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REGULARS
Heartless criminals ruin re-landscaped village green
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Thieves have ruined the replanting of the village green in Claygate
just hours after work had been completed by the village’s Green Team in
preparation for this year’s Claygate in Bloom initiative.
Parish Councillor Jehan Master said that the Green Team’s Carol Manley and
fellow volunteers had been working flat out all day to get the work completed at
what has become known as ‘the pointy end’ of The Green. But local residents
returning home from work that evening had just a few hours in which to admire
the tremendous results.
Later that night heartless criminals drove into the old village and parked
alongside the Hare and Hounds. A witness saw them pulling up the plants and
putting them into the back of their vehicle. When the thieves were challenged,
they got back into their vehicle and drove off towards Red Lane. The
registration number of the vehicle was recorded and given to the
police.
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Wheelie bin body identified as Melanie Wallner
Melanie Wallner may have died in 2006
Media reports today suggest that the body of a woman found in a wheelie bin
outside a house in Hamilton Avenue, Cobham last weekend may have been hidden in
a freezer for three years.
Thirty-two-year-old Melanie Wallner’s remains were discovered hidden among
rubbish when her foot was seen poking out of the top of the bin.
The police arrested her husband, Peter Wallner, 33, at Gatwick airport. Peter
and Melanie were married in North London in 2001.
It has been alleged that he told friends that his South African wife – whose
maiden name was Van Der Merwe – had died several years ago.
Detective Chief Inspector Maria Woodall explained: “We have received varying
accounts from Melanie’s family, friends and neighbours about her recent history.
Some had thought she moved away from Surrey in the last few years and others
believed she may have died in 2006.”
Peter had been staying with his new wife, 23-year-old Lilia Fenech
and her family in Malta when he became aware that police wanted to speak to him.
He contacted officers on Tuesday and agreed to voluntarily return to the UK.
Peter met Lilia in 2007 while working at Woodlands Park Hotel in Cobham as
head chef. She was a trainee. They had married about six months ago.
Forensics experts are continuing a search of the address in Hamilton Avenue
and officers have extended their house-to-house enquires.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation – particularly
people who knew Melanie Wallner or have seen her since August 2006 – are asked
to call Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222 or the Crimestoppers charity anonymously
on 0800 555 111.
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Two men guilty of manslaughter of Esher waiter
Drowned: Bishal Gurung
Two men have been cleared of murder but found guilty of the lesser charge of
manslaughter of a Nepalese waiter from Esher who was beaten up and thrown into
the River Thames.
The Old Bailey heard that Kemik Thakali, 20, of Legion Court, Morden, south
London, and Rocky Gurung, 21, of Haig Place, Morden were part of a group that
chased Bishal Gurung along the Thames Embankment after celebrating the Nepalese
New Year on board the Yacht Club – a floating bar by Waterloo Bridge.
When the victim was caught, he was beaten up and thrown into the river. Two
weeks later a member of the public found his body in the river.
A post-mortem examination revealed that Bishal - who worked at the Sherpa
Kitchen in Esher High Street – was still alive when he was thrown into the
river. He had a two-inch cut to the back of his head and deep bruising to
his skull but the cause of his death was drowning.
The court was told a third man, Arjun Gurung, had been identified as one of
the people who threw Bishal in the Thames but he had returned to Nepal. The
guilty men will be sentenced on 10 July.
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Oxshott man unable to attend extradition hearing
Griffin: Fighting extradition
An Oxshott businessman fighting extradition to France over the murder of his
millionaire girlfriend was mentally unfit to attend court on Wednesday.
Ian Griffin, 40, was arrested following the discovery of the body of his
Polish girlfriend Kinga Legg at the Hotel Le Bristol in Paris.
French police said the 36-year-old died from internal bleeding as a result of
injuries.
According to national press reports, the couple had rowed after drinking
heavily in their hotel suite. Her naked and battered body was found the next day
in the bathroom.
The couple lived together at a mansion on the Crown Estate in Oxshott,
and were neighbours of Chelsea football stars.
Bizarrely, Mr Griffin was arrested after being found asleep in a tent in
woods in Cheshire after a week-long search, not far from the homes of
football stars from Manchester.
He was due to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday
to face extradition proceedings. But defence lawyer, Stephen Vullo said Mr
Griffin had been taken to St George’s Hospital in Wandsworth.
