00000_GodstoneMag

December 2022 / January 2023 50p

GODSTONE &
SOUTH GODSTONE

MAGAZINE

Magazine available by annual subscription (email [email protected]) and from
Godstone News and The Emporium, High Street, Godstone & Knights Garden Centre, Godstone

CATERHAM, OXTED & GODSTONE LIONS CLUB Populace Pilates

We support local needy causes Pilates Classes
If you would like to help your community Let Pilates strenghen your body, improve posture and keep yourself mobile.

and enjoy a lively social life Godstone Baptist Church Hall, Godstone
with other like-minded people
Monday evenings Thursday mornings Wednesday evening
COME AND JOIN US 7:00 - 8:00pm 9:00 - 10:00am 6:30 - 7:30pm

Monthly evening meetings 07956 507431 Also at St Aggies, Hurst Green
in Godstone All levels [email protected]
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Contact Tony on 01883 741809

Norman Proctor

GODSTONE
01883 743889
07941 055006

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Garden Maintenance & Tree Care

• Tree Surgery Call for a free Quotation, or just some
• Grass Cutting friendly advice.
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• Fruit Tree Pruning

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The Parish Magazine cannot accept responsibility for the quality of goods and services offered by advertisers in this magazine.

WHAT’S ON AT A GLANCE

WHB = White Hart Barn, Godstone; YC = Youth Centre, Godstone;
SSC = St Stephen’s Church; SNC = St Nicholas’ Church;

SJC = St John’s Church; SGSCP = South Godstone Sports Club Pavilion

Date Event December Time Page
COGS Santa Sleigh – DATES, TIMES AND PLACES 36
Sat 3 O&L Choral Society: Christmas Concert with Carols 5pm 49
Sat 3 Café Connect, YC 10.30am-12.30pm 30
Sun 4 Christingle at St Stephen’s Church 10.30am 7
Tue 6 South Godstone Crafters, SSC 2pm 37
Wed 7 Godstone Gardeners’ Club: AGM members only 7.30pm 41
Thur 8 British Horological Institute meeting, WHB 7.30pm 42
Sun 11 Hurst Green Singers CHRISTMAS CONCERT 7pm 51
Wed 14 RSPB Indoor meeting: Christmas Social 8pm 42
Fri 16 Carols Around the Tree, St Stephen’s Church 6pm 15
Sun 18 Nativity Service, Godstone Baptist Church 10.30am 4
Sun 18 RSPB All-day Field Trip: Isle of Sheppey 8AM 42

WI Godstone Evening, WHB – 4th Wednesday of the month 7.30pm 38
WI South Godstone, SSC – 2nd Tuesday of the month 8pm 39
WI Godstone Afternoon, WHB – 3rd Wednesday of the month 2.15pm 40
CAMEO Club, WHB – 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the month 2.30-4pm 34
Mondays – Baypond Baby & Toddler Group, YC 9.30am to 11.30am 14
Tuesdays Coffee & Company, SSC 10am-12noon 34
Thursdays, Mums’ United Baby & Toddler Grp SSC 9.30am-12pm 26
Barn Theatre & Miller Centre 52-54
East Surrey Walkers & Ramblers Wellbeing Walks 45 & 46

Date Event January Time Page
Tue 3 South Godstone Crafters, SSC 2pm 37
Thur 5 British Horological Institute meeting, WHB 7.30pm 42
Tue 10 Strictly Dance Classes, SGSCP 7.30pm 31
Wed 11 RSPB Indoor meeting, WHB: Birds of Amenia 8pm 42
Sun 15 COPY DEADLINE for February 15
Fri 27 Baptist Church Community Cinema: The Lost King 7pm 50
Mondays South Nutfield Choral Society Rehearsals 7.45pm 52

To all our readers, contributors and
advertisers...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

From the Magazine Committee

1

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PG Dip. Psychological Therapies (CBT)

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GODSTONE AND SOUTH
GODSTONE MAGAZINE

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Circulation – c. 500 homes locally

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Parish Magazine.indd 1 14/01/2020 12:37

UNITED BENEFICE of St Nicholas’ Church, Godstone,
St Stephen’s Church, South Godstone, St John’s Church, Blindley Heath.

Sunday 4th DECEMBER SERVICES
2nd of Advent St Nicholas’ 9am Holy Communion
St John's 10.30am Holy Communion
St Nicholas' 10.30am Christingle & Toy Service
St Stephen's 10.30am Christingle & Baptism

Sunday 11th St Stephen's 9am Holy Communion
3rd of Advent St John's 10.30am Holy Communion
St Nicholas' 10.30am Holy Communion
St John’s Carols with a brass band
TBC

Friday 16th St Stephen’s 6pm Carols round the Tree
Sunday 18th St Stephen's 9am Holy Communion
4th of Advent St John's 10.30am Holy Communion
St Nicholas' 10.30am Holy Communion
St Nicholas’ 4.30pm Nine Lessons and Carols

Wednesday 21st St Mary’s 10am Holy Communion

Christmas Eve St John’s 3.30pm Nativity
St Nicholas’ 5pm Nativity
St Stephen’s Holy Communion
St Nicholas’ 6.30pm Midnight Mass
St John’s 11.30pm Midnight Mass
11.30pm

Christmas Day St Nicholas’ 9.30am Family Carols

Sunday 1st JANUARY SERVICES
St Nicholas’ 9am Holy Communion
St John's 10.30am Joint Communion

Sunday 8th St Stephen's 9am Holy Communion
St John's 10.30am Holy Communion
St Nicholas' 10.30am Holy Communion

Sunday 15th St Stephen's 9am Holy Communion
St John's 10.30am Holy Communion
St Nicholas' 10.30am Morning Prayer

Wednesday 18th St Mary’s Chapel 10am Holy Communion

Sunday 22nd St Stephen's 9am Holy Communion
St John's 10.30am Morning Prayer
St Nicholas' 10.30am Holy Communion

Sunday 29th St Stephen's 9am Holy Communion
St John's 10.30am Holy Communion
St Nicholas' 10.30am Holy Communion

3

4

PARISH REGISTER

Funerals Kenneth Hough
Tuesday 15th November Cody Elizabeth Worley
Baptisms
Saturday 5th November

