As a big fan of 'Downton', I was expecting to enjoy the second series of the BBC’s revival 70s show ‘Upstairs Downstairs’. They are both similar in principle, but not in practice. While 'Downton’s' ingenuity lies in the fact that it is based around the
Winger Gerard Mullen, loosehead Alex Clarke and tighthead Alex Mackenzie have signed new deals to be at London Scottish next term. The trio played key roles in the club's Championship survival, which was secured with a losing bonus point in the final
A week after her double gold medal winning performance at the London Region Youth Championships, Teddington Swimming Club's Hannah Rogers secured two more gold medals at the Beckenham International Open Meet held at Crystal Palace last weekend.
Signs suggest that rents, which have been rising steadily, could be levelling out. But although rental prices may have peaked, demand for rented accommodation is still very high in the Sutton and Epsom area. Jackie Parsons, branch manager of Leaders
Amateur dramatics group The Magdalene Players are putting on a play penned by its own members for the first time in its 30 year history. Constituent Parts is set in an errant MP's constituency office on election day. Rt Honourable Norman Smythe believes
Men's innermost thoughts and desires are set to be explored in a musical comedy. The Thing About Men by the writers of long running off Broadway hit, I love You, You're Perfect, Now Change is running for a month at The Landor Theatre. Creators Jimmy
Tickets are now on sale for The London FolkFest 2012, a fresh new festival hitting Balham this summer. A feast of folk bands and artists are taking over the borough, including panels with industry professionals, interactive master-classes and community
A Buddy Holly tribute act will be rocking and rolling into the borough this week, writes Sophia Sleigh. Fans will get an evening of Buddy’s greatest hits and other legends from the 50s and 60s including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and the Beatles
A former Croydon schoolgirl is facing jail in Dubai for allegedly having sex in a taxi while she was drunk. Rebecca Blake is accused of romping with Irishman Conor McRedmond while being driven from a bar following an all-day drinking session
Jack Petchey Glee Club Challenge is back and boasting patronage from comedian and Eurovision presenter Graham Norton. The music and dance project is aimed at young performers in Croydon offering them the chance to win thousands of pounds in
Stunning photos taken around Elmbridge as part of a photography competition are awaiting your vote. Snappers were tasked with capturing the borough at its best as part of Elmbridge Council’s Love Where You Live photo competition. The entries can be
A benefit gig against plans to sell off land to fund a school refurbishment is be held at the Bread and Roses pub in Clapham this Friday. The line up is yet to be confirmed but with Elliott School's rich history of producing musical talent
A man who threw a petrol bomb through his neighbour’s window has been jailed for eight years. Nathaniel Darius Palmer, 26, of Fernham Road, Thornton Heath was jailed on Monday May 14 after being found guilty of criminal damage and arson with
Two young children allegedly murdered by their mother in their Wandsworth home last Wednesday were suffocated, an inquest has heard. Lily Boots, aged 14 months, and her 10-week-old brother Mason were found unconscious by their father Jeff at
Organisers of a village May Queen fete have come under attack for choosing to support a charity that helps wounded soldiers. Woodmansterne May Queen Fete has been a tradition since 1966, but the decision this year to choose Help for Heroes
These two tiny rottweiler puppies are the only survivors from a little of five who were dumped at Battersea Dogs and Cats home recently. Little Layla is only five weeks old but in that short time she has found herself without her mum and has
Gardeners are sharpening their secateurs ahead of the launch of this year's Sutton In Bloom. The Sutton Guardian-sponsored annual competition sees green fingered residents and schoolchildren pit their gardening skills and plants against one
Nurses and pharmacists at St Peter’s Hospital can now provide a wider range of pain relief and other drugs. The law relating to national guidance on prescriptions recently changed reduced restrictions on what nurses could prescribe.
