Round & About Magazine

Author: Karen Neville

  • Godalming sings gospel

    Godalming sings gospel

    Karen Neville

    Christine Sargrove tells us how the inspiring voices of Godalming Community Gospel Choir can help you reconnect with yourself and your community

    Life in the 21st century can be frenetic and stressful. We are human beings not doings, so thankfully there is opportunity to draw breath and relax!   

    Studies suggest that singing can enhance your mood, immune system and lung function; reduce blood pressure and feelings of chronic pain. So, the benefits of singing are vast. Godalming Community Gospel Choir (GCGC) has been enhancing the lives of many for 14 years.  

    2025 brings fresh challenges under the new leadership of Russell Blackman – the  inspirational and charismatic creative director bringing a Caribbean vibe and super energy with him as soon as he walks through the door. 

    Vaughan Larmond our accompanist has commuted from London supporting our choir for over five years.  He is the most accomplished gospel musician, trained in six instruments, band leader of multiple choirs including the acclaimed Kingdom Choir.   We know how blessed we are to have such a high calibre pair of musicians in our midst with Vaughan and Russell.   

    Community is not just in the name of the choir but a tangible element of it.  Fun and friendship in an inclusive community. Having achieved charity status in 2024, we aim to increase our presence in the community and subject to available funds, sing for the benefit of others with no fee.  We do factor in our two main ticketed events at Christmas and Easter, which are joyful celebrations – even reserved Surrey audiences have been known to move off their seats & partake! Gospel is not static – you can’t but move! 

    GCGC is a non-audition choir, open to people of all faiths and those of none. The choir is run by a board of trustees from the choir membership.  We learn by call and response, learning multiple songs each rehearsal. The traditional cake and cuppa mid session are enjoyed by all. Recordings are taken to reinforce learning throughout the week .   ”Singing the music we’re learning through the week and regular WhatsApp chat are joys that carry me through the days until Monday comes around again!!” says choir member, Catherine.  

    Our current June performances are Choir Blast, Godalming and Shere Arts Week at St James’s Church, Shere.  

    So If you’re tired of singing in the shower, then in the words of Madonna, “Like a Prayer” joining a Gospel Choir will really take you there!   

    We meet at Godalming Minster, Church Street GU7 1ER from 7.30-9.30 pm on Monday evenings term-time please contact us for a free taster session on gcgcinformation@gmail.com  View us on gcgc.org.uk 

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  • Hejira at Fleet Jazz Club

    Hejira at Fleet Jazz Club

    Karen Neville

    Sue Tilley tells us about “something really special and unique” at Fleet Jazz Club on July 15th

    Hejira, a seven-piece band celebrating the masterpiece works of Joni Mitchell, will be playing in our town on July 15th – so please put that date in your diaries!   

    Since their formation just over a year ago, Hejira has been a tremendous success, with sold out shows, standing ovations, a total of over 100k views on their YouTube channel and more than 700 enthusiastic comments and audience reviews. We are honoured to have them perform in Fleet. 

    Hejira celebrate and honour the masterpiece works of Joni Mitchell, mostly from the late ‘70s. Having released the albums The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter and Mingus (regarded as her jazz period), Joni then toured briefly with a band formed from the crème de la crème of contemporaneous jazz musicians (Metheny, Mays, Brecker, Pastorius and Alias). The tour was recorded, producing the outstanding live album, Shadows And Light; it is from this album that Hejira is drawing the body of its repertoire. 

    Comprising highly experienced jazz musicians, this band is fronted by the brilliant Hattie Whitehead who not only has – in her own way – assimilated the poise, power and beauty of Joni’s vocals, but also plays guitar with Joni’s stylistic mannerisms. Expect an evening of the ‘great’ songs from Mitchell’s back catalogue, such as Amelia, Woodstock, A Case Of You, Song For Sharon, Edith And The Kingpin and many more. 

