard on the plans you have mentioned a council meeting when all this will be discussed or discussions will be had and decisions will be made at a council meeting at 6 30 p.m. Thursday the 15th of August at the town hall you can be there in person or watch online now the public gallery was full last time the Harlequin was discussed so you may want to watch online instead and you can watch the webcast via the link which you will find on the council website or you can contact me at hello at the planet righgatepodcast.com for that link and if you want to read the report in full again contact me if you can't find that on the righgate and bancid by our council website well I hope that was of use and of interest ahead of the council decision this coming weeks you know the background to that and certainly people on social media have said that it was useful to see kind of broken down in that way if you want to read that check out the posts that I put up on Wednesday afternoon on my page the planet righgate podcast on facebook well as well as jobs going among Harlequin staff we should also bear a thought of course for those amongst and Spencer's in Red Hill where the last day of trading is tomorrow Saturday the 10th yeah the store has been at the belfry since it opened but a decision was made by mns head office to close down all medium-sized stores that's despite the store in red hill having increased footfall as indeed the overall belfry does but bucking the national trend the nearby store in crawley has also closed but it is understood mentioned this couple of weeks back the mns which has a small food hall in righgate of course is looking for a site for a larger food hall somewhere in the red hill righgate area which potentially could mean the closure of the branch in righ gates but again our thoughts with the red hill team whose last day of trading is this weekend outline planning permission for a new 120 home development at the edge of of holly has been granted by the local council the 12 and a half hectare site next to smallfield north of plow road in east of meadow view is currently deemed agricultural land so you have some idea of where that is if you're heading out of red hill down of solfords left on honey crock lane under the motorway turn right down a smallfield and the land we're talking about is just opposite smallfield football club the decision comes a year and a half after an application was first received and despite more than a hundred letters of objection now there's been a number of conditions that have been applied to the content which must be met at a later stage it includes reference to the site's appearance scale layout drainage another ecological safeguarding considerations and chief among concerns raised by local residents and those connected to the area were issues related to school doctor dentists and nursery places as well as the loss of green space and the risk of flooding as well you can read more about that on that get sorry a local water expert has warned people to stay out of the river mole after recording high levels of pollution dr jess newman is an expert in flooding and hydrology at the university of redding she's done water readings and said the levels of phosphates are quote off the scale and quote it's really not a very good place to be hanging around or swimming in tems water say although all storm discharges were unacceptable the sewage system was historically designed to work in this way to prevent sewage backing up into people's homes uh but dr jess newman says also high levels of coliforms that's bacteria which can include ecoli she is warning people to avoid getting in the water uh certainly avoid getting water in their mouths to clean any wounds tems water says quote we have clear and deliverable plans to upgrade 250 of our sites across the region to increase treatment capacity and reduce the number of storm discharges and uh it also goes on to say in a statement farming industry road runoff wildlife and increasingly extreme weather also plays a role in river health if only there was a a group an organization that kind of had an overview of water there is it's called the environment agency it said regulation of the water industry to protect the environment is one of its top priorities and explained that it's recruiting more staff and using data driven analytics to map discharges so it can quickly direct specialist officers and water company inspections uh will be increased as well okay spotted on social this week waste being dumped in a field called cross winds it's on the border of rigate and bandstead between horse hill and colindine lane and the claim of quote systematic illegal dumping of rubbish heavy duty machines and endless loaded lorries according to that site on social media i should also say that the person who posted that on social media anonymously has also contacted me here at the podcast independently um the location just up the road from that controversial oil site in horse hill and that poster saying residents have repeatedly reported over a period of a month so i got in touch with rigate and bandstead barre council and they told me quote the barre council is aware of the situation at this site and we're liaising with relevant partners the matter comes under sorry county council's jurisdiction as it's a waste transfer activity and the county council served enforcement notices on this land back in 2021 and has been notified of this additional activity quote we understand the environment agency and sorry police have also been made aware parents of children admitted to we sorry hospital are going to be given access to hot nutritious meals yeah but up until now if you take your child into hospital and they are given a meal you've got to sit there going hungry or or or or nip up to um the the cafe or the uh or the stall there and get yourself some sandwiches but but now sorry and Sussex health care NHS trust which runs the hospital in red hill is one of 15 hospitals to roll out a program by NHS