FROM THE CLERGY

NO ROOM
I sometimes like to think about the conversations
people had that weren’t recorded in the bible. In a way
‘to read between the lines’ as the plot unfolds. Take
Mary and Joseph for example as they made their long
journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem where they were to register for
the census that had been decreed by Caesar Augustus and was taking
place whilst Quirinius was the governor of Syria (Luke 2:1-3).
As custom would have it in those days, if they were travelling by
donkey (the bible actually never tells us they did) then the likelihood is
that Joseph would have been riding and Mary walking, even whilst
pregnant! But I can just imagine the conversation:
MARY: Joseph you do know the way, right?
JOSEPH: Yes
MARY: Have you got everything? The bags, clothes, sandals, tea
towel for our heads [ok may be not].
JOSEPH: Yes of course.
MARY: Have you got the baby stuff?
JOSEPH: Yes Mary, stop worrying.
MARY: You did book ahead, didn’t you?
JOSEPH: erm… arhhh… It’ll be fine!
As the familiar nativity story that we know takes place, it becomes
clear that there was NO ROOM for Mary, Joseph and the new-born
Jesus. We read in Luke 2:7:

“She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.”

continued over page
5

It’s striking that before Jesus was even born there was no room for
Him, his birth was to take place in a dirty cattle shed. I wonder then if
Joseph, as he held his baby, thought things would ever get better for his
boy!
As Jesus grew up and became a man, we discover that for some they
still made no room for him. Upon returning to his hometown we read
that they too would reject him and in fact were going to kill him. (Luke
4:14-30). And still today people don’t make room for Jesus. The sad
reality is that other things take his place. For many Jesus has simply
been relegated to a character in a story, told every year in December.
For Mary and Joseph everywhere was full, so a manger was all that was
left!
So what about us? We are very good at filling things up, especially at
Christmas. We fill shopping trolleys (real or virtual) with treats and
things, we fill our stomachs with food and drink, we fill our time with
traditions, family, and friends, we fill our houses with decorations, we
fill stockings with goodies, even the turkey gets stuffed full! The only
thing that appears empty is our bank account. It’s not that any of these
things are wrong, of course not, they all help to celebrate. But let’s not
fill our lives so much that we forget to make room for the reason we do
all this!
JESUS – When we MAKE ROOM for Him in everything we do, all
that we are, we discover the real meaning of Christmas.We realise that
he will never let us down or disappoint us, He makes our lives
FULFILLED rather than just FULL.
When we make room for Jesus in our dreams, ambitions, relationships,
friendships, spending, giving, decision making, conversations, service,
actions, thoughts, deeds, in fact everything! Then everything changes
and our life finds meaning more than we
could ever know!
I urge you this Christmas to make room
for JESUS because he always has room
for you.
I hope you have a very Happy Christmas.
The churches in Godstone would love to
see you at the different services and
things that are taking place, all are
welcome.
Rev. Mark Humm

6

JOIN US at
St Stephen’s Church for

CHRISTINGLE

on Sunday,
4TH DECEMBER

at 10.30am

All ages welcome.

Come and make your own Christingle
and try not to eat it before finding out

what it means.

FRIENDS OF ST NICHOLAS

AGM AND AUTUMN DRAW 2022
Our AGM and Autumn Draw was held in The Youth Centre on
Saturday 12h November and the lucky winners this time were:-

£50 Mr J. Sheldon, Mrs J.Ogston, Dr D K. Jones, Mrs S. Pocock,
£75, Mrs L F. Campbell, Mr A M. Day , Miss K. Drysdale,
£100 Mrs J. Benham
£125 Mr and Mrs Butler
£150 Mr J. Trigg
£250 Mr N. Southey

Our finances are in good shape and the accounts were approved at the
meeting. All the funds raised by The Friends are used to support the
fabric of the Grade 1 listed St Nicholas church. The Friends were
founded in 1979 and since then have raised £178,494 towards fabric
repair and maintenance at the Church
OUR THANKS
We wish to thank all those whose loyal support, especially through the

7 continued over page

recent difficult times, has enabled The Friends to continue the provision
of vital financial support to our church. The need for fund-raising goes
on despite all the problems we face so please continue to support this
good cause.

For anyone who is not a regular contributor and would like to join in,
please contact Philip Anderson on 01883 742655 or Mike Anthony on
01883 740182.
Registered Charity No 278948

NEW HORIZONS

Brian Knight
14 December 1928 – 17 September 2022

Brian was born at 3 West View in Tandridge and as a boy he attended
Tandridge church where he was baptized as a baby and later sang in the
choir.
In January 1942, at the age of 14, Brian left school and started as an
apprentice wheelwright with Rice Brothers the Saddlers (where
Stoneman’s is now). It was wartime so the blacksmiths, wheelwright
and saddlers were kept very busy keeping the agricultural side of things
going. A lot of time was spent repairing carts and wagons, there were
no pneumatic tyres in agriculture in those days and all the wheels were
wooden even the garden wheelbarrow! They all had a metal band round
the wheel and when you had a large wagon it was a major and heavy
job.
Emerton’s, who had the dairy and milk round in Godstone, would bring
their ‘pony’ up for shoeing, leave it and ask for it to be taken back when
ready. He rather liked this job, down through the village round to the
paddock (which is now Bell Meadow) hang the harness up in the dairy
and for this he got a shilling (5p).
Brian’s father Charles (Jack) Knight started Godstone Scouts in 1919
and Brian joined in 1939 and spent much of his life involved with the
scouts. He served as scout master for many years and to many was and
always has been known as Skip. Wonderful days were had in
Charmouth for the annual camp, which he helped organize and it was
supported generously by Fairall’s with their lorry. His humble nature
meant he never sought accolades but it was a proud day when he went
to Windsor Castle to receive the silver Acorn Award.
In his younger days he was also part of SNYF (St Nicholas Youth

8

Fellowship) and one of his
duties was ringing the
church bells for evensong.
Rev Karney was clever
because having got them
ringing it was difficult for
them not to attend
evensong!
In 1945 Harry Tyndall,
who ran a small guest
house and gardens at Nags
Hall opposite Street Court,
decided to retire and an
opportunity arose. A tough
decision had to be made
and the family moved
from 3 West View
Tandridge to Nags Hall to
start a business with many of the family still at school and Jack now in
his early sixties.
Brian joined his father in 1947 to start producing plants for a living and
the seeds of a family business were sown. Jack’s ambition of a family
business was in place when he died in the summer of 1961 but it was a
sad time as it was only few months before Brian was to be married.
Brian met Pam after she had been evacuated from London in the war.
After an 11 year courtship they wed in St Peters Tandridge on 23rd
September 1961 and were happily married for 61 years. Pam says he
never really changed from the young man she fell for to the elderly man
who recently passed away. He was still the same Brian. Even with his
dementia there were glimpses of the sweet and gentle man he was. Brian
treated everyone the same regardless of who they were, he generously
gave out his time and talents and willingly gave out help whenever and
however it was needed. He lived with his scout promise and the Ten
commandments firmly in his mind. A scout is clean of thought, word,
and deed and that’s how he lived his life.
He worked hard all his life but would often say “I have never done a
day’s work in my life, it hasn’t been work, I have loved every minute”.
Whilst working on building up the business Brian was also very
involved within the local community. He was a very active Rotarian for
over 45 years within the Oxted & Limpsfield Club. During that time he