    Running for over 11 years now, Fleet Jazz Club has both lunch time and evening jazz sessions every month with some of the very best jazz musicians in the country and beyond. We are so lucky to have these wonderful artists, like Hejira visiting our town and you can hear them play at a great price (£22) – certainly not London prices!  

    Working in partnership with The Harlington, Fleet’s much-loved performance and community centre, Fleet Jazz Club plays to audiences of over 100 almost every month and has a band of devoted regulars who welcome visitors warmly to the informal setting and, of course, the bar. Don’t be put off by the term ‘club’, everyone is welcome and there is no membership charge. 

    For details of all the monthly jazz sessions, including Hejira, please visit fleetjazz.org.uk 

    Evening sessions: Doors & bar 7.15pm. Show: 8pm. Tickets: £20 Cabaret Reserved (PLEASE NOTE: Hejira is £22 to reflect the number of musicians). Lunchtime sessions: Doors & bar 11.30am. Show 12pm-1pm. Tickets £10 on the door. 

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  • Englefield Green Community Shop

    Englefield Green Community Shop

    Karen Neville

    Jane Snell is a volunteer at Englefield Green Community Shop and wants to share with everyone what a wonderful enterprise it is

    We’ve been here for a year, but you may not be aware that hidden away at 82 St Jude’s Road in Englefield Green is a little gem of a community shop.  

    We’re proud to say we’re a non-profit organisation run by volunteers and artists for the benefit of our community.  

    The shop allows local artists and artisans to showcase and sell their work, including original artwork, framed photography of local landscapes, painted glass, unique greetings cards and bookmarks, jewellery and pottery, aromatherapy and second hand books.  

    Apart from supporting local artists, our ethos is: re-use, recycle, up-cycle and wellness. 

    We’re very excited to be stocking Faith In Nature soaps, body washes, shampoos and conditioners. Faith in Nature is carbon neutral and B Corp Certified: all products and packaging are sustainable and recycled or recyclable. You can buy pre-filled bottles and return them to our shop for refill.  

    Our preloved clothes rail changes seasonally.  We’re very fortunate to receive great quality and often high-end clothing donations so we can sell some great brands at tiny prices with clothes for all ages and sizes. We also have a huge selection of really beautiful and excellent quality baby and children’s clothes. Prices start from just £1. 

    We feature some of our clothes on our Vinted shop (access the shop via the QR code here). Do follow us to see the latest uploads. Stock is usually cheaper in the shop than on Vinted, so take advantage of being a local and get a great deal by popping in!  

    We regularly hold workshops – usually on a Saturday afternoon. Recent successes range from willow weaving to creating a bespoke perfume. Take a look at our exciting workshop schedule and book online or book and pay in the shop during opening hours. Workshop prices range from £20-£35 per person depending on the event and duration.  

    We’re very grateful for support from our community and welcome new volunteers for two hour+ shifts. We gratefully accept and curate your donations: recent offerings have ranged from toy soldiers to rocking horses, from porcelain and china to newly-upholstered chairs. We’re also very thankful for good quality, clean, seasonal, men’s, women’s, and kids’ clothes that we can sell in the shop.  

    Stock changes frequently, so pop in to see what’s in store. We’re open Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm and Saturdays, 10am to 4pm. We look forward to meeting you! We’re also on Facebook and Instagram: The Englefield Green Shop, follow us for updates. 

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  • Alton Victorian Cricket Tournament

    Alton Victorian Cricket Tournament

    Karen Neville

    Cricket in costume is back on The Butts Green on Sunday, 22nd June

    The much-loved Alton Victorian Cricket Tournament brings together heritage, sport, and community spirit for another fantastic day of traditional cricket with a Victorian twist. 

    This annual event has become a staple of Alton’s social calendar, attracting teams, spectators, and families for a day of exciting matches, live entertainment, and fundraising for a worthy cause. Players will once again don their classic Victorian attire, transporting us back in time.  

    The nine fantastic teams stepping up to the crease this year are: Alton Runners, Bushy Leaze, Cassidy’s Bar, Cedar Vets, The Eight Bells, The Masons, The Railway Arms, The White Horse and Warren Powell Richards. 