His family and legal team had been barred from seeing him because of his
mental condition. As Mr Griffin was not well enough to attend, the court hearing
could not go ahead. Mrs Legg was the owner and director of Vegex, an
established company from Poland that exports tomatoes to McDonald’s and renowned
supermarket chains including Tesco, Morrisons and Iceland. The company’s UK base
is in Oxshott.
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The Marist Senior School awarded for promoting eco initiatives
Marist girls go green
Girls at the Marist Senior School in Sunninghill have shown their green
credentials, having been awarded an Eco Schools Bronze Certificate.
To raise awareness of environmental concerns, the entire school participated
in a range of different eco projects based around the theme , "Reduce".
Lights were turned off where possible to reduce electricity, taps were turned
off properly to save water, and waste was recycled diligently. All students
aimed to check a print preview of their schoolwork before printing documents to
ensure no unnecessary paper was wasted. A book exchange programme was also
instigated as a further way to save paper.
All form rooms competed for the title of "Most Eco Friendly Classroom" by
adhering to these goals.
The school library encouraged the girls to learn more about environmental
issues by visiting displays of photographic images and news articles that had
been created in connection with concerns at both a local and global level.
Several girls planted tree saplings in the school grounds and vowed to take
responsibility for the trees as they grow. Miss Lydia Spoors, Head of
Year 11, said: "Environment Week has been a very popular event as it has helped
students to become even more aware of the impact they have on the
environment. The school already has a good recycling and ‘low light’
policy but Environment Week has encouraged everyone to think about how they use
natural resources even more. The school is a supporter of the Eco Schools
initiative and has already been awarded the Bronze Certificate. The week
has enabled us to engage in more activities to promote further sustainable
development within our school."
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A3 roadwork in summer
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Major maintenance work will begin next month on the A3 Esher Bypass
between Hook Interchange (Junction with A309) and Clayton Road Bridge.
A 40mph temporary speed limit will be in place for the duration of
the works and a diversion route through Esher will be in place during
overnight closure of the A3.
The work will start on Monday 15 June
and is due to finish on Friday 7 August, subject to weather
conditions.
In order to get the work done as quickly as possible, there will be 24
hour working which includes maintenance of worn out carriageway, |
surfacing and drainage, upgrading of lighting and safety barriers to
bring them in line with current standards.
Road closures and lane
reduction will only be in operation during off peak periods.
In
order to carry out the works safely, there will be overnight main line and
slip road closures, lane width restrictions, speed restriction, hard
shoulder running.
Delays will be low during peak periods and could
be severe during off peak periods when closures are in place for the
safeguard of drivers and the
workforce. |
Brooklands motorsport students experience life in the fast lane
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Students from Brooklands College will attend Brands Hatch on June 22 to
monitor the progress of a Formula 4 car that they have helped to develop.
“Although we have carried out extensive testing at our fantastic motorsport
facilities, including developmental power runs on our own rolling road, it is a
great to put to the test the theory we teach at college, in a real life event,”
said Jonathan Nicholls, manager of the Engineering Centre of Vocational
Excellence.
The single seater race car that the students have helped to develop
is sponsored by Revelation Motorsport, a motor racing manufacturer from West
Yorkshire.
The car recently competed in the first round of the Formula 4
Championship at the Anglesey Race Circuit, North Wales.
Michael Fryatt, a Revelation approved drivers, competed in the
event.
The race team at the event comprised four staff from the Engineering Faculty
and two Brooklands students who independently travelled and spent their own time
at the sponsored event to experience motorsport first hand, by watching and
supporting the Brooklands staff team.
Students saw how teamwork is essential for building and developing a race car
and were able to appreciate how the skills they have learnt during their
motorsport course are applied at the track; including motorsport engineering,
electronics and the setting up and tuning of the chassis. “It was a very
successful race weekend where the team work and technical capabilities of the
driver and the support staff led us to achieve third in class and we were all
proud of two race finishes,” Jonathan Nicholls said.