England and the sofias legacy charity that pilot project has been made possible through a five thousand pound grant from the charity tina heatherington his chief nurse at the trust and said the initiative would improve the overall hospital experience for families during what can be a challenging time and a new summer house has been opened in the garden of isari hospital McMillan cancer center funded by donations to the sash cancer fund sash is sari and sussex health care yeah so for his sorry and also some other health provisions which go into sussex as well it's uh it's a quiet space to sit for people who need to stay out of direct sunlight yeah good point or just need a quiet sheltered way to enjoy the cancer center garden it was a real team effort apparently from cancer center users businesses and individuals who raised or donated the money let's hear from nicky vanner she's lead cancer nurse at the hospital chatting to the head of the sash charity andrew bickerdike hello planet righate so it's uh andrew here at sash charity at east sari hospital and we're at the um opening of the cancer center summer house in the garden of the um east sari hospital McMillan cancer center i'm just chatting to nicky who is our lead cancer nurse and we thought we'd say hello to planet righate hello planet righate so nicky can you tell us a bit about what the uh summer house is all about yes well this all came about following the opening of um millen center and we realized with all these agents that were coming through the door actually were really keen to utilize the outdoor space a little bit more we've got this most amazing garden and we realized with our cancer patients the treatments that they have they have to be very careful to protect themselves from the sun and things and with our increasingly hot summers we really wanted a space where they could sit enjoy the space and have just have some time to themselves and and appreciate where we are we've had grants from people like gatwick airport for example and also the um from McMillan and then there's just people that have done the most incredible things to raise money for this it is phenomenal it is sort of quite mind-blowing in some ways and it's it's lovely to know that the work that we do is appreciated but to have a summer house provided fully funded and just hearing what people have done so going on triathron's i've just met the lady who's done this triathlon and you know she was so she was blushing almost you know they don't want any acknowledgement really but they just wanted to do something as a thank you i've met a husband of a wife who is diagnosed and treated with us he wrote a book half his therapy for him to help him sort of get through you know the journey that they were on and then has donated you know money from that to us and we just can't tell you how grateful we are thanks so much dickie yeah we really are so um thank you planet rygate we just wanted to say hello if anyone would like to know more about what we're up to at the hospital do have a look at sash charity dot org and with hospital charity up here at east sherry and uh we'd love to hear from you andrew thank you very much indeed and congratulations to everyone who's been involved with that new summer house at east sherry hospital nearly two million pounds is going to be spent this year on improving road markings across the county sorry countercounsel at wood hatch saying over a hundred roads will be improved to help prevent potholes and the program of work will see white and yellow road markings refreshed on roads across the county with busy roads and those most in need of refreshing being prioritized so which ones are local to us well it's going to include the major motorway junctions junction eight rygate junction nine at leaverhead and junction six at godson as well let's continue talking about roads and update from episode 44 last week as well remember martin pitchley is a local driving instructor saying that the roads near the test center of the error drone were too fast verges were too overgrown signs were missing or obscured poor road markings and he just felt it was unsafe and certainly unfair on drivers being examined now as i say an update martin wrote to me saying that he went around with a council worker last friday and has got back to me in the past week saying my meeting went very well and most of the issues were agreed with the council apart from a few but i'm going to persist in chasing those and he went on although it is up to the council to be notified by people to make them aware of problems a lot of these problems have existed for over six months and the other matter i would just like the speed reduced on that sharp dangerous bend in that area but he says one step at a time but progress is good and martin went on to say i'm still very grateful to you in covering such an important issue on your show all these matters are so important to keep them in the limelight your show is a great one i heard about it from some of my students and i passed it on to everyone and some didn't know either so martin thank you very much indeed thanks for spreading the word and uh i wondered why there was a particular spike recently in my listening numbers so martin really appreciate uh for for spreading the word and for doing what you're doing to help keep our road safer the installation of a new junior football pitch a battle bridge wreck in mursdom is now complete the disused bowling green has been converted and extended to create a pitch for the uh under 9s and 10s grass has been receded and the establishment will continue over the summer in readiness to be enjoyed next football season yeah i was there a few weeks ago and i thought what's going on here and then i put two and two together yeah peter you have actually been mentioned is on the show so it's really good to uh to see that coming to fruition and there's been good progress on the project to upgrade mursdom rec as well uh over the last few weeks uh if you've been down