Archive

  • Devonshire refuses to be caught up in silly season

    Hampton & Richmond Borough may have secured their first home league win in two months on Saturday but boss Alan Devonshire is not getting carried away. Beavers skipper Matt Elverson last week decalred he would settle for an ugly 1-0 triumph to break

  • Deano dreaming of a bright Christmas

    NEC Harlequins rugby director Dean Richards believes his players have the confidence to respond in style after successive defeats against Sale Sharks and Newcastle Falcons. The Stoop outfit face a crunch Christmas period, which former skipper Andre Vos

  • Teens deny murder of dad

    Two teenagers accused of shooting dead Peter Woodhams have denied murdering the 22-year-old father, who grew up in Croydon. Bradley Tucker, 18, and a 17-year-old youth who cannot be named, pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder and to having a gun

  • Ensuring we will apply golden rule

    I'd like to take the opportunity, through your letters' page, to thank the over five hundred residents from across Sutton Borough who signed CAFOD's Unearth Justice petition. CAFOD's three glamorous Golden Girls, from St Philomena's school, and Gold

  • Council hedges its bets on blueprint for future

    With reference to your correspondent who questioned some of the facts in relation to the Local Development Framework (LDF) for Sutton and its core strategy. This framework will replace the unitary development plan and will dictate the needs and vision

  • S4 is noisy, uneconomic and bad for health

    Sundays are bliss as the S4 bus does not run. In reply to JM Bonney who says they have spent many years sending "petitions and detailed letters" to get a bus nearer to their house. Why? Instead of spending years complaining they should have moved nearer

  • Long live lifeline

    In response to the letter about the S4 bus from Patricia Murphy, Thicket Road, surely a few brief moments for a bus to stop is not too much to ask for. We campaigned for a bus for over 15 years and some people are fortunate to have a bus that stops either

  • Bus route proves godsend for youngsters and elderly

    I read the comments about the S4 bus and found it sad that P Murphy has given no thought to those who live along this route towards St Helier - no other buses come our way, unlike P Murphy who has a bus each end of her road. The elderly, many in poor

  • Very grateful for S4’s new improved route

    I am fed up with Mrs Murray's criticism of the S4 bus. If she still lives in Thicket Road and has no car - perhaps she will realise what a great help the S4 is to all around about Thicket Road, as well as to us in Oak Lodge. What a selfish, thoughtless

  • Handbag stolen in a few moments

    A warning to carers and wheelchair users in Sutton. I was shopping last Monday with my mother who is a wheelchair user. I won't let her carry her bag on her lap so have a bag that hangs on the handles between me and the wheelchair, to carry our handbags

  • Poppy efforts very much appreciated

    Leading up to Remembrance Sunday, members of the Royal Air Force Association of Morden were in Sutton selling poppies for the British Legion. We have a team of four stalwarts who do most of the work but other members also help when they can. During

  • Fox is a filthy beast

    Did you really have to print Mr Murphy's letter in your issue of November 30? The fox is anything but a much maligned creature struggling to survive. Is Mr Murphy confusing the fox with the human race? He obviously doesn't have to clear the foxes out

  • Unite for hospital

    As a member of staff employed at St. Helier Hospital I felt obliged to participate in the Save St Helier' march on Saturday morning. Bearing in mind the extremely wet and windy conditions a reasonable number of approximately 1,500 people turned up to

  • STD rise means testing time for young

    As the number of people with sexually transmitted diseases continues to increase, doctors are urging people to get tested - and to be more responsible. Sara McCorquodale reports. Before we begin, I must warn you that this is not a conventional love

  • Stuntman with a licence to thrill

    Gary Powell was the stunt co-ordinator who staged the crash in which 007's Aston Martin is blasted by a nitrogen cannon in the new film Casino Royale. KEVIN BARNES reports. The most visually arresting sequence in the new James Bond movie Casino Royale

  • A climb to get to surgery

    Am I alone in finding it a bit odd that the local Primary Care Trust are planning to put the new Stanwell surgery upstairs in the new day centre (assuming, of course, that the Stanwell New Start plans goes forward)? Many of the people who attend your

  • Truth sought over jail

    I am writing in response to the article in the Staines Guardian last week entitled Italian food and opera for Cromwell Road killer. I wish to confirm the comments made by the local resident quoted in your paper. My husband and I attended the open day

  • Government unfair to Catholic school

    Education, education, education, but not religious education. I must back up what Jackie Roy writes in your November 30 edition about the closure of Christ the King RC Infants' School, as a former Spelthorne Borough Council-appointed governor of the school

  • Sally Anne alarm

    Members of Sally Anne Bowman's family are due to hand out free rape alarms as part of a council campaign. Thousands of free hand held alarms, named after Sally Anne, will be distributed by the family of the teenager throughout the evening for Friday,

  • Terrors look for a revival

    Tooting & Mitcham look to lift themselves away from the nether regions of Ryman League Division One South when they host Corinthian Casuals on Saturday, writes Steve Taylor. Billy Smith's men saw Friday's trip to Croydon Athletic washed out because of

  • Let’s see where credit is due before giving it on academies

    In response to the letter from Councillor Debbie Shears, now that the two Merton academy schools are a success, the Conservatives want to claim the credit. She seems to have conveniently forgotten that earlier this year the Conservatives on Merton Council

  • Can we be told the times new bus lane will operate?

