The Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs may have to spend the rest of his life behind bars after his parole was rejected by Justice Secretary Jack Straw. Mr Straw rejected a recommendation by the Parole Board which backed the release of Biggs,
A Nasa rocket scientist whose life was saved by Kingston midwives two decades ago has visited the hospital for a reunion with staff. Vinita Marwaha, known as Minnie by family, from Surbiton, was born at 28 weeks weighing 1lb 10oz 22 years ago. She
Students from Claremont Fan School enjoyed an oustanding day at the National Prep Schools Championship in Birmingham, writes Judy Tilson. Harry Lightfoot-Brown was crowned U14 boys’ national champion in the 75m hurdles, clocking 12.3 seconds, while Emma
Formed 10 years , Surrey based Gems Netball Club celebrated by finishing the 08-09 season with promotion to the London and South East Regional League Division 1. This is a great result, showing excellent consistency and dedication throughout the season
An independent disciplinary committee - convened in London on July 2 and 3 - to hear misconduct complaints under the Heineken Cup 2008/09 disciplinary rules brought against Harlequins has been adjourned until July 20. The meeting concerned the blood
Sutton topped their group in the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games Badminton qualifiers and will be one of eight boroughs fighting it out to be champions this weekend. The qualifiers were held at the Sobell Leisure centre in Islington on Saturday 27
An organisation has accused Surrey County Council (SCC) of squandering more than £30,000-a-year of taxpayers’ money on propaganda, instead of using the money on improving its “inadequate” rated services. The Tax Payers’ Alliance (TPA) website gave
Epsom & Ewell Harriers came from behind to win Thursday’s Nonsuch Park Relays. A near-record 62 teams took part in warm conditions and, after finishing sixth on the opening 1.86-mile lap, Epsom gradually made their way through the field to finish a little
Surrey FA are hosting a level one coaching course at Abbey Rangers FC, Addlestone Moor, Surrey, KT15 2QH, starting next Wednesday. There are six places left. To sign up e-mail oliver.selfe@surreyfa.com by 8am on Monday (July 6).
The latest fatality in Afghanistan is the highest ranking Army officer to be killed since the Falklands War, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has revealed. Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, from Monck’s Row, Wandsworth, was killed by an explosion
Sutton’s mixed gender tennis team will compete in the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games tennis Super Sixes at Crystal Palace this weekend after making it through the qualifying rounds. The qualifiers were held on 20 June at Redbridge Sports Centre
A man has been sentenced to life for killing his ex-girlfriend in her mum’s home off Streatham High Road, more than six years after being cleared of her murder. Mario Celaire, 31, killed Cassandra McDermott, 19, on October 25, 2001, in her
A tenant who drove neighbours mad with antisocial behaviour returned home to find himself evicted as Sutton police became the second force in the country to make use of tough new powers. The 57-year-old was locked out and his flat boarded up
Wandsworth-based White Eagles have merged with Malory, one of Britain’s best known volleyball clubs. They have come together to form Malory Eagles Volleyball Club, which will cater for beginners right through to National League One standard. Malory
The search is on for relatives of a fallen soldier whose possessions were discovered in northern France. Corporal Douglas Edward Grady, a 24-year-old soldier from Morden, was killed in action during the Battle of Normandy in 1944. His unit, the 2nd Battalion
Surrey County Council’s catering service has beaten stiff competition to scoop an award in a healthy meals competition, and won a trip to Las Vegas to boot. The council’s commercial services team took top spot in the secondary schools category of the
Sutton Runners were well represented in last week’s Horton Park Relay races. The club was represented by seven teams of four - each person running 1.4 miles. * Steve Barber 8:06, Chris Catt 8.23, Earl Tulloch 9.08, Andrew Nippard 8.11. Team time
The nine members of Sutton Runners took part in Saturday morning’s Banstead Woods 5km parkrun, were led home by Steven Barber, who finished fourth in a personal best 18:27. Other Sutton Runners: 33 Tony Moorhouse 21.32, 52 Ange Norris 23.23, 53 Peter
Swearing and shouting at a parking attendant will end in court and cost time and money, Epsom and Ewell Council has said this week. The warning comes after a 23-year-old plumber was ordered to do 90 hours of community work and pay £150 compensation
Wallington Crusaders Table Tennis Club, in partnership with the Sutton Association for the Blind, is conducting a 12-hour table tennis marathon on Saturday (8am to 8pm). There will be continuous play throughout the day and a number of special events
Collingwood AC entered four teams into the recent Horton Country Park Relays on a 1.45-mile off-road course. The D13 team did best, finishing 17th out of the 40 teams. Team D13: Nicola Dicks 9:34, Martin Lloyd (M45) 9:50, Andrew Griffin (M40) 9:21,
Woodmansterne will be hoping for better luck from the heavens this weekend after being robbed of victory by showers against Old Tiffinians last Saturday, writes David Clisby. It was typical of Woods’ luck this season that they were denied despite being
The parents have spoken, the results are in - two new primary schools should be built in the borough to cope with the ongoing surge in primary school applications, according to a consultation run by Kingston Council. But some residents in north Kingston
By Community Correspondent, Philippa Hennessy Local MP, Stephen Hammond has pledged his support for The Big Lunch and is urging Wimbledon locals to take part. The nationwide event is run by the Eden Trust and aims to promote community spirit and break
Tickets are still available for the “World Sounds” concert, that forms part of this year’s Streatham Festival. Balkan Gypsy ensemble Alejandro Toledo and the Magic Tombelinos are headlining the event at St Leonard’s Church, in Tooting Bec Gardens.