there you'll have seen the pavilion foundations being excavated and the concrete being poured for its base the installation of curbs to the new play area and paths as well and uh more excavation works to create drainage ditches and over the next few weeks the contractors will put in the pavilion floor the surface entrances and drainage start building the pavilion walls continue with the footpath and the construction of those drainage ditches i think they're called swale some they something i need learn recently and and um you can kind of watch the progress is all that take shape over the next few weeks so that's what's happening at battle bridge lane and mursdom as well to holly holly town council saying the majority of the playground refurb works have been completed at michael crescent playground the new playground was made possible by a grant from right in a bandstead council they say we're going to be having an official opening in a couple of weeks time but for now the park is open for everyone to enjoy yourselves over the summer okay mentioned the bell free didn't we a few minutes ago with the closure of the marks and spencers righate photographic society have got a new exhibition of the bell free it's their side entrance it's uh been changed it's going to be up there for the next six months so feel free to take a look next time you're there they say we also meet at the community center in righate every monday night at eight o'clock from september to may all photographers old and you were always welcome righate photo sock s o c dot com righate photo sock dot com if you want to learn more and if you want to hear more about the society you can do that by going all the way back to episode nine of the planet righate podcast uh yes so if you as on the ground floor go right to the very end and then hang a left and it's up there it's up the there a bit of a slope there are certainly some steps aren't there uh you go up there the side entrance well worth looking at maybe you're waiting for somebody to to finish their shopping or maybe you've got a cup of coffee or a sandwich or something or maybe you've got a bit of time to kill in a lunch break well worth taking a look at that now talking of which sales going on at the bell free at the moment i've had a little look you may be able to save yourself some money new look have a sale up to 60 percent off bensons for beds have up to 50 percent off event tappy carpets 50 percent off carpets there uh h&m have got a summer sale and trespass have got uh 60 percent of all stock there as well now you know about bbc radio for any questions it's coming to solfords yeah solfords and siddlo parish council are going to be hosting it's going to be at solfords village hall on honey crock lane the panel is going to be discussing current affairs and hot topics so that's going to be interesting if you think he will hold on won't they there recently peter remember you telling me about this um a couple three months ago yeah it was put on hold wasn't it because of the general election but if you want to be part of broadcasting history the first broadcast of any questions goes back to 1948 they visit different parts of the country each week they got a panel of four speakers there's usually someone local isn't there and then a couple of people national national politicians and then someone perhaps from a university or a commentator in in some way a policy maker or a writer something like that and it's broadcast live on bbc radio for you can bring along a question you submit it to the panel on the night so the doors open from 630 and it goes live at eight o'clock friday the 27th of september so what's that about six or six seven weeks away now um the the event is free but you do need a ticket you can't just rock up there on the night you got a pre-book a ticket they're going to be available um well well now frankly on a first-come first-served basis so uh you can uh apply for those if you want to apply you can contact sofords and siddlo parish council if you can't get through to them get in touch with me and i'll put you in touch with them okay finally i wanted to tell you about the news of the passing of john shinner now who was john john was the guy behind pryry farm he's died um earlier this summer we're hearing this week at the age of 94 now john along with his wife wendy bought pryry farm back in 1957 and was instrumental in its development over the past 67 years they say his vision dedication and tyler's efforts have shaped pryry farm into the thriving business it is today john was more than just our founder they say he was a visionary a leader and a mentor to many his tyler's efforts and passion have been the cornerstone of pryry farm success his spirit and values will continue to inspire us in all the years to come yeah you can explore more about john's remarkable legacy his work and explore the first 50 years of pryry farm by going to the history pages on their website pryfarm.co.uk some great pictures and stories there i was looking a little bit earlier on today you know what they were one of the first farms in the UK to diversify back in the 1960s in the 1970s they were selling pick your own strawberries for tempier pound then of course the gradual decline of pick your own and then the rise instead of the farm shop and the cafe there you can see the picture of the marriage of pumpkin man and pumpkin lady on site and at one stage apparently they were growing 25 different crops and also you can learn about the start of the farm shop food festival there yeah pryry farm.co.uk them and us paying tribute to the life and the career of john shinner who sadly died early this summer at the grand old age of 94 this is the planet reggae podcast the belfry shopping center red hill ditch the click for hassle free local shopping in a welcoming environment see touch smell and try before you buy and speak to real people who can advise you the belfry shopping center red hill woodlands lettings connecting landlords with tenants