Work on a new town square funded through a grant from the Mayor of London is set to begin. Central Parade in New Addington is set to be transformed with a permanent events stage, play area, seating and a new pedestrian crossing to be installed
The changing face of Norwood at the start of the 20th century has been laid out in a unique collection of postcards and photographs of the area. Author and local historian John Coulter is set to publish his latest book Norwood – A Second Selection
Monday afternoon this week was by now the annual breakout of nervous tics and clock watching sessions for pretty much any AFC Wimbledon fan over the age of 30. It wasn’t the collective fear of a mass mid-life crisis though, not just yet anyway
A police raid of a scrap yard in Croydon uncovered one of the largest ever hauls of stolen metal. Detective inspector Brian Hobbs, of Croydon police, called the find “a significant haul”. He said he believed the raid, on Monday, May
Accusations of illegality and deception were hurled at Croydon Council at a volatile public meeting held over the future of an under threat library. Councillor Sara Bashford, cabinet member for culture and sport, came under a barrage of complaints
A tree surgeon is taking his performance skills to dizzy new heights to raise money for a charity that helped cure his mother of breast cancer. Ben Trevor has set himself a tall challenge to raise money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
Exotic feathered invaders have been spotted in West Ewell. A woman who has lived in the village for the past two years saw five parakeets there for the first time two weeks ago. She said: "I couldn’t believe it - I don’t see parakeets
St Helier Hospital has been dealt another major blow as its children’s ward has been earmarked for closure, the Sutton Guardian can reveal. The same NHS review that last week recommended the hospital lose its accident and emergency (A&E) and
A man was taken to hospital with head injuries after a crash on the A3 this morning. An eye-witness said the incident involved a taxi, a van and two cars. A spokesman for London Ambulance said: "We got a call at 6.50am about a road traffic
A carer has escaped jail after admitting burgling the home of a child she was looking after. Carley Allen of Hillside Road, Whyteleafe, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft after being arrested on April 15. The 31-year old was caught
Is there a Susan Boyle or a Pudsey the dog waiting to be discovered in Purley and step out of the shadows and on to the stage? The Purley Festival has announced Purley’s Got Talent is set to return following last year’s showcase event. With heats
A fire broke out in a prisoner’s cell last night. The Fire Brigade were called to HMP High Down in Banstead at 11.10pm. Two fire engines from Epsom and one from Sutton attended the scene. The prison staff had largely dealt with the fire
A father-of-two who plummeted 100ft in a hotel lift while on a stag do in Newquay is suing for a six-figure sum, after enduring terrifying flashbacks and gruelling physiotherapy. IT analyst Stephen Dinsdale, 44, was on a stag weekend at Hotel Victoria
Amongst the multitude of end of season events one really stood out as a main attraction, what with the club’s love for transparency - the fans forum, our chance to attend our very own end of season ‘press conference’. Though out of everything revealed
The £219m promised to St Helier Hospital could be under threat as a result of the Better Services, Better Value review, according to a Government minister. Sutton and Cheam MP and care minister Paul Burstow said continued uncertainty over what
Firefighters were called to a blaze in the roof of a house in Coulsdon last night. Crews from Purley and Wallington fire stations were called to Ellis Road at about 1am. An electrical defect in a light fitting in the top hallway is believed
Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea knows his players are in the Premiership final to win it - because they would kill him if he thought otherwise. A later Joe Marler try secured Quins their place in the Twickenham showpiece on May 26
It might not have been perfect but there was still no wiping the smile off Epsom’s Shona Richards’s face after she claimed double gold at the Sainsbury’s School Games earlier this month. The 16-year-old triumphed in both the 300m hurdles, in 43.89 seconds
The owner of a new cab company with an almost identical name to a famous internet search engine has insisted he has not broken any laws. Kaz Odutayo, 50, has rejected claims that Gooogle Cars breaches copyright restrictions and maintains it
Esher chief executive Mike Schmid has confirmed Harlequins centre Ollie Smith is in the running for a full-time role at the club – and it could be as head coach. The 29-year-old British & Irish Lion and Heineken Cup winner has been part of