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READ LIVING WITHIN
Fun at the Fete

Louisa Rix – who played Kevin's mum in Harry Enfield's iconic Kevin and
Perry sketches on BBC1 – was one of many celebrities at the annual Princess
Alice Hospice Summer Fete. <More>
Aces in World Youth Cup
 Ascot
United U14s are off to Sweden in July to play in the World Youth Cup <More>
Splashing time for all at St Francis School
 The
pupils of St Francis Catholic Primary School in South Ascot explore the role
water plays in their lives. <More>
Summer Picnic Concert
Come along to the newly formed Elmbridge Ladies Choir’s first ever
performance on Sunday 19 July at 7pm and enjoy a Summer Picnic Concert by the
river at the close of the Molesey Amateur Regatta at Hurst Park.
Bring a picnic, visit the bar and be entertained with songs by artists
including Cher, Sting, The Weather Girls and fab songs from the swinging '60s.
Tickets, £8 and £4 for children under 12 yrs, are available from Box Office
01372 466275, email shirley@elmbridgechoir.co.uk or visit www.elmbridgechoir.co.uk
Drainage plans approved for M25 Cobham services
Members of the planning committee at Elmbridge Borough Council have given
their approval to plans for drainage and sewage for a controversial service
station to be built on the M25 near Downside, Cobham. Downside residents said
the area is already prone to flooding, and will be made worse if the service
station gets the full go-ahead.
Esher School 10K Race
...and FAMILY FUN RUN!
Photographs from this exciting annual event. Have a look and see if you can
spot your friends and family – or maybe even yourself! <MORE>
Another cup win for Ascot Diamonds
Women and girls football at Ascot United took another step forward at the
weekend when the club’s Under 14 Diamonds produced an entertaining display of
five-a-side football at the annual Sandhurst tournament. In eight 10 minute
matches, they scored 20 goals, and conceded only one – which was from the
penalty spot.
The girls – who have been playing competitively in the Premier Division of
the Surrey County Girls League for five years – qualified for the quarter finals
by winning four matches and drawing one in the group stages. They then went on
to beat Sandhurst in the Quarter Finals and Camberley in the Semi Finals.
The earlier games had taken their toll, leaving the girls tired and weary in
the finals against a resolute Fleet Town. But they still dominated and were
unlucky not to have converted at least one of many chances.
So the match went to penalties. It was a tense finale, but Ascot held their
nerve and secured victory 5-4.
STOP PRESS: Players Wanted - Ascot Diamonds are looking for
girls at U15 level to join the squad for next season, 2009/2010. Training
facilities at the Club are excellent, and the team are past winners of league
and cup trophies. Current players come from as far afield as Elmbridge and
Bracknell. Some even count Germany and the United States as home!
The Club will be running a girls open day for all age group on 28 June at
Charters School, Charters Road, Sunningdale, Berkshire, SL5 9QY. All girls are
welcome to come along. Please contact Michelle on 01344 641460 or by
e-mail michelle.walker@ascotunited.net for more
information.
Mayor visits volunteers at Sunrise of Bagshot
 The
Mayor of Surrey Heath dropped in for tea at Sunrise of Bagshot and presented
volunteers from Age Concern Surrey Heath with certificates to celebrate their
work. <More>
Avril wins Claygate draw

Avril Gilbert has been named as the first ever winner of the Claygate
Shopping Experience monthly prize draw. <MORE>
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| © 2008 Piranha PR Ltd |
Last update: 26/06/2009 |
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LIVING WITHIN
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LIVING WITHIN’s popular monthly gardening columnist Linda Regel will
open her own garden to the public on Sunday 28 June.
She joins eight more enthusiasts displaying their gardens to the public
in Englefield Green and Virginia Water in aid of Thames Hospicecare.
The gardens are all different and range from large to small and include
a working nursery. Teas are being served and plants are for sale.
The gardens are open from 2 to 5.30pm.
Tickets cost £4 and can be obtained from Blacklock’s Bookshop in
Englefield Green, Dunkirk Nursery in Egham or contact Linda on 01344
844320. |
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USEFUL NUMBERS
Police
Surrey Police 0845 125 22 22
Thames Valley Police 0845 8 505 505
Anti terrorist hotline 0800 789321 Fire &
Rescue
Fire & Rescue 0118 9452888
Local Hospitals
Heatherwood Hospital 01344 874340
Kingston Hospital 020 8546 7711
Epsom General Hospital 01372 735 735
St Peters Hospital 01932 872 000
Animal Welfare
RSPCA 0870 555 5999 |
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