    I am a resident of Mitcham and I drive a car along London Road from the Cricket Green to the Fair Green where a new bus lane has been installed. No times are shown on the blue bus lane signs ie (7am - 10am or at anytime). The opposite side of the road

  • Fed up being taken for a ride just to park our cars

    I am writing on behalf of the occupants of Birdhurst Road and Warren Road to voice our unhappiness with the present residents parking system which has now been in place for over three years. When the introduction of a permit was put to us nearly four

  • New speed ramp leaves my building constantly quaking

    I am writing to inform fellow readers of the situation in Durnsford Road, Wimbledon Park, which has become unbearable. I live close by the Mosque and some months back, a speed ramp was installed. The volume of traffic has always been pretty bad and you

  • Morden does care about St Helier Hospital’s fate

    I would like to say that not only was the march to save St Helier Hospital diverted off the main road, but the majority of people in Morden and Mitcham knew nothing about it. Closure of this hospital would be just as disastrous to us as it will be to

  • What a pleasant dump

    People in service jobs usually get written about only when they do a bad job. But can I pay a compliment to the men and women of Merton's Garth Road Recycling Centre? They are courteous, cheerful and helpful, always ready to give advice and physical

  • No apathy – hospital closure will affect all

    As a member of staff employed at St Helier Hospital, I felt obliged to participate in the Save St Helier march on Saturday morning. Bearing in mind the extremely wet and windy conditions a reasonable number of approximately 1,500 people turned up to

  • Londoners should not foot the bill for games

    Londoners should not have to dig deeper into their pockets to cover any possible additional resources needed for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. London councils has been firmly behind the bid for the games and is working with the Olympic Delivery

  • Dons curse injury problems

    AFC Wimbledon boss Dave Anderson is considering a tongue-in-cheek move to exorcise the demons in the Kingsmeadow pitch he thinks are crippling his side. The Dons chief was without nine first-choice players for Saturday's goalless home draw with Horsham

  • Sylvester up for challenge

    Leaders Streatham Redskins made it 11 wins from 11 games by defeating Haringey Greyhounds 3-0 at Alexandra Palace on Sunday, writes Jon Fitzmaurice. Head coach Dean Birrell said: "Haringey are one of the most improved teams in the league and they put

  • Wayne calls for team effort

    Dulwich Hamlet boss Wayne Burnett has urged his players to follow prolific marksman Chris Dickson's lead and prove they are not a one-man team. The Champion Hill outfit sit top of the pile in Ryman Division One South table on goal difference, thanks

  • Hazel eyes a win-derful December

    Sutton United boss Ian Hazel has described December as a month that could go a long way to determine which division his side plays in next season, writes Stuart Amos. United visit fellow Conference South strugglers Hayes on Saturday before facing Farnborough

  • Cordery desperate to string results together

    Staines Town manager Steve Cordery is hoping his Jekyll and Hyde team finally show consistency in the Ryman Premier Division, starting with a home match against Leyton on Saturday (3pm). Town dropped to 12th place in the table last weekend when they

  • Paris earns capital gains for Devonshire’s Beavers

    Free-scoring centre-back Rob Paris, who three weeks ago helped earn Hampton & Richmond a comeback draw against Tonbridge Angels with an equaliser, grabbed another vital goal on Saturday to give the Beavers a 1-0 home Ryman Premier League victory over

  • Gun stash

    Sixty-five guns were found at a Crystal Palace house last week. The unoccupied property was searched by police last Thursday. Police said many of the weapons are prohibited and some could be converted into lethal weapons. There were no arrests and an

  • Andre is ready to hang up his boots

    NEC Harlequins blindside flanker Andre Vos believes the time would be right for him to retire, should his side secure Guinness Premiership survival this season. The 31-year-old South African has been back to his best since stepping down as skipper, with

  • Star quality

    Croydon Council's social services for adults service was awarded a maximum three stars after an inspection. According to The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), which assesses the standard of care given, Croydon social services is serving most

  • Long service

    Two Croydon women recently celebrated 20 years of working for the same company. Mondial UK staff Debbie Cullen, operations recruitment manager, and Marilyn Hutchings, a team manager, recently received long service awards at the company's Croydon headquarters

  • Help with claim

    The widow of a former Croydon electrician who died from an asbestos-related disease is appealing for former work colleagues to help with a legal claim. James Harris worked for the Expanded Rubber Company in Mitcham Road between 1957 and 1962. He worked

  • Weir: Flora light on prize money parity

    Wheelchair athletics star David Weir has slammed organisers of the Flora London Marathon for treating disabled athletes like second-class citizens. The 28-year-old member of Kingston-based Velocity Wheelchair Racing Club, has urged the powers that be

  • Defeat caps nightmare for Boro boss

    Hounslow Borough manager Dennis Bainborough, having gone back to the club after quitting a week ago over a row about players not being paid, had a nightmare return on Tuesday. Not only did Borough lose 3-2 at Bicester in the Hellenic League Premier Division

  • Council bigwigs among most powerful in country

    The chief executive and finance boss of Croydon Council have been named in a list of the UK's most influential public servants - despite the fact that the town hall is £37million in the red and services are being slashed. Nathan Elvery, director of finance