for over 20 years if you have a property to let pop into our office on station road by the belf remain entrance for a coffee and a chat or call 01737 372 797 planet reggae stars thanking local heroes for out of this world yeah and this week from reggae incidentally if you would like to talk to me about voiceovers or MCing or hosting maybe to be a facilitator or a judge then getting touch hello at the planet reggae podcast.com so naturally wrote on socials hello we lost a small metal bus around 20 centimeters long in pryry park playground if anyone finds it can you let me know please little one currently obsessed with his new bus many thanks and we spotted that lily replied ah we saw it we left it on a little slope behind the xylophone and Natalie replied again thank you i went back this afternoon and i have found it i now have a very happy little person at home so lily you're the recipient of this week's planet reggae sprinkle of stardust and in sport this week the magira tanny judo club says has watching the 2024 paris olympic game so far inspired you or someone you know to try out an olympic sport have a go and try judo yeah to book a free trial with that club which is governed by the british judo association you can go to magira tanny judo.com/trial let me spell that for you m-o-g-e-r-a-t-a-n-i and then j-u-d-o now their sessions are held on wednesday's at live village hall run series has some kids races yeah they say we encourage our young runners to complete a cumulative half marathon so 13.1 miles in total it means they can complete 12 miles in advance of the event day in their own time broken down as much as they like they can finish on the event day with the final 1.1 miles completing their own cumulative half marathon and claiming a well earned medal so you can sign up and you can download and print out a tracker to add up those miles before the big day of run reggae 22nd of september run series dot co dot uk and then search for run reggae as they say 13.1 miles or 1.1 miles do it your own way the reggae to triathlon is sunday the eighth of september over at buckland park so if you've signed up for the try or maybe you're thinking of doing so why not join they say our swim training sessions they'll take place in the lagoon and the big lake and utilize the swim route giving you first-hand experience ahead of the event so they'll cover things like getting into the water how you do that for me that will be slowly and the start of the race boy turns which strokes to use how to transition between them and tips on dealing with nerves as well now the sessions are led by various coaches who and and and organizers will be able to answer your questions limited places available for the session seven to eight p.m. on or let's look at some of these dates for you monday the twelfth of august wednesday the 28th and wednesday the fourth of september more details to the shack dot co dot uk the s h a c dot co dot uk and congratulations to mrston football club who were playing weak football club last weekend and they actually won seven nil ladies and gentlemen seven nil which is absolutely fantastic let's hope that is going to be replicated over the course of the rest of the season planet righate is the north down's way and the pilgrims way and this is the planet righate podcast just before we get into the good time guide let me remind you that in last week's episode we heard from henry down at mercers lake and aqua sports there just to let you know some of their regular sessions that they run in the water down at mercers lake they have the fantastically named ladies who launch which as you might expect is dinghy sailing tuesday's thursday's uh 12 till two for happy hour prices they also have open water swim sessions there tuesday's thursday's saturday's and sundays are various timings for that one a kids club saturday mornings between nine 30 and 11 30 for eight to 13 year olds who have at least a level one qualification in sailing wind surfing or paddling also own equipment launch yeah uh for for sales sports and paddle sports daily bookings for anyone level one and equivalent to go down and launch your own equipment everyone is welcome to take part in that obviously considering your though those stipulations henry last week talks said it was a fantastic place his office overlooking the lake to see a sunset well there's a sunrise sub and paddle sports tuesday's to saturday seven seven 30 to nine and sundays little bit later bit of a lie in on a sunday eight to nine 30 sunset happy hours wednesday's thursday's and friday's six to eight p.m. higher or launch your own craft at happy hour prices and open tasters yeah two hour two sport open tasters perfect for individuals couples friends and families and suitable for anyone aged eight plus so if you've got a family if you've got some friends uh if you're if you're part of a couple um or maybe you're an individual yeah maybe you're an individual you can go along there and have those open taster sessions two hours two sports open taster sessions an aqua sports company down at mercers lake the good time guide things to do and places to go on the planet righ eight podcast now you can get a mention seven days before the event or you can get more mentions and early mentions to get those early ticket sales with one of our planet righ eight supporters packages ask me for more information hello at the planet righ eight podcast dot com join the fun at the scta theater academies musical theater summer holiday camp and it's uh the 12th to the 16th of august at st john's primary schools for four to 13 year olds singing dancing acting and making new friends daily workshops fun games and activities arts and craft sessions and all materials are provided bit of an awkward one to uh get details its forms dot g le and then a whole load of numbers and letters but i tell you what for more information get in touch with me and i'll put you in touch with them or you can go to info at scta theater academy dot co dot uk tuesday