9

was awarded the Paul Harris medal. Whilst President he organised an
initiative for the planting of thousands of daffodil bulbs for Marie
Curie, which is something that particular charity continues today.
Brian was also a long-standing member of Tandridge Parish Council,
an active member and President of Godstone Gardening Club and a
governor at Oxted school for many years. Although Brian would not be
seen regularly at church, he had a very strong, simple, and
uncomplicated faith – even during the darkest times of his dementia he
would still kneel at his bedside every night and give thanks for the life
he had been given.
He had a deep understanding that the plants and animals with whom he
lived and worked teach us important lessons about the precious gift of
life. He understood that life should be treasured not only because it can
be seen, touched and tasted but more importantly because it will be
gone one day. Amongst the loud chatter of a family gathering he would
sit quietly with watery eyes listening to the birds in the trees and gazing
at the beauty of the plants around him. He understood that in life
beauty, joy and sadness are as close to each other as the beautiful
autumn leaves we see around us that eventually fall to reveal the
soberness of barren trees.
Brian was truly grateful for the life he had lived. He did not hesitate to
love and to love deeply. He had a heart ready to forgive, to encourage
and support those around him. He was always asking and thinking of
others. When help was needed he would always say “what can I do?”
but when things were going well “That’s wonderful” would always be
his response and then a smile of contentment would light up his face.
Brian employed and worked with many people over the years, and he
would want to thank every single one of them. Thank you to the current
Knights Garden Centre team and the supporters who have really
stepped up to help over the last few difficult years of Dad’s life.
We have received an incredible number of messages and it is truly
remarkable how many people he inspired, guided, advised, or just
shared a conversation. He most certainly would not have acknowledged
the high regard in which he was held, but he would be truly humbled by
all the messages that have been received. Those messages have been a
great comfort to the whole family so thank you so much.
We are sure that his love and spirit will continue to live in the hearts of
all that will remember him. In this way more than ever I am convinced
that his death can indeed be seen as his final gift of life.

10

Revd Roger Watts
23 September 1939 - 15 October 2022

Godstone Rector for 17 years. Loved and respected by so many.
Eulogy by David Watts

Dad’s life began in 1939 in Mitcham South London. Dad remembered
the war even though he was only a little boy at the time and he spoke of
the fear of hearing the V1 rockets - doodlebug's - coming across, their
engines cutting out, never knowing where they would then land.
My father was an exceptionally talented artist from a young age and he
began his career as a draughtsman, working in architect’s offices in
London. We still have some of Dad’s drawings of buildings from this
time and they are beautiful; far more than merely functional designs for
a job of work. Dad continued to paint and draw throughout his life. Had
he wanted to, he could easily have
become a professional artist.
Mum and Dad were both members
of their local Anglican church, St
Mark’s Mitcham, and they stepped
out for some time before marrying
in 1963. I asked my mother what
in particular drew her to Dad and
she told me that when she first saw
him, at the church youth club, he
was quiet and not boastful like so
many of the other men there were,
and that this made a great
impression on her. He radiated
goodness and had a beautiful
smile. Taking into account their
time courting, they were together
for 60 years.
They moved out to Kent briefly to
be able to buy their first home. I was born in 1966 and my brother
Christopher in 1971, by which time we had all moved back to
Mitcham.
My father quickly gained promotions within the world of building and
architecture and ran major construction projects in London. He was the
project manager who built the London Stock Exchange for example, a
massive construction project in its day.

11 continued over page

Modesty was among Dad’s many beautiful qualities. So, he would
never have told you that he was head-hunted by the Queen’s stock
brokers, Cazenove, where he oversaw the critical work to bring that
firm’s capabilities into the age of electronic trading – Big Bang as it
was called for those of us who remember it. I mention this partly
because it was a real mark of distinction to be approached by such a
firm, who could indeed have had their pick of anybody they wanted in
Dad’s field, and to illustrate how talented and trusted my father was.
But it also shows the integrity and strength of Dad’s long held calling to
become a priest, because he gave up a prestigious position within his
profession to train to be ordained in the Church of England, which he
was, in 1988.
My Dad served in Belmont, Godstone and Storrington until his
retirement. He was, I think, a great priest. My mother has received an
avalanche of kind cards and letters from people expressing their love for
Roger from all his old parishes. We thank you all for your kindness in
writing. So many of these cards and letters that people have sent speak
of how my father helped in a time of great need or of the difference he
made to lives or of what a remarkable man my father was. My father
was a light in the darkness as all good priests are. He too, indeed, bore
witness of the light.
Dad was there for people in matters of life and death, helping people in
their darkest times, as well as helping make occasions of great joy
memorable through his loving presence, kindness and support. There
was no ego with my father – it was never about him, always about the
person whom he was helping.
He just quietly and steadfastly got on with his mission, year after year,
unfailing in his steady determination to serve God and bear witness to
God’s love by loving and serving everyone he could, whoever they were.
I remember particularly his kindness to the “gentlemen of the road” as
he called them, explaining their presence when they visited for help. He
wasn’t being humorous or ironic. It was typical of Dad not to use a
derogatory term such as “tramp” as would then have been the norm in
society but to feel the importance of treating all, high and low bound in
this world, with equal dignity.
Being with people in their last moments or in their grief or in their
despair, helping people who are sleeping rough – my father did it all
and I’m so in awe of him. His was a life of quietly doing something
extraordinary.

12

Dad always felt that having had a job before becoming ordained, for
him, helped him be a better priest. He was down to earth, approachable,
incredibly grounded as an individual and he understood people. One of
Dad’s favourite quotations was “moderation in all things”- the sanity
and reasonableness of the middle ground. He instinctively distrusted
excess and there was no side to him whatsoever. He didn’t gossip, he
was utterly trustworthy and he always meant what he said. In short, my
father was an honourable man. He had no enemies. Which of us can
say that?
In his dealings with people, Dad was tolerant, understanding, and
pragmatic. Pragmatic in the best sense not the worst sense. He knew
what truly mattered and what really didn’t and he understood people as
they are and met them there. And he had this beautiful sunny
disposition. He just kind of beamed goodness and kindness.
But Dad was not naïve. He was nobody’s fool and he saw the world for
what it was, good and bad. However, he had this essential goodness, a
spiritual humility. The opposite of presumption and entitlement. That
quiet, modest beautiful soul my mother fell in love with.
And that core in his character protected him from corrosive cynicism
even though, as I say, he indeed saw a fallen world for what it is. In all
senses, he kept the faith.
“All shall be well, and All shall be well and all manner of thing shall be
well” – that was one of my father’s most cherished texts and he
believed the truth behind it. That no matter how things may look, it was
love that moved the sun and all the stars, and that we should never lose
hope.
I should also mention that Dad had this wonderful self-depreciating
sense of humour and he loved the silliness of the Goon’s, The Pink
Panther, Monsieur Hulot, but also their gentle sending up of pomposity
and self-importance. He also had a beautifully wry sense of the absurd.
He loved books, music, paintings and the beauty of the natural world.
He was a drummer when young and gave that to me. As a father to
Chris and me, he was kind, loving, generous and utterly steadfast. We
absolutely could not have asked for a better Dad. And he loved my
mother very deeply from the day he met her. We were, all, very lucky
to have him.

