By Community Correspondent Georgia Collins. We’ve all had builders in our house at one point. They tend to be lovely people (preferably Polish), who are accomplished at their job and work diligently--with the rare exceptions. But with all the excitement
By Andrew Turner And so, as the Epsom Playhouse enters its 26th year in providing the best of musicals, tributes and comedy, I took myself to a production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ on Friday 29th January, performed by the Leatherhead Operatic
Neil Warnock has praised the commitment his players have shown to Crystal Palace after the expected firesale of his squad failed to materialise on deadline day. Victor Moses was the only player to leave the club permanently after agreeing a £2.5m move
The amazing annual Public Speaking Competition at this local private school is an event that all pupils in years 7-10 take part in. Although for the 14 and 15 year olds in the school this date has now been set for the fourth time for them, every
Blake Aldridge hopes a return to his roots will re-ignite his career after a disastrous season in 2009. The Croydon-born diver, who represented Great Britain at the Beijing Olympics, competed just once last year after being injured in a bar
By Community Correspondent Irina Harutunyan According to Oxfam.org.uk nearly 13 million people live in poverty in the UK, which makes up 1 in 5 of the population, showing just how widespread poverty has become. When interviewed, people living
Frida Kahlo is one of Mexico's most famous artists and lived an extraordinary life. Having suffered horrendous injuries after being knocked down by a lorry at the age of 17, she turned her hand to painting and went on to become a cult figure in her
A man who died after falling from his van into the path of another car this morning has been named by police as Sinnurdurai Balasundram. The 49-year-old from Croydon was struck by a Mini travelling in the opposite direction along Ampere Way
Darryl Flahavan has become the second Crystal Palace player to leave the club on deadline day. The goalkeeper has joined League One side Oldham Athletic on loan until the end of the season having spent time with the Latics earlier in the campaign before
A man was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after a crash in Lampton Road on Friday evening. A spokeswoman for the London Ambulance Service today confirmed that the man, believed to be in his 20s, was taken to Charing Cross Hospital
The Pope is set to stay in Wimbledon when he makes a record breaking visit to Britain later this year. A spokesman at the Apostolic Nunciature in Wimbledon Village, home of the Pope Benedict XVI’s representative in Britain, said the pontiff
Richmond’s trip to the seaside to play Worthing Raiders ended up well and truly on the rocks, the home side completing a seven try demolition of the visitors on a thoroughly dispiriting day. After the previous week’s win against Henley Hawks, Richmond
West 4 Harriers’ Dan Afshar won the Richmond Park 5km parkrun for the fifth time in 18 appearances on Saturday morning. Afshar clocked 17 minutes 34 seconds to win the 119th running of the weekly event from Kingston & Polytechnic teenager George Corcoran
Sutton United were made to work hard before maintaining their Ryman League promotion challenge by completing their second double of the season. On a difficult pitch only passed fit at lunchtime, it was never likely to be a classic, but it was entertaining
A man died at Streatham station on Saturday morning after falling off the platform on to the tracks. It is believed the 23-year-old stumbled off the platform and was electrocuted after coming into contact with the live third rail. The incident
Swimmers from around the world descended on Lake Bled, Slovenia, on January 21 for this year’s Winter Swimming Championships - not in a warm, indoor swimming pool, but in a beautiful glacial lake, surrounded by snow-covered mountains reflecting
Community groups can get their hands on a pool of more than £250,000 to help develop their projects. Grants of £12,000 are available to each ward in Lambeth for local projects to spend on small building works or to buy new equipment. Up to three
With administrator Brendan Guilfoyle revealing there has been interest in Crystal Palace from potential buyers, we take a look at some of the people who might just be about to launch a bid for the club. Ron Noades Despite being widely
An ex-pat has found hair happiness in Morden after crossing the globe to find the perfect wig. Jane Martin moved from Ashtead in Surrey to Shanghai in 2008. But just over a year after making the move she discovered she was suffering hair loss caused
A team of reporters for this newspaper braved temperatures of -4C at the weekend, when they joined the community and took to the streets for a sponsored sleep out. An estimated 125 people took part in the Sleep Easy event in Kingston on Saturday
England and Spurs striker Jermain Defoe kicked off the inaugural Jermain Defoe Charity Cup this week, inviting amateur six-a-side footballers from Walton-on-Thames to register their team for the heat at Elmbridge Xcel Centre. The winning team will
This year England was hit by the coldest winter since 1995, bringing with it an immense amount of snow. Epsom was also hit by this blizzard of snow, with up to 4 inches in surrounding areas! However it was received with mixed feelings. Public transport
Corinthian Casuals boss Brian Adamson is demanding his side shape up after a dismal January all but wiped out their promising start to the season.Seven defeats in the last nine games has seen the amateurs slide down the Ryman Division One South table.
Rubbing shoulders with the regular visitors to a criminal court might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But former Lloyds bank worker Claude D’Souza, 79, who retired last month, volunteered for the position at Kingston Magistrates’ Court five years
Young people who live in London will be able to apply for a National Identity Card from February 8. The scheme in the Capital follows a similar rollout to 16-24 year-olds in Manchester and the North West of England which has proved highly successful
Kingstonian 2 Margate 0 Kingstonian moved up to second in the Ryman Premier League after a monumental battle with Margate, who looked far more impressive than their lowly position suggests. In a breathless end-to-end encounter, it was Ks who notched
A shadow health minister is due to quiz top managers at Kingston Hospital. Mike Penning, the Conservative shadow health minister, is due to tour the hospital with Tory parliamentary candidates Zac Goldsmith and Helen Whately on Thursday.
Croydon Athletic 3 Leatherhead 2 A pulsating contest at the Ken Tuckey Stadium saw Tanners slip to a narrow defeat after a late strike from Gareth Williams won the points for third-placed Croydon Athletic, writes Richard Wilkinson. Tanners had started
A sizeable contingent of Hercules Wimbledon runners were in action in Saturday's South of England cross country championships at Parliament Hill Fields in north London, with teenagers Liam White and Cassian Hyde best of the bunch. White improved significantly
Effingham & Leatherhead coach Mark Pickering has had a 30-week suspension from rugby reduced to 12 on appeal. The charge related to his part in a pass brawl at half-time during a game with London Irish Amateur in October. The 40-year-old will be allowed
Nathaniel Clyne is understood to have turned down a move to Premiership side Wolves. Mick McCarthy originally offered £1.5m for the pacy right-back and Victor Moses last week, but turned his attentions to Clyne after Moses moved to Wigan Athletic earlier
England have named their Under 18 squad for the remaining five games of this season's international programme. The side coached by John Fletcher and Peter Walton extended their unbeaten international run to 13 games when they beat Australian Schools
Centre Tosh Masson