Police have become involved in the escalating feud between Carshalton Athletic's controversial owner and fans. Sutton police have issued a prevention of harassment letter to a 68-year-old fan, Chris Allen, after claims he threatened violence
It seems not even the might of the Government has been able to lift the veil of secrecy that continues to disguise top council earners. Merton Council has defied an edict by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, who called on town halls nationwide
There remains no clear answer for why hundreds of disappointed schoolchildren missed out on the chance to see the Queen arriving in Mitcham for the very first time. Yesterday’s visit by Her Royal Highness and the Duke of Edinburgh to St Mark
A mother got the fright of her life when she found a fox hiding inside her baby's bedroom. Wanda Farrell,30, came back to her Tooting flat last week to find the intruder had trashed the place, causing £1,000 of damage. The wooden blinds
Six men involved in a fight outside a Norbury cab office have been jailed for a total of 16 years. The fight took place in the early hours of March 26, last year and involved nine men outside a cab office in London Road. Some of the
An academy is accused of forcing pupils to use permanent marker on their shoes to meet strict school uniform regulations. Sophie Roberts, who has two children at the Harris Academy, in South Norwood, is furious after her 12-year-old daughter
A man has been arrested on suspicion of committing arson with intent to endanger life by setting fire to his own flat. The 28-year-old was arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act, after a serious fire the bedroom of his ground floor
Despite the weather, every festival lover in the UK is currently growing rather excited. Because regardless of rainfall, the festival season is looming, and with the mighty Glastonbury taking a well-earned break for 2012, Paul Jones rounds
A vicar and a blind woman will abseil down a church tower next week. Crowds are expected to gather at 12pm on Saturday, May 26, at St Martin’s Church, Epsom to watch the big plunge. It is all in aid of the Bells Appeal, which aims to
Terry Brown has launched a scathing attack on agents after Brendan Kiernan submitted a transfer request at AFC Wimbledon. The young striker only signed a two-and-a-half-year contract in January but has become frustrated at a lack of first team chances
A television singing sensation who shot to fame in the 1970s version of Britain’s got Talent and was forced to retire after a routine operation went wrong has made a comeback at a talent competition. Karl Prinz-Minshall appeared 10 times
A man needed hospital treatment after he was robbed in Epsom town centre at the weekend. Surrey Police are appealing for witnesses after a man in his 20s was assaulted by a group of four or five men in an alleyway close to the TK Maxx store
Seafood lovers were in food heaven at the launch of a Streatham pub’s summer shellfish menu. The Manor Arms in Mitcham Lane opened its new crab shack on Saturday in the courtyard garden. Punters were treated to music from DJ Sam LeMans
GPs set to run NHS services in Sutton from next year raised concerns about proposals to close the hospital’s key services, throwing the long term future of the cuts into doubt. The Sutton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is set to dictate
The woman in charge of regenerating Streatham town centre has been disciplined for defending it from comments it was a “s*******”. Town centre manager Angelina Purcell, employed by Lambeth Council to promote business growth and commercial development
Protestors held a rally outside St Helier Hospital on Tuesday opposing the plans to cut A&E and maternity services at the hospital. MPs Tom Brake and Paul Burstow, his wife councillor Mary Burstow, and Sutton Council leader elect Ruth Dombey
Plans to close St Helier Hospital's accident and emergency and maternity departments have been condemned as flawed by Government health minister Paul Burstow. Major concerns have been raised by the Sutton and Cheam MP about how an NHS review
Knowing how to make Jessica Ennis defeat Usain Bolt, or Daley Thompson triumph over Kelly Holmes has propelled a primary school pupil into the final of a national Top Trumps competition. Reece Grady, from Monks Orchard Primary School first
A blind couple have been ordered to remove a gate which stops their guide dog from escaping, because it posed a fire risk. Allen Richardson, 71, and his wife Margaret, 75, of Princes Way, Southfields, use the gate to stop their dog Turner from
Magicians, acrobats and wing dancers descended on Sutton High Street to start a summer of celebrations. Performers from Bezerkaz Circus, including unicycle stuntman, brought a carnival atmosphere to the town centre, while other acts took to