13

THE REVD ROGER WATTS

The funeral service for the Revd Roger Watts was held in St Nicholas
Church on 18th November. Our much-loved Rector had retired to
Storrington with his wife Mavis in 2009. It was so good to see Mavis
again, accompanied by her two sons, Christopher and David, and
David’s wife Emma.

The service was taken by our Rector Peter O’Connell with the Revd
Evelyn Randall and the Revd Rupert Toovey who knew Roger well in
Storrington. Rupert fortunately also knew Peter from the theological
college where Evelyn also trained.

David Watts and Rupert Toovey both spoke movingly about Roger;
such a kind, loving and devoted husband and Father, so unassuming.
Devoted to and supportive of his parishioners, which many of us in
Godstone remember and appreciated. As Peter said “he set a high
standard”.

Our church bells were rung, our choir sang, with Peter Cole organist,
and Jane English came to arrange flowers. After the service the
congregation were invited back to the Youth Centre for refreshments
and a chance to see Mavis and her family again.

Donations in memory of Roger are invited to L’Arche-Bognor. There is
a “donate” page on their website where gifts may be made in memoriam
www.larchebognor.org.uk MS-M

BAYPOND BABY
& TODDLER GROUP GODSTONE

at St Nicholas Youth Centre, Bay Path, Godstone

Every MONDAY 9.30am - 11.30am (doors open at
9.15am)

(Term time only)
ALL WELCOME - no need to book in advance.

Join our Facebook Group for updates
For more information, contact:
[email protected]

14

Start your
Christmas with

CAROLS AROUND
THE TREE

St Stephen's Church
Friday, 16th December at 6pm

Everyone welcome!
Hot dogs and mulled wine on sale.

Godstone Club
Coffee Lounge

Take Away or Have Inside
Open Monday to Friday 8.45am – 1.30pm
Saturday & Sunday 9am – 1pm. Food served until 1pm.
Dogs on Leads Welcome – No Membership Required
Loyalty Card and Duck Food (50p per bag) Available

The copy deadline for the February edition of the Magazine is
Sunday, 15th January.

Email copy to [email protected] or phone 07792 654362

15

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

On Remembrance Sunday there was an excellent turn out at St
Nicholas from all the Scouts, Cubs, Beavers, Guides, Brownies and
Rainbows who paraded up from the village to the Church.
Felt poppies were created by more than 50 Rainbows from South
Godstone Rainbows, Oxted Rainbows and Lingfield Rainbows and
installed in the churchyard and on the war memorial. The girls had a lot
of pleasure in making this visual reminder for Remembrance. South
Godstone Brownies also wrote the names of the fallen who are
remembered at Blindley Heath onto wooden crosses which were
planted in the ground at St John’s, Blindley Heath.
For anyone interested in joining Rainbows or Brownies in one of our
villages, email Tracy at [email protected]

16

ST STEPHENS C OF E PRIMARY
SCHOOL

We have had a very busy start to the term here at St
Stephen’s Primary School. The children have taken
part in our annual Cross-Country, in which they ran to
the local sports ground and back. The children were
successful in raising over £400 in much needed funds for the cancer
charity Race for Life!
On Friday 23rd September, the school celebrated Jeans for Genes Day.
Children and staff were able to wear jeans/denim into school for a £1
donation to Genetic Disorders UK. This is a fantastic charity that
supports the families affected by Genetic Disorders.
At the end of September the school visited St Stephen’s Church where
Reverend Peter delivered a wonderful Harvest service. We also
received numerous donations of non-perishable foods from our
families. These donations were delivered to St Matthew’s Foodbank
which will help the local community in these difficult times.
We have been able to invite parents back into school for our class
assemblies. We have had class assemblies from Year 2 who spoke to
the school about how the people of London felt during the Great Fire of
London. Year 4 recounted their religious learnings on Judaism. Year 3
have impressed us with an excellent game show style recount on their
learnings on the Romans. Year 1 were all superheroes for the morning
and explained how people of different roles are superheroes of modern
life.
In October our Year 2s took part in a Great Fire of London themed day.
The children dressed as people from the 1660s and where taken back to
the times were they meet people such as Samuel Pepys and King
Charles II. Later in the week the children watched their handcrafted
Tudor houses burn, gaining a deeper understanding of what Samuel
Pepys might have felt like as he wrote his diary entries.
In November our Year 4 class was visited by a former pupil parent to
speak to them about her Jewish faith and taste some Jewish bread and
honey. Our Year 6 class visited Lullingstone Country Park where they
got to explore a local river, carrying out experiments and investigate the
water cycle. The children also got into the river to conduct water
measurements.

continued over page

17

Our Year 1s will be visiting Florence Nightingale Museum where actors
recreate the Victorian period in which Florence was working. As a
class, they will travel back to the Satari hospital in the Crimean War
and explore this challenging environment. The children will be able to
experience exactly what it was like to be a nurse in those conditions.
They will act out the story of Florence Nightingale, using a poem to
help.
Our Year 3s will be having a full day of Roman themed fun where they
will re-enact some very important battles with the Celts and be able to
put their homemade shields to good use!
On Friday 11th November we held a school Remembrance Service in
our courtyard. A number of our students took part in the service and we
were lucky enough to have Mr Beagley play the trumpet for us, to
signify the start and end of the two minute silence. It was a very special
service.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at St Stephen’s School. With
Christmas fast approaching, the children are really looking forward to
making some festive crafty creations on their annual Making Day with
all the excellent creations on sale at our annual Christmas Fair on 3rd
December. There will be many stalls and class stands, with loads of

18

festive treats for the local community to come and buy. We might even
have a very special visitor with us for the day!
We will break for Christmas on Friday 16th December and return on
Wednesday 4th January 2023.

