Local news

Good News for St Helier

The Government’s recent announcement  (www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49867376)  of further capital investment in the NHS has provided good news for Epsom & St. Helier NHS Trust which will be one of the beneficiaries. Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles says “I am delighted to say that our Trust is named and means that the hundreds of millions of pounds of funding we need to both improve St Helier and Epsom hospitals, and build a new major acute hospital will be made available.​

This multi-million-pound investment will transform patient care for the 500,000 people who use the Trust’s services, greatly improve the experience of the 6,000 committed staff working in the hospitals and secure a long term and sustainable future for hospital services in our area. It will allow us to create a state-of-the-art hospital facilities for the sickest patients, invest in and refurbish the older parts of all our hospital buildings (which are currently not fit for modern healthcare), and support the medical workforce to improve staffing levels and patient care”.

West Wimbledon Primary School - Newsletters

Follow this link for the latest West Wimbledon Primary School newsletter.

St Saviour's War Memorial - Update Nov 2019

I thought Association members might like an update on where we are at with respect to the Raynes Park War Memorial restoration.  I know many of them attended either our Men of Raynes Park 1914-18 Exhibition or last year’s Remembrance Day at St Saviour’s, or both, and we were grateful for their support. 

We had hoped to be well on the way to re-carving the names by now.  However, the whole process has been dogged by delays.  

We had originally hoped to have final approval and a grant from the War Memorials Trust early in 2019.  However, they suspended consideration of applications submitted for the December 2018 deadline until the end of March 2019, and then finally made a grant offer at the end of May.  Unfortunately, the offer included several conditions and exclusions, which affected the validity of the contractor's quotation that we had accepted, and would almost certainly have driven up the price.  Moreover, the exclusions raised doubts that we could achieve clear name inscriptions that would remain legible for the next 100 years. 

To avoid any more delays, and with Listed Building Consent, we have decided to proceed on the original basis and forgo the War Memorials Trust grant (which we reckon would have been taken up with the additional work they would require anyway).  On that basis, we have decided to proceed with the restoration though it is very unlikely it will be completed by the forthcoming Remembrance Sunday.  

The good news is that we have been reasonably successful at raising funds, both at the time of the launch and subsequently.  Our target is £23,000 and, so far, we have either received contributions or pledges for around £19,900.  Without the War Memorials Trust grant, though, it does mean we are still looking to raise just over another £3,000. 

It seems extraordinary now that we originally thought we might have all the work completed by last year’s Remembrance Day, but have learnt the lesson that, in this field, however much time you think a project will take, multiply it by at least three! 

Although we are not in a position to invite RPWBRA Members to the unveiling of the restored memorial this Remembrance Sunday, it would still be very nice to see them there. The Scouts and Guides will again be in attendance and do their best to remember those who died in the Great War, and subsequently, in protection of our freedoms.

With very best regards 

Peter Hutton

Memorial Research and Exhibition Co-ordinator 

Raynes Park Bereavement Service

The Raynes Park Bereavement Service was launched on Monday 24 November 2014.   

The service provides free and confidential one to one support to people who have had a bereavement, recently or in the past.  

This service is provided by volunteers who have been vetted, trainedand are supported by professional counsellors.  It is being provided primarily for people living in the Raynes Park area, but it is open to requests from elsewhere.  The service is managed by Christ Church, Raynes Park, and is open to people of all faiths and none.   

The service is accessed by calling 07914 263420 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..   The volunteer will then arrange a meeting at Lambton Road Medical Practice for as many times as needed.  (If someone is housebound arrangements will be made to see them in their own home.) 

Crossrail 2 - Update December 2018

The Independent Affordability Review has reported to the Government. However, uncertainty continues ...

Various lobby groups are now trying to influence the outcome (businesses, LAs), but one should take the various recent statements in the press with a pinch of salt. 

Against this background, Crossrail (The Elizabeth Line) has run into a 9 month delay, has needed a £350 Million bail out and the CEO has resigned. 

Some say the three objective of Crossrail 2, 

o    Inter-connections at Euston for HS2

o    Alleviate pressure on Waterloo

o    Meeting the anticipated growth in demand for transport, caused by population growth in the London suburbs 

can be met more cost-effectively in other ways. It may be that the central London section is completed first, with later phases being deferred almost indefinitely. 

Some say that the cost of CR2 could be met by increasing local domestic and business rates of, say 1%, a bit like the Olympic Games levy. Another suggestion is for a rates surcharge on properties likely to benefit from being close to the line. 

After the Brexit deadline in 2019, it may be that the Government refocuses on infrastructure projects, perhaps with a new “Spending Review”. 

TfL is currently struggling with a fall in passenger numbers and is expecting a £1bn deficit this year. 

At the same time, the controversy over the cost of rail fares rumble on. 

Also Network rail continues to struggle with delivering the electrification of the national rail network, with massive cost overruns and whole swathes of its original plans cancelled. 

The rationale behind HS2 also continues to be questioned, despite the promises made for the Northern Power House. 

Jerry Cuthbert

Postal Collections in Raynes Park

Whilst most of us use the post less than in the past, it may just be worth remembering where there is a later postal collection locally, should we need it at any time.Latest Postal Collections in London SW20 and Surrounding Area

 

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