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US abortion rulings – ethical question or political point?
The United States Supreme Court has recently handed back abortion control to individual states. In effect, this means that states can decide for themselves whether terminating a pregnancy will be legal within their borders. Already, twenty-three states have decided to make abortion illegal or...
Surrey Independent Living Charity – personal assistant support for disabled people
Surrey Independent Living Charity formed as Surrey Independent Living Council in 1998 by a group of disabled people. A user-led charity, SILC’s primary purpose is to provide support to disabled people who wanted to use local authority funded Direct Payments to employ personal assistants...
What are Nolan’s Principles and are they fit for purpose?
If you’ve been following the Chris Pincher story in the national press, you’ve probably heard ministers refer to the “Nolan Principles.” But what are Nolan's Principles, and are they enough to curb sleaze and backtracking in Westminster?
Who was Nolan and why did he write...
Goldsworth Road Development: One Project Too Many?
Growth and change are vital for towns and cities to thrive but many locals are saying enough is enough. There is little question that Woking has a housing need but is it so great as to require 1,154 new flats in a new Goldsworth...
Summer music in Aldershot and Farnham
Hot Cross Buns on the recorder – surely it’s a staple part of every Primary School diet! And perhaps the start and end of your musical career consisted of a screechy performance to a captive audience of parents. But for others it was the...
Modern slavery in Surrey nail bars – how to spot the signs
For many people, getting their nails done is a regular part of their self-care. Many nail bars are legitimate businesses staffed by trained manicurists who are paid a decent wage for their work. But, very sadly, we also find modern slavery in Surrey nail...
An open letter to Boris Johnson: What does “Responsibility” mean?
After months of being told we should wait for Sue Gray’s report into “Partygate”, the day of its publication finally came. (Findings of Second Permanent Secretary's Investigation into Alleged Gatherings on Government Premises during Covid Restrictions. As a token nod to brevity, I will...
Fox cubs in Surrey – photography by Steve Benton
This week I took my camera to Papercourt near Send in Surrey, home to many rare plants and birds. I was lucky enough to photograph one fox cub...
...but I was amazed to see two together. There were four cubs in all, but the other...
Police Pegasus scheme makes Surrey safer for people with disabilities
I’m rubbish at left and right. Any journey that employs me in the role of navigator is highly likely to involve U-turns and muffled expletives. Of course, minor miscommunications can have more long lasting consequences – just ask the Derry girls – but for...
Taming the energy dragon – measure your energy consumption before you change suppliers
Faced with unprecedented hikes in energy charges, you may be looking around to switch suppliers to help cope with rising costs.
However, from my own research, I’ve learned that the biggest single contribution to energy savings doesn’t come from changing suppliers or tariffs. It comes...
How much plastic do you use in a week? It’s time for the Big Plastic Count.
Next week, 16-22 May, is the Big Plastic Count. Climate charity Greenpeace are inviting thousands of households to count every piece of plastic they throw away in a week.
We can all join in. Once signed up, we can record our data on a (recycled)...
What is mindfulness: New-age nonsense or the answer to our mental health crisis?
I confess, I’m a worrier. Give me a comfy bed and come 3am my brain will merrily start whizzing with all kinds of useless thoughts: did I direct that customer last week to Boots when I meant M&S? Will I pass my latest assignment?...
What does “spoil your ballot paper” mean?
As the polls open in many local authorities across the UK, social media is ablaze with comments from people who don’t intend to vote. Some think it’s a “waste of time,” others don’t think the council represent voters’ views. Some have voted with optimism...
Why are local elections important?
Thursday, 5th May 2022 will see elections for local council members up and down the country. A recent poll on a community Facebook page asked people how they intended to vote…and included the option “not wasting my time voting.”
In my view, voting is never...
What is the Leith Hill Music Festival?
The Leith Hill Music Festival was started by Lady Evangeline Farrer and Margaret Vaughan Williams, sister of Ralph Vaughan Williams, in 1905. Since then, the annual April event has showcased outstanding choral music. Evoking the Surrey Hills and the world beyond, the programme is...
Football is nothing without fans: grounds problems for Whitehill & Bordon and Woking FCs
Following a successful campaign which sees Whitehill & Bordon FC hopeful of promotion to the senior division, the club is now in need of a new home. Whitehill & Bordon was set up by three friends with a passion for football and a desire...
Bats are under threat; let’s save the bats!
Bats. They live across the UK, but like many of the species here, are under threat. These fascinating fluffy flyers are part of the ecosystem and support it by helping the right plants and hunting the right insects. Unfortunately though, without the right environmental...
Wildlife-friendly lawns: the long and the short of it
What do you visualise when you hear the word lawn? Beautifully manicured stretches of Wimbledon-esque grass, scruffy homemade football pitches or that guilt-inducing rusty lawnmower at the back of the shed? One thing you probably don’t think is ‘insect paradise’. Surely insects prefer rich,...
Big Hearts, Big Differences – the Free Food Stall in Camberley tackles food poverty
Prosperous Surrey is a label that we are living with. While it is true in some areas, other areas tell a different story - we might see millionaire mansions are just down the road from homes of people struggling with food poverty.
What is food...
What does biodegradable mean – green or greenwashing?
We’ve all been there. Gone for a lovely walk in the woods and stumbled across the crumbling remains of a crisp packet dating back to the days when Skips only set you back 7p. But that’s OK; give it another four decades and it’ll...
The Green Owl of Change – how learning a language helped me find order in chaos
New Year 2021. We wished that the events of 2020 were behind us, and yet we could feel the dark clouds of COVID-19 gathering around our heads. It was at this time, seeing which way the wind was blowing that I started my adventure...
The price of grass-roots success: Whitehill and Bordon FC needs a new home
Season 2021-22 has been a good year for the Stags, finishing second in the Hampshire Premier League Division 1 and now hopeful of promotion to the senior division of the Hampshire Premier League. That will place them into the eleventh tier of English football,...
High street figures up, but Peacock Centre owner in administration
The retail sector was hard-hit by covid. While online retailers saw increases, bricks-and-mortar shops struggled. Fast fashion retailer Primark, proud to not sell online, saw losses, and Debenhams went under altogether. However, since covid restrictions were removed in March, retail is recovering and has...
More than an Oscar Fight: Why we should be talking about Jada Pinkett Smith’s head.
At this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, Jada Pinkett Smith stepped confidently onto the red carpet with a shaved head and looked stunning. The actress and talk show host began shaving her head last year as her personal way of accepting and living with alopecia....