    This year, the tournament is raising funds for Broadlands Equine Therapy & RDA, which for the last 70 years, has supported over 2,000 amazing people with physical and learning disabilities.  

    Broadlands helps participants enjoy the incredible benefits of spending time with the ponies who are selected for their calm, caring nature and RDA qualified coaches work at a pace to suit each participant. 

    “At Broadlands we offer a very special, calm and tranquil environment for our participants. It is the participants, along with their families and friends, our committed team of volunteers, our staff, trustees and not forgetting our wonderful ponies that fill this incredible place with joy,” say Broadlands Equine Therapy & RDA.  

    Every match played and every raffle ticket sold will help support them. 

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  • Amble or ramble at Haslemere Walking Festival 2025

    Amble or ramble at Haslemere Walking Festival 2025

    Karen Neville

    Easy, difficult, long or short, there’s a walk for all ages, tastes and abilities. This year’s Haslemere Walking Festival is taking place 4th – 6th July

    This July, Haslemere will once again host its annual Walking Festival. With a collection of varied and rewarding walks for all ages and abilities.  

    All walks are free but booking is essential, just find one that suits you and step out and explore. Easy walks are mainly on flat paths and suitable for most levels of fitness. Moderate ones will feature a few gradients and steps. 

    The Different Routes

    Kicking off the festival on July 4th is the Grayswood Walk. Join Richard Derwent Cooke for an interesting walk from Grayswood Village Hall. Climbing to the Temple of the Four Winds and on to Gibbet Hill, returning by way of the Wheatsheaf Inn.  

    Take a Blue Plaque Walk with Sue Manuel in Charming Hammer (4th). Discover the ‘blue plaque’ home of a highly notable engineer who made a major contribution to the creation of the WW2 Mulberry Harbour. Then head towards the undulating Hammer woodlands.

    On July 5th join John Casey for the Hankley Common Historical Walk with stories of a murder, a plane crash with connections to a British Prime Minister and the Atlantic Wall used as practice for the World War II D Day landings. Hankley has been used for numerous film sets including Skyfall, 1917 and the historical epic Napoleon. 

    Local tree warden Clive Davidson (5th) invites you to visit trees that pre-date the dinosaurs as you discover Haslemere’s Notable Trees. Trees that grow as tall as Big Ben have provided wood for temples and churches for millennia. 

    The final day sees Clive Davidson again taking a woodland walk, this time Surrey’s Tallest Trees. Explore a local woodland that includes not only many native species but also the tallest trees in the county. As well as some unusual and impressive individuals. 

    Discover the hidden countryside surrounding Haslemere with a relaxed walk led by Paula Shelley on the 6th, taking in beautiful views, wooded glades and the tranquil waterside. 

    Join Barry Sweetman for Haslemere to the Devil’s Punchbowl, a pleasant wooded walk up to the Devil’s Punchbowl. Chance to stop at the punchbowl for lunch and a drink. 

    The three days finish with Sir Robert Hunter Walk on Hindhead Common. A dramatized walk bringing the rich and colourful history of the Common and its surrounding area dramatically to life by Sir Robert Hunter, founder of the National Trust who lived in Haslemere.  

    Where can I book?

    Again, all walks are free but booking is essential. For full details of all walks including meeting points, times, estimated duration, refreshments, any supplement notes & to book visit haslemere-museum.arttickets.org.uk

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  • Go on safari in Horsell

    Go on safari in Horsell

    Karen Neville

    David Bromley tells us how Horsell is once again looking forward to welcoming visitors to its annual garden safari on June 14th & 15th

    Celebrate the British love of gardens and gardening, meet up with friends and enjoy tea and cake too at this year’s Horsell Garden Safari. 

    Opening this year are some new gardens, some that have been missed as they haven’t opened for a few years and some old favourites. The gardens offer a lovely mix of the new and familiar, the small and the large in a variety of styles.  