A mystery teenager has been hailed a hero after he rescued a woman from her burning house. The lad, named as Joaol, scaled a ladder to smash the upstairs window in Bedfont Lane, Feltham, before fighting through smoke to get her out The woman
Families soaked up the sun at a fundraising fun day in Wimbledon at the weekend. The charity celebration, which took place in Weir Road on Saturday, raised money for Children in Need. Special guests at the event included players from AFC Wimbledon
The world famous boyband, Boyzone will be playing live at Sandown Park Racecourse after evening racing has concluded on Thursday, August 6 as part of their current tour, entitled Better 09. We have three pairs of tickets to give away. Not only that
A couple who lost £700 of newly-bought furniture after a flash flood might not get a compensation payout because the insurance company had no proof it had rained. Roger Smith, 52, and his wife Barbara, 53, from Sutton, were temporarily storing
Not sure if you’ve noticed, but it has been quite hot this week. Yes, that is sarcasm. Of course you’ve noticed. What is funny, though, is that the same people whinging about the heat are generally the ones who complain about how rubbish British
A petition against increasing allotment rents will be handed into the Kingston Council on Tuesday evening. Rents are due increase by 12 per cent from next January, to £69, on top of the 3 per cent the increase in the cost to the public of all council
Young people have the chance to apply for funding of up to £3,000 to run their own youth projects. The £25,000 Youth Mayor’s Fund is accepting bids until Monday, July 20. Last year it helped fund projects including a summer activity programme
Paul Burstow, MP for Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park, held an energy awareness day for Sutton residents. Joining forces with Eaga, provider of the fuel poverty Warm Front scheme, Mr Burstow hosted the energy awareness event to help residents
New street lights planned for Surrey could reduce night crime by up to 10 per cent and cut down on accidents while helping to save the planet. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has backed Surrey County Council’s plans to replace
Only a quarter of council taxpayers feel that Kingston Council provides value for money, according to a national survey. Kingston taxpayers pay one of the highest council tax bills in the country with the average band D house due to pay £1,630.25
A parliamentary hopeful is pledging to publish all expenses if he is elected. Gavin Barwell, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Croydon Central, has sent flyers to constituents detailing his promises in a bid to regain the trust of voters
PC Jason Woods, Ashtead’s neighbourhood officer, is swapping his uniform and police issue bike for Lycra and a state-of-the-art carbon fibre bicycle. And he is exchanging the relatively flat area of Ashtead for the mountainous regions of France
A young Croydon entrepeneur is pocketing an ace profit with her controversial scheme to sell places in Wimbledon’s famous ticket queue. In an advertisment on internet listings site Gumtree, student Sabrina Sayed offered to stand in line from 5am as the
Old Oak Common has been highlighted as a prime site for a high speed rail connection linking Heathrow with other parts of the country. Though at very early stages it could mean more homes and jobs for the area, if approved. In a report developer Balfour
Sutton’s new borough commander has vowed to engage the borough’s youth and tackle antisocial behaviour head on. Speaking on his first day in the post, Chief Superintendent Guy Ferguson, 48, who has lived in Sutton for 25 years, said his priorities would
Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s in Surbiton has thrown its weight behind a charity appeal to raise £1m for a new home for people with learning disabilities. Fircroft Trust has already bought the derelict White Hart pub in Hook but the Kingston Guardian
Terry Brown reckons AFC Wimbledon have hit the big time after the Dons were given an opening day glamour clash with Luton Town when the Blue Square Premier fixtures were released on Friday. Brown’s men will face the Hatters, who were relegated
15/02/1932 Suddenly passed away on 21st June 2009. Funeral service at Leatherhead Crematorium on Friday 10th July at 2pm. Family flowers only. Donations if desired to Diabetes UK or British Heart foundation via Longhurst funeral directors,
Our mother died peacefully on 27th June 2009 aged 89 years. Funeral on 8th July 2009 at 1.00pm at Mortlake Crematorium. Family flowers only, donations to British Heart Foundation c/o Wake and Paine 020 8892 1784
Elmbridge Museum celebrated its 100th birthday with an Edwardian-themed party in Churchfields Recreation Ground, Weybridge, at the end of last month. People who attended the Party in the Park were serenaded by the Cobham Brass Band and the Mayor of
The true cost of the failed Putney Hospital project emerged this week as figures revealed NHS Wandsworth spent £2.6m in eight years on planning and securing the troubled site. Last month we reported plans for the dilapidated hospital, which
AFC Wimbledon will begin their Blue Square Premier campaign with a home clash with Luton Town after the fixtures were released this morning. The August 8 opener will see the Dons lock horns with a side that was operating in League Two last season, and
One of the largest celebrations of Bastille Day outside of France will take place in Battersea Park next week. The event, on Sunday, July 12, is celebrated by the French as a symbol of the revolution and the making of modern France.