GODSTONE VILLAGE FETE AND DONKEY DERBY
BENEFICIARY EVENING

The Beneficiary Evening was held at St Nicholas Youth Centre on
Friday evening 11th November. The event was well attended by all the
beneficiaries, participants who help on the day of the Fete and friends
and acquaintances.
A presentation was given showing slides of the events, stalls etc., on the
Green and giving the names of all the recipients who, on receipt of their
cheque, stated what the money would be used for.
The Beneficiaries were: -

• Bay Pond Toddlers Group – £1,000
• Godstone Baptist Church – £800
• Friends of St Nicholas – £1,700
• Godstone Village School – £1,700
• 1st Godstone Scouts – £1,000
• Godstone Sports Association – £500
• CYTA Taekwondo – £1,300
• 1st Godstone Brownies – £1,000
• Godstone Bowls Club – £500
• Godstone Parish Council – £600
During the presentation the chairman thanked all the contributors and the
organisations who donated money to the Fete.
Finally, the Chairman took the opportunity to give her personal thanks to
everyone who helped to make this event possible. She thanked her hard-
working Committee Members, who are planning and organising
throughout the year preparing for the occasion and also to all the number
of helpers, who turn up to support them, making this the one day of the
year when the entire village comes out and enjoys itself.
During and following the presentation winter Pimm’s and other drinks
plus savoury food was enjoyed by all.
Mike Anthony
Treasurer Godstone Village Fete Committee

19

SCOUT LEADERS WANTED!

• Are you bored with watching another
reality TV show?

• Maybe feeling a little down with the
weather?

• Thinking there should be more to life?
1st Godstone Scouts are looking for a New Scout Leader and a New
Assistant Scout Leader. Volunteering can be a brilliant way to boost
your mental wellbeing. It’s a great feeling knowing you’re helping
young people get skills for life, and you might even learn a lot about
yourself along the way.

Scouting can make you feel good in other ways too. We’ll guide you
to an opportunity where you’ll:

• Make friends and meet people
• Try new things and challenge yourself
• Get outdoors and get stuck in
• Positively impact your community
• Create vital opportunities for young people
• Make memories that'll last a lifetime

If you can only occasionally help,
that’s OK. Whether you’d like to
be an activity planner, tea-maker or
craft creator, we appreciate any
time you can spare. Why not get
together with some friends and
volunteer jointly?

The Group offers benefits to
uniformed Leaders and Assistants:
• Leaders do not have to pay any

subs (currently £35 per term) for
their child or children in any of
the sections Beaver, Cubs or
Scouts.
• Cost of uniforms and all other
incidental costs are covered by
the Group.
• All training is free.

20

A lot of employers support volunteering, and Scouting in particular,
acknowledging your community support and recognising and valuing
the training that you do with Scouting.
If you are interested in finding out more, having a chat or coming along
to see the group in action please contact Mark Wiles, Group Scout
Leader, [email protected]

Scouts Executive Committee Needs You!

Do any of the following describe you?
• Community minded?
• Want to give something back?
• Keen to share your experience?
• Want to learn new skills?
• Want to improve your wellbeing?
• Or even want to improve your career prospects?
Then get involved with 1st Godstone Scout Group Committee.
The Group is looking for a couple of new members (or more) to join
the Group Executive Committee and help with the management of the
Group and its assets.
This involves managing the money and our lovely Tudor style
building, The Endeavour, as well as fund raising, and monitoring
Health and Safety and Training. The day to day running of the
Sections (the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts) is NOT a function of the
Group Executive. Committee meetings take place on average every
three months or so.
There is some online training to help you understand your role within
the Scouting movement which can be done to suit you in your own
time. Being a Group Committee member is a non-uniformed role that
does not require you to come into contact with young people, unless
you want to. This is not an onerous or time-consuming role, you just
need to wish to contribute to your community. All are welcome,
however we always need more marketing/PR/Social media expertise
If you would like to know more about joining 1st Godstone Scout
Group Executive Committee please contact Steve Beagley (Group
Chairman) [email protected] or Mark Wiles (Group Scout
Leader) [email protected]
Thank you!

21

1ST GODSTONE SCOUT GROUP

The Scouts and the Scout Group as a whole have had a busy time in
the run up to Christmas, here are some of highlights.
The whole group Beavers, Cubs and Scouts took part in the memorial
service at St Nicholas Church for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This
was followed up with a Circus Skills evening, which all sections
enjoyed. The Scouts leaned to juggle, as well as using circus related
items such as unicycles, clown bikes, plate spinning to name but a few.

One of the Scouts had
learned how to unicycle
during Covid and the
Circus Skills evening
gave him a chance to
show use all how good
he was.

22

The Scouts also had a go at ceramics, making Gnomes. The Gnomes
once painted were left to dry and have been taken for firing.

The Group Beavers, cubs and Scouts all took part in the Royal British
Legion Poppy Appeal, Collecting on the Launch weekend outside the
Village Shop.

This was followed for the Scouts by a visit to Biggin Hill Memorial
Museum, to give some context to the Remembrance period.

continued over page
23

The Whole of 1st Godstone Scout
Group (Beavers, Cubs and Scouts)
where joined this year by Cubs and
Scouts from 1st Lagham Scout
Group as well as Rainbows,
Brownies and Guides from
Godstone Guide Section, for the
service of Remembrance at St
Nicholas Church.

Finally, The Endeavour was shortlisted by the Society for the Protection
of Ancient Building (SPAB) in the best loved category. There were 26
entries and the judges selected The Endeavour as one of the four
buildings for this category. The awards evening was held in London at
The Conway Hall and hosted by Kevin McCloud (Channel 4’s Grand
Designs). Unfortunately, the Endeavour did not win but everyone in the
village who supported The Group over the last few years with our
building repairs can be justly proud of a lovely building.

24

Kevin McCloud reading out the winner.

The Endeavour home of 1st Godstone Scout Group

Advertising In This Magazine Is Effective! Please remember
to mention the Magazine when contacting advertisers.
Thank you

25

MUMS’ UNITED – SOUTH GODSTONE
(and Dads, Grandparents and Carers)
BABY & TODDLER GROUP
at
St Stephen’s Church

Every THURSDAY 9.30am – 12noon (doors open at 9am)
Come with your little ones and meet with friends, whilst members of

the Mothers Union provide refreshments, chats and baby cuddles!
ALL WELCOME – For more information, contact email:
[email protected]

GODSTONE VILLAGE MEETING
REPORT

AGM & Open Forum 20 October 2022
Alban Brindle welcomed everybody to
the meeting at the White Hart Barn, Godstone and reported that the
following had recently occurred:
• The Divers’ Cove application had been recommended for approval
but deferred.
• The new 5G antenna application had been approved.
• The Tilburstow Hill Glamping site application had been rejected.
• The Flower Farm application had been withdrawn, but in Sept had
held a weekend event.
• HGV movements set to increase at Mercers Quarry from 257 to 276
a day, probably running straight through the village. Residents could
submit comments on the application.
• Full Fibre Broadband would allow direct connection from inside
homes to cabinets in the road. This would provide improved
reliability and greater speeds at competitive prices.
• GVA Newsletter had now been published - the aim was to produce
2 or 3 issues per year.
• Gatwick: GVA could assist residents to complain direct about
specific overflying aircraft.
• Facebook: The revamped GVA page was effective in promoting
GVA news and activities.