    If you haven’t been to the allotments, visit them on Sunday, 15th June and enjoy the amazing range of flowers, fruit and vegetables – you might well be inspired to grow your own if you haven’t done so before. Visit the new gardens to support their efforts and have them open again in future.  

    Brochures, costing only £10 for entry to all gardens on both days will be on sale from the usual local Horsell High Street shops and businesses, namely Seymours, Premier Store Horsell, Lisa Jones and the Horsell Framing Company. They are also available from participating gardens on the day. 

    There are over 25 different gardens to view, 16 open on Saturday and 16 on Sunday so get your walking shoes on or pump up the bicycle tyres in readiness and join Horsell for a wonderful outdoor weekend!  

    All proceeds to local charities and thanks, as always, go to those super folks who open their gardens, sponsors Seymours, Hamlyns and Victoria Clinic, the shops who sell the brochures and the visitors who make the efforts so worthwhile. The safari has raised around £80,000 for local charities over the years. 

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  • Join Three Horseshoes’ Summer Walk

    Join Three Horseshoes’ Summer Walk

    Karen Neville

    Put your walking shoes on for the summer walk exploring East Hampshire’s commons & countryside on June 11th

    The popular Three Horseshoes’ Summer Walk returns for its third year on Wednesday, 11th June, offering locals and visitors a guided exploration of some of East Hampshire’s most scenic and historically rich landscapes. 

    Once again the walk was planned in conjunction with the team at Walk Alton and this year was organised, and will be led, by local guide Paul Ebbutt, a familiar figure in the town’s outdoor and heritage community. The walk aims to continue to foster a sense of community connection to the landscape, while supporting health, wellbeing, and sustainable tourism in the area.  

    This year’s route, titled A Commons Circuit, covers around 8.5 miles and will begin at 2pm from The Three Horseshoes pub in East Worldham. The circular walk will take in Kingsley and Shortheath Commons, Binswood Nature Reserve and return via King John’s Hill. 

    The walk takes in St Mary the Virgin, East Worldham’s 12th-century church and its ancient yews; a preserved section of Roman road; the stately Wyck Place country estate; beautiful Gold Hill on Kingsley Common; the abandoned railway line and the lovely heaths and woodlands of Shortheath Common and Binswood Nature Reserve. 

    There are a few steeper ascents and stiles, and a reasonable level of fitness is advised. The full route is expected to take around four hours, returning to The Three Horseshoes by early evening. The walk is free, though places are limited. Friendly, well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome. Advanced booking advised by contacting threehorseshoesalton@gmail.com or by calling 01420 559258. 

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  • Perfect patch from Heather Quilters

    Perfect patch from Heather Quilters

    Karen Neville

    View colourful quilts made by members of Camberley-based Heather Quilters at their exhibition in Tringham Hall, West End, June 21st & 22nd

    Beautiful patchwork quilts lovingly created will be on view at an exhibition being held by Heather Quilters this month. 

    The talented group meet once a month in High Cross Church, Camberley, to celebrate all things patchwork and quilting and this exhibition will do just that. 

    Suzie Cawson tells us: “We have been very busy over the last two years and created some beautiful work which we are now able to share with the local community.” 

    Individual and group quilts donated to local charities will be showcased. Among them will be those given to Project Linus, a charity which welcomes handmade quilts to provide security and comfort to sick and traumatised children and young adults through quilts.  

    The exhibition will have examples of the quilts they send to Frimley Park Hospital Special Care Baby Unit to help brighten up the unit and make it feel less clinical.  Parents are able to take the quilts home as special treasures once their child is discharged. Heather Quilters also make bags for Beads for Courage to support children going through cancer treatment.   

    There will be a super local trader attending the exhibition – Sunflower Stitches for all your quilting needs and kits to get you started on both days. Kind and talented people are available to support any quilting questions and provide more information throughout the day.   