The creative force behind cult band Wishbone Ash makes an appearance in Sutton this week, when founder member Martin Turner brings his offshoot brigade to the Boom Boom Club. Devon’s Turner was both the bass guitarist and lead vocalist for the quirky
Surbiton’s five current England internationals attended a civic reception at Staffordshire County Buildings in Stafford on Monday evening for them and the Pakistan national teams. The occasion was to mark a series of three Tests between the two countries
Ugo Monye is delighted to be getting a second chance to prove himself in a British & Irish Lions Test jersey in Johannesburg this weekend. The Harlequins and England flyer proved his worth in the early stages of the tour to win the vote ahead of IRB
Police are appealing for information after a young girl was approached by a man in a secluded alleyway. The 12-year-old girl was walking home from school at around 3.45pm on Wednesday (July 1) along Ewell Road towards the Northey roundabout
A petition against increasing allotment rents will be handed into the Kingston Council on Tuesday evening. Rents will increase by 12 percent from next January to £69 on top of the 3 percent the council will charge all of its services to the
The last steam train driver has just retired after 48 years working on the railway. Donald Sewell, from Sanderstead, started working on steam trains as a fireman at 16 – shovelling coal into the firebox to produce the steam that ran the trains – and
Party goers have been targeted in a late night mugging in Morden. Police said two male victims, aged 17 and 22, were robbed at about 1.30am on June 14. They had left a party and were walking along Epsom Road near the junction with Rutland Drive when
Long-lost classmates from 45 years ago were reunited this week after a chance spot on a local history website. Carole Evans, of Banstead, noticed a posting earlier this year by old classmate June Brown, who now lives in Canada, while researching
Brentford boss Andy Scott says it is not simply Nathan Elder and Moses Ademola who have something to prove this season - his whole squad does. Elder is in the final year of his contract - as is non-League recruit Ademola - as the Bees return to League
An evangelical church that is moving to Crystal Palace has moved to try and dispel residents’ concerns about its impact on the area. Many residents were concerned on learning the Gala Bingo site in Church Road - what many consider as the key
Angry residents and councillors are causing a big stink as plans for a new recycling centre in Raynes Park take a step forward. The potential development on the Rainbow Industrial Estate in Raynes Park has outraged some local people, who claim it
The inaugural International Youth Arts Festival (IYAF) will take over Kingston in July as the best in local, national and international talent performs at venues including the Rose Theatre, the Arthur Cotterell Theatre and Kingston Grammar School
Kingston University governor Sir Roderic Lyne will be one of the five-member committee charged with providing the latest independent inquiry into the Iraq war. Prime Minister Gordon Brown caused a major furore last month when he announced the inquiry
Kent Police are appealing for the public’s help in locating 13 year-old missing teenager Jessica Smith, who may have recently been staying in the Hampton Court area. Jessica, who has been living in Surrey, went missing from Edenbridge, Kent on Saturday
The International Youth Arts Festival (IYAF) kicks off this week as the best local and international young performers take over arts venues throughout the Royal Borough. The opening event of the inaugural festival is a YouthTakeover music night
Another ward is due to close at Epsom General Hospital. Campaigners said the expected permanent closure of the ward means more uncertainty over the hospital’s future. This summer, Buckley, a 25-bed medical ward, will be used to house patients from other
The Liberal Democrats achieved a by-election gain last week winning a seat back from the Conservatives. Lib Dem candidate Gerry Jerome, 55 a director of an IT consultancy took the Nonsuch seat with 1665 votes - over half of the total 3298 ballots
The principal of Carsahalton College was awarded an inflation-busting pay rise in the same year staff were being dismissed and a department closed down, official documents show. Carshalton College principal Dr David Watkins, who sits among the top paid
A motorist was branded “a menace” after notching up an incredible total of 44 years of driving bans. Raymond Beecham, 54, has repeatedly flouted the driving laws since 1973 and has driving bans that total 44 years. His latest conviction
British number one Andy Murray has admitted he will need to bring his ‘A’ game to the table to beat A Rod at SW19 and make his first Wimbledon final. The 22-year-old plays the biggest game of his career since reaching the US Open final last