26

• Ashill Group had set up an Exposition in Godstone to publicise the
new Godstone Quarry planning application. They had also erected a
stand on the wall at the GVA’s meeting.

• Alban had joined recent meetings of the South Godstone Residents’
Association to improve liaison between them and GVA.

• The Patients’ Participation Group represented patients at the Pond Tail
Surgery. It met regularly and had sent out a Newsletter in July.

• Musical Event: 3rd December there will be a Supper Evening with the
Sussex Swing Trio in which there would be a two-course meal and
cash bar - £15 per person.

Alban then introduced the first speaker - Nicola Henderson from
Godstone Farm, who said that the Farm was constructing a new
restaurant and children’s nursery. The new Play Barn would be twice the
size of the present one and there would be a new shop. She hoped
residents would publicise the Farm to locals as a possible employer.
The Chairman then introduced four speakers from Pond Tail Surgery. Dr
Shelina Jaffer said they would aim for face-to-face appointments, an out-
of-hours service and Saturday appointments.
Michael Arnaud, CEO of the DHC, which had taken over the operation
of the Surgery, said DHC now had 11 practices including Lingfield, and
Oxted. Unfortunately, there were insufficient consulting rooms at Pond
Tail. If Ashill’s planning application was successful, it would provide
the sort of dedicated surgery - doubling its size - that Godstone needed.
Fran Lemanska, new Practice Manager, indicated they had inoculated
over 370 patients in their Vaccination Clinic so far this year. They were
recruiting GPs and Advanced Practitioner Nurses for Pond Tail and
hoped to be dealing with all Godstone residents as well as Bletchingley’s
and Nutfield’s. There would also be an improved level of service within
six months between the Surgery and the local Lloyd’s Chemist.
Dr Mustill was a GP at Oxted Health Centre, and was involved with the
local community, including Oxted School, and with Tandridge Leisure
Centre in the Patient Health Champion project.
The Chairman thanked all the speakers and the meeting joined him in a
round of applause.
Jim Gardner, Chairman Godstone Parish Council, outlined construction
of a new playground by replacing equipment and introducing a wet-
board surface. There was renewed interest in the football club and the
Sports Association had plans to refurbish the pavilion.

27

Are you new to Godstone Village?
If so, you may not have heard of the
Godstone Village Association. It looks
after the interests of the village and its
surrounding area. It acts as an umbrella organisation for all the many
clubs and societies in the village and holds two open forums a year to
which all residents are invited, with interesting speakers and reports
from local organisations. GVA is run by a small committee of
volunteers.

MEMBERSHIP – The Godstone Village Association invite you to
become a Member of the Association. The annual subscription helps
to pay for its running costs. The annual fee is £5 per household and is
due 1st September in every year. Application forms can be obtained
from the Membership Secretary – details below. You will receive 4
Newsletters a year and in between updates by email on relevant
matters.
Moira White Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01883 744346,
Address: 17 Ivy Mill Close Godstone RH9 8NG

SOUTH GODSTONE RESIDENTS’
ASSOCIATION

www.southgodstoneresidentsassociation.co.uk
[email protected]

SGRA (South Godstone Residents’ Association)

Report from Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting on 1st November was well attended and
we appreciate the support from local residents and businesses. Our
Committee, in accordance with our Rules, all stood down and offered
themselves for re-election, which was unanimously approved by our
attendees. We had three residents offer themselves to sit on the
Committee which was also accepted.
Our Committee is:
Chair: Mike Crane
Vice Chair: Andy Janaway
Treasurer: Sarah Reynolds

28

Secretary: Susan Clark
Members: Colin Anderson, Chris Boughton, Pat Brown, Julie Jones,
John Tomlin, Colin White,
In recognition of outgoing Chair Colin White’s many years of service,
Mike was delighted to present Colin with a voucher for use at his
favourite golf club. We also expressed our thanks to Elizabeth Fisher
who had stood down just over a year ago and to whom we had
previously presented a floral bouquet in thanks for her many years as
our former Secretary.
We received reports from our officers as to the activities we had been
engaged with since our last AGM in 2019. Reports covered our new
website usage, infrastructure defects we have arranged to be repaired,
the relationship we have with Croudace in respect of Woodlands Drive
and the standard of road surface there.
We presented proposals for amendments to our Rules. Our principal
focus was to change the language used to bring them in to more modern
language and to propose a change in subscriptions. It has not been
possible or practical to continue door knocking to collect our annual
fees of £1 and we have continued to offer life memberships at £10.
Continuing to offer new life memberships does not provide an ongoing
income for the Residents’ Association. We proposed, and it was agreed,
that no new life memberships would be offered but existing life
memberships would be honoured. We now only offer an annual
membership at £10 and welcome new memberships, the application
form can be found on our website:

www.southgodstoneresidentsassociation.co.uk
or by request to 11 Lagham Park, South Godstone.
Community SpeedWatch
We remain concerned by the speed of vehicles travelling along the A22
through South Godstone. We are grateful to those residents who have
come forward and expressed interest in receiving training to become
Community SpeedWatchers. We welcome all residents who, after
training, can offer just an hour or so a month to pair up with another
SpeedWatcher and help monitor traffic speeds in accordance with their
training and procedures. Please do get in touch with us if you too could
help.
F&W Networks
We were pleased to welcome F&W Networks as our guest speaker. We
learnt more about how fibre broadband is widely accepted as the norm

29 continued over page

in urban situations but that the government had introduce schemes to
help bring the expensive fibre cable to semi-rural and rural communities
so that all could benefit from improved, faster, more reliable technology.
Residents are invited to sign up to allocate a voucher to F&W Networks
to cover a property’s share of the cable installation cost and then
residents will be able to choose a contract with an Internet Service
Provider. The next phase for South Godstone will be to start seeing
surveyors on the ground in preparation for cable installation. A useful
question and answer session rounded off this part of our AGM.
Our new Committee is raring to go and we look forward to our next
committee meeting when we start to formulate plans for the future.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if there are any matters
which you would like us to consider.

SATURDAY 3rd DECEMBER
Café Connect Coffee Morning

at
St Nicholas Youth Centre

10.30 – 12.30

Proceeds to be given to
THE WOODHOUSE CENTRE
Join us for a cup of fresh coffee or tea with
homemade cakes and biscuits. Catch up with
friends and browse among the various tabletop
sales of Christmas puddings and Christmas
decorations, cards, wool and knitted garments,
books, plants, and other surprises for

CHRISTMAS.