    There will be a raffle and tombola and the tastiest homemade cakes as well as a large selection of past quilting books and magazines to browse. You will have the opportunity to get involved by voting for your favourite quilt in two categories. Everyone welcome from 10am to 4pm daily. Entrance £3 and children under 16 are free.  Free car park and disabled access.   

    New members to the group are warmly welcomed. They have speakers from across the art of quilting and in January always hold a zoom meeting which allows them to hear and see work from experts in their field from around the world.   

    Several evenings are sewing evenings where they develop their skills or experiment with something new. There are also two parties a year which have the most delicious buffets and quilty party games. Please see the website for further details heather-quilters.weebly.com 

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  • Guildford Comedy Festival, hub of hilarity

    Guildford Comedy Festival, hub of hilarity

    Karen Neville

    The inaugural Guildford Comedy Festival runs July 7th to 12th at The Back Room of The Star Inn

    Established and emerging comedians will all be under one roof for the first Guildford Comedy Festival.  

    The festival will be based solely out of The Back Room of The Star Inn with plans to spread across the town in future years. 

    Audiences can experience top-notch comedians including Katie Pritchard, pictured: I Kiss the Music, 7th, 7.30-8.30pm; Dana Alexander: Sherlock Home Girl is All Up in Your Business, 7th, 9-10pm; Leroy Brito: All In, 8th, 7.30-8.30pm; Plastic Jeezus: Leave Them Wanting Less (Now with 26% more less), 8th, 9-10pm; Paul Sinha: 2 Sinha Lifetime, 9th, 7.30-8.30pm; Abi Carter-Simpson: The Almost Girl, 9th, 9-10pm; Tom Deacon: Glasses Half Full, 10th, 7.30-8.30pm; Graeme Mathews: Stand Up Magic, 10th, 9-10pm; Matt Richardson; Brash 11th, 7.30-8.30pm; Susan Murray: How Not to Die in a Plane Crash, 11th, 9-10pm; and Danny Buckler, 12th, 7.30-8.30pm. With shows that span stand-up, improv, sketch, and storytelling, there’s something for every comedy lover. 

    Charlotte Wyschna, Managing Director of Guildford Fringe Theatre Company, said: “We have a busy year ahead with a nice mix of Fringe favourites and new projects, not least Guildford Comedy Festival. We are surrounded by comedy all year round with Gag House Comedy Clubs, so we are very excited to bring a diverse mix of some of our favourite acts to make this new festival.” 

    Visit: guildfordcomedyfestival.com/whats-on/ 

  • Pop a cork at Fizz Fest

    Pop a cork at Fizz Fest

    Karen Neville

    Join the Hampshire wine fun at Fizz Fest 2025 on Sunday, 29th June

    The annual Vineyards of Hampshire (VoH) Fizz Fest is back for its 11th year, at Raimes Wine Barn and Vineyard, Hinton Ampner, near Alresford. 

    Food and drink expert, writer and broadcaster Andy Clarke will open the festival and will also host a sparkling cocktail masterclass during the afternoon. 

    Eight premier vineyards will showcase more than 20 premium sparkling and still wines. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste the wines from Black Chalk, Danebury Vineyards, Exton Park, The Grange, Hambledon, Hattingley Louis Pommery England and Raimes in a large marquee in the beautiful outdoor setting next to Raimes’ new wine barn. Guests can learn more about the remarkable wines while enjoying local street food, live music and DJ Jake Burgess, masterclasses, and vineyard tours throughout the day. 

    Fizz Fest 2025 will also coincide with English Wine Week (21st-29th June) – the perfect way to celebrate the Vineyards of Hampshire members, who range from small, family-owned to large vineyards with impressive wine tourism venues. 

    ​Family owned and run Raimes has a reputation for producing exceptional English sparkling wine blended from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, made in the traditional method using only grapes grown by the Raimes family. 

    Fizz Fest is intended as an 18+ event, no children’s tickets are available. If you do need to bring any under 18’s they must be accompanied by an adult at all times. The tasting tent is adults only. Tickets from vineyardsofhampshire.co.uk 

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