the 13th art sparks summer holiday art cub with a treasure island theme thursday 14th and 15th of august 21st and 22nd of august as well a watercolor community space 35 pounds a day nine till three kim venta at gmail dot com k-i-m v-e-n-t-e-r at gmail dot com for more information on that camp marshall x have a kid's multi-sport summer cap going on for ages four to fourteen basketball dodgeball football arts and crafts cricket marshall arts archery tennis rounders and so much more as well office at camp marshall x letter x dot co dot uk it's happening at rygate priory junior school on bell street if you're interested in taking part with that also on tuesday 10 15 to 11 15 at the posadero lounge in red hill opposite the belfry uh go along and meet new people have a chat tees and coffees available uh cds jigsaw puzzle swap book swap as well you you go along and and and you take away it's all been organized by the u3a it's to get people along to meet other people learn laugh and have fun and learn more about their activities as well u3a is the university of the third age and uh for more information on that go to rru digit 3a dot org dot uk uh rygate red hill a university 3 h yeah rru 3a dot org dot uk would be controversial to suggest that it's not rygate red hill for rr it's red hill rygate i don't know just to thought friday the 16th of august there's a there's a day friday the 16th of august it's it's one i always remember uh the surrey hills national landscape and sorry wildlife trust i've got a free event for local horse owners pasture management principles uh for large or small uh small uh horses and it's all sorts of things about uh maintaining good ground cover reducing erosion reducing the worm parasite burden of horses controlling weeds all sorts of things as well and um a light lunch will be provided too these surrey workshop is the 16th of august 930 to 330 um they're quality surrey it actually happens uh hold on hold on it actually happens at box hill village so horses you're going to talk about dragons you're going to dodge and it's a box hill village horse 16th of august 930 to 330 fipl at surreycc.gov.uk if you got any questions on that one okay let's move forward to next saturday saturday the 17th join us for a night of nostalgia delicious food and dancing till the early hours it's a naughty night yeah it's been 24 years since britney did it again the real slim shade he was asked to stand up and craig david shared what he got up to over the last seven days love that and so dust off that valure tracksuit and that unnecessarily large belt and grab your naughtiest night tickets at righgatemanner.co.uk for details on that one and that ladies and gentlemen concludes our good time guide on the planet righgate podcast for this week one more thing to do before we go at the end well hold on i've got to play the jingle first the 60 second soundscape local natural sounds uninterrupted before we go at the end of the show let me take you back to tuesday nights on a bridge over a railway track in righades just before nine o'clock on the evening of tuesday the sixth of august just by righgate launtennis club of manor road i'm waiting for the 7000 Britannia to come through the area hauling the sunset steam express so it left victoria at 1816 and then steamed through the london suburbs of west Brompton shepherd's bush Brentford Felton and then beginning a steep climb through the surrey hills as the sun set chirtsy around half seven woking a 15 now it's on its way from gomchel due in red hill around about nine o'clock before onward traveled to pearly east croydon stratum common clapham junction and reaching london victoria again at 10 tonight so i'm i'm on that kind of pedestrian bridge it's actually a bit of a road bridge just here and half a dozen other people here waiting as well waiting for the scene this is apparently a good place to come a couple of other bridges either side and of course the main righgate station footbridge as well i'm also thinking that maybe bichworth station might be a good place as well to watch this train come through the website blurb for the journey says often described as one of england's finest landscapes the surrey hills stretch across the chalk north downs the grandeur and beauty of these hills embrace an amazing variety of countryside from rolling chalk downs and flower rich grasslands to acid heaths and woodlands bask in the sun kissed beauty of these glorious surroundings while indulging in a harmonious blend of the finest champagne and fine dining or indulging drinks and snacks from our cocktail bar or buffet car so that's what's happening on the train at the moment as it heads towards us here the 7,000 brittania is a british railway standard class seven engine alternatively known as the brittania class and the first of 55 to be built by british railways in crew back in 1951 built mainly as an express passenger service between london and Norwich can reach speeds up to a hundred miles an hour and for many years this is something you need to look out for if you see the train come through the area again either this summer or in subsequent years the cab roof is painted white and it's to commemorate her pulling the funeral train of King George VI from Sandringham to London back in 1952 and then after 15 years of service in May 1966 brittania was retired and spent some time at preserved railways then returned to the national network between 1991-1997 and then the locomotive was withdrawn for a complete overhaul and then in 2010 brittania was steamed once more and 2011 marked the locomotives returned to the main line after a 14 year absence one of her most important roles brittania hauled the royal train from Preston to Wakefield in January 2012 the people here waiting on the bridge got an app which shows where about the brittania is at the moment just passed dawking deep dean apparently so it won't be long it gives us a whistle let's see so so so the planet righate podcast was produced and presented by peta steward