There is NO Café
Connect in

JANUARY 2023

30

31

GODSTONE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

As our days become darker and shorter we have been continuing trying
to tidy around the Godstone village centre. We’ve been cutting back
vegetation on the bank by the bus stop on the High Street, gathering
fallen leaves around the pond on the Green so that less end up in the
water and clearing footpaths. It is quite a challenge as more leaves keep
falling and blowing around! It is a pleasure to see the pond completely
refilled now thanks to all the rain we have received recently – to be
precise from 1st September to mid-November approx. 280mm of
rainfall, about twice the average for this period.

Not only have we had rain but also some strong south winds. A number
of alder trees along the edge of the Bay Pond and path have been
uprooted, whilst others have had their tops broken off. All now are
lying across the fishing bank and over or into the water.

We have not heard of anymore new planning applications of concern
and, in particular, not from Ashill Land Ltd who invited us to their
community consultation on their proposal for redevelopment of the land
at Godstone Quarry, North of the Bletchingley Road. I hope that all will
be well for Godstone over the next months and that your Christmas will
be a happy one. MS-M

32

EVENTS AND SERVICES AT ST STEPHEN'S

Weekly 9am-11am – Mothers coffee & chat
Monday

Tuesday 10am-12pm Coffee & Company with a book and puzzle
exchange. All welcome including well-behaved dogs

Wednesday 2pm to 3pm Paracise – If you Rest You Rust!
Contact Suzy 0771 041 3409
7.15pm – Irish Dance, beginners
8.30pm – Irish Dance, advanced. Contact Rachel on
0773 809 0547

Thursday 9.30am- 12noon Mum’s United Toddler Group

Saturday 10.30am-1pm Zera Avraham Messianic Synagogue.
Contact Rabbi Boaz on 0791 904 3179

Sunday except the 1st Sunday (see below) 9am – Holy Communion

Monthly
1st Sunday 10.30am-11.30am All-age Service. All welcome but

aimed at children.
1st Tuesday 2pm-5pm Crafters. All welcome. Learn a new skill or

bring your own project. Contact Carol Carey (01342
893189) or Fiona Sabey (0774 642 3262)
2nd Tuesday 8pm-9pm South Godstone WI. Contact Maria on
07485 014479
3rd Tuesday 7pm-10pm South Godstone WI Crafters
3rd Thursday 7pm-11pm Surrey Scale Model Club. Contact Clive on
0794 9127841

If you would like to hire the hall, the cost is £20 for a morning,
afternoon or evening session. Ideal for children’s parties (sorry, no
bouncy castles), group meetings or events where that extra space is
needed. The hall has a fully fitted kitchen and is wheelchair friendly.
For more information contact Karen Jackson 01342 894669 or Carol
Cryer 01342 892191

The Youth Centre, Godstone, is available for hire for Children’s
Parties, Baptism Parties, Meetings etc. For more information on rates

and availability contact Louise Case on 01883 740182.

33

We’d love you to join us!

Come to the CAMEO Club
And enjoy interesting speakers and entertainment
Meet for tea, coffee, biscuits and chat
Each time at the White Hart Barn, Godstone
Other friendly senior citizens

2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month from
2.30pm to 4pm

If you would like to come, please telephone Paula Quincey
742680, Sheila Mackintosh 742700 or
Rosemary Carter 741809

34

COGS LIONS

Any bad news regarding the Club is most unusual but
sadly two incidents of vandalism to the Club’s
minibus have happened in the last few weeks. The
minibus, which is easily identified by the Lions logo,
suffered extensive damage to its windscreen and side
windows. The minibus is parked at the Orpheus Centre in Godstone.
On a day prior to it going out on loan a Club member found it with its
windscreen shattered by what looked like pellets. Clearly this meant
that the bus could not go out but instead had to have the windscreen
replaced. The windscreen was replaced, at considerable expense, the
bus was put back in its usual parking space in preparation of another
outing the following weekend with the same Scout Group. When a
member went to check the bus, he found that the windows on one side
and the sliding glass door were again shattered and showing they were
damaged by stones this time, possibly from a catapult. The matter was
reported to the police but without CCTV pictures or further evidence
no action could be taken. The Club is currently looking for a new and
more secure place to park. If you have somewhere you can offer,
please get in touch.
On a more cheerful note, the Club celebrated its 44th birthday,
celebrating with what is known as a Charter. Members and guests
gathered at the Bletchingley Golf Club to enjoy a celebratory lunch.
MP Claire Coutinho should have been there but due to ongoing
excitement at No 10 she was unable to join the happy event. Instead,
she was represented by the Constituency Manager Richard Biggs. An
award that is given at this annual event is the Bob Tester Cup. Bob was
a fine example of all that is good in in terms of what is done to help the
Community. It is given to someone, not necessarily a Lion, who has
done just that and this year it was awarded to Lion Len Honey in
recognition of his years of service. On addressing the Club, the Past
District Governor, Ian Forbes said that the past work by the Club was
recognised by all as was its successful fund-raising events. It was a
splendid and very enjoyable afternoon and the spirit of Lionism and
the fun that goes with it was much in evidence
The next big event is the Santa Sleigh that tours the district and can
been seen outside some supermarkets. It is extremely popular and is a
great fund raiser for the Club. And here are the dates and locations
where children and seen and speak to Santa. All the dates are in

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December:
•Sainsburys, Warlingham Saturday
3rd and Sunday 4th from 10am-4pm
Wednesday 7th Godstone North of
A25, 6pm-8pm
•Thursday 8th Caterham Village, 6pm
-8pm
•Sainsburys, Warlingham, Saturday
10th and Sunday 11th 10am-4pm
•Monday 12th Bletchingley 6pm-8pm
•Wednesday 14th Godstone south of
the A25 6pm-8pm
•Thursday 15th South Godstone east of the A22, 6pm–8pm
•Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th Morrisons Oxted 10-4pm
•Monday 19th Knights Way Godstone followed by South Godstone
West of the A22 6pm at Knights Way and 6.30pm in South Godstone
If you are interested in Lions and would like to find out more about the
Club, you can call Tony Carter on 01883 741809. He would be pleased
to hear from you. And if you would like to use our community minibus
call David Annenberg on 01342 893353.

ZERA AVRAHAM MESSIANIC SYNAGOGUE

We were very pleased to share
our Simchat Torah
celebrations this year with
people in the local community.
It was an evening of much
singing and dancing with
everyone taking part and many
people having the opportunity
to carry our Torah scroll and
also to rewind the Torah scroll.
Afterwards there was a chance
for us to mingle over some lovely food provided by members of the
congregation, which were added to by some amazing and tasty dishes
contributed by Graham Millar.
I would like to thank you all for your attendance and support during
our festival of Simchat Torah. It was lovely to see every present
enjoying themselves and we look forward to sharing with you again.

Rabbi Boaz

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ST JOHN’S BLINDLEY HEATH

On 28th October we enjoyed a Pub Quiz with John, the Amazing Quiz
Master. Teams competed for a cash prize which was kindly donated by
the winners to the Church Roof fund. Everybody who attended had a
fabulous time with a really rounded collection of questions and a very
close results from all teams.
Sunday 13th November was the Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph
in front the Church which was attended not just by the Church
congregation but members of the local community to pay their respects.
There were some family members from the names on the Cenotaph.
Chris Farr attended and laid a wreath. The last post and reveille was
played by Helen Cassin on her Trumpet. Thank you Helen. After the
service Mulled wine was served at the back of church. On 25th
November had our Skittles evening with Fish and Chip supper.
The bereavement group continues to meet every 1st and 3rd Monday of
the month in the Village hall next to the Church from 10am to 12 noon.
This is beginning to grow. Free coffee and tea provided.

The Singing group meet every Thursday from 7pm in the Vestry. We
have been learning Unchained Melodies and many other popular songs
from Stage and film. The group is led by our organist on piano, George
Wray. This is fun, good exercise and relieves stress.

Christmas Services (see page 3):
Christingle for Children; Nativity and Carol Service with brass band;
and Midnight Service on Christmas Eve.

SOUTH GODSTONE CRAFTERS

Do you like crafts like knitting, crotchet, sewing, spinning etc, or want
to learn something new? Why not join us once a month on the first
Tuesday afternoon to create, talk and have tea/coffee with cake. Each
session you can either try something different or bring along a project
you are working on.

Dates for your diary:
December 6th Come and make a pom-pom
decoration for Christmas
January 3rd Try hand spindle spinning
February 7th Continue with hand spindle
spinning or try the spinning
wheel.

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37

Open to anyone - 2pm 1st Tuesday of the
month at St Stephen’s Church Hall South
Godstone RH9 8EY
All this for just £3 a session!
Contact Carol Carey 01342 893189 or
Fiona Sabey 07746423262 for further
information.

WI GODSTONE EVENING

I love this edition of this magazine as it gives me
the opportunity to look back over the year and get
excited about our WI activities for 2023!

In 2022 we have danced, sung, played games,
laughed, cried and been out and about. Our clubs
have gone from strength to strength. We have fundraised for ourselves
as well as the 1st Godstone Brownies & Rainbows and the Kent,
Surrey, Sussex Air Ambulance.

At our November AGM we introduced
two new committee members and I
outlined a few changes for 2023,
including delegating some of the
committee duties out to members.

One of them will be that this article will
be written by one of our evening WI
members meaning you should get to read
about what we are up to from her
perspective. Thank you to Mags Shelley
for taking on this role.

All of our clubs now have an
ambassador who arranges the finer
details of each club’s activities. Trish
Miller organises the venue for each
months Supper Club, Paula Quincy is at The picture is from our
the helm of Knit and Natter and Di Christmas themed Sewing Club
Kingham leads Sewing Club. Rosemary where we all made our own
Carter heads up our summer Garden Christmas stocking!

Explorers and we can’t wait to see where we are off to in 2023.

We meet monthly (the 4th Weds of the month) in The White Hart Barn

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and welcome visitors in January, February and March ready to join our
membership in April.
At our January meeting on Wednesday, 25th Emma Cole will be
teaching us Burlesque dancing which I know will cause more than a
titter!
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Anita Black (President)

WI SOUTH GODSTONE

In November South Godstone WI held its AGM –
it seems to roll round more quickly each year! Our
current President, Treasurer and Secretary were all
re-elected for 2022/23 along with two other
members of the committee. Our Secretary gave an excellent synopsis
of the year’s events which, thank goodness, were considerably more
than the previous year! Following the Treasurer’s financial report our
President ended with her usual hilarious poem before cakes and tea.
We also acknowledged the 95th birthday of Rosina, one of our
founding members, who came along with her daughter to celebrate the
occasion. Also in November we celebrated our 45th anniversary with
dinner at The White Hart, Godstone. In December we will be having
our usual Christmas buffet supper at St Stephen’s Hall.

We have so much to look forward to over the next twelve months and
our diary is looking very full indeed, commencing with our speaker for
January, Jenny Nockolds, a volunteer with Guildford Street Angels.
We also look forward to meeting Jonathan Jones in February who will
be regaling us with memoirs of Stanley Holloway, “His Life and His
Monologues”.

Other events in the pipeline include another visit to The Miller Centre
in Caterham to see Pygmalion and, in January The Three Musketeers.
Our popular Walking Group and Book Club continue to meet
fortnightly and monthly respectively.

We meet at 8pm on the second Tuesday of the month in the
Jubilee Room at St Stephen’s Church, South Godstone. Why not
come and join us, we love to see new faces and will make you more
than welcome.

Please email us at [email protected] for further
information. Pat Field

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WI GODSTONE AFTERNOON

Some members may have been disappointed on
arriving at our October meeting to find that our
planned talk Dunkirk Little Ships had been
cancelled as the speaker was indisposed.
Fortunately, an excellent substitute, Theo the Magician, had been
found at short notice, so their disappointment was short-lived. Theo
was so good at involving individual members with his very clever
magic tricks and the best thing was his repartee which was so funny
that he soon had everyone responding with gales of laughter and much
applause. Everyone felt cheered up afterwards, as he was such a tonic
in what had recently been such a miserable time for the country.
The November meeting was a busy one, with the speaker Paul Robbins
giving a talk on Great British Eccentrics. This was followed by our
AGM when short reports were presented from our President, Treasurer
and Secretary. Clubs also gave their reports. A representative from the
Salvation Army visited to collect our donations of non-perishable
goods, which will be distributed to deserving families in the area.
Christmas is fast approaching and we are looking forward to our
Christmas Lunch at Bletchingley Golf Club in early December. We are
also looking forward to our Christmas meeting which consists of a
variety of fun activities, carol singing, lively entertainment and
hopefully some lovely mince pies and wine!
Our first talk in The New Year promises to be an interesting one by
Jane Thynne. Jane is a well-known author of a series of books about a
women spies in World War Two, and her talk is sure to be a
fascinating and informative one.
Our popular activity groups will continue to meet once a month: Knit
and Natter, Play Reading and Book Club. There will be no Lunch Club
in December but Brunch Club will meet on the last Friday of the
month in December and January at the Godstone Club.
We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 2.15pm in the
White Hart Barn. To get in touch please email our secretary Janet
at [email protected], or just come along and meet us. Visitors
and new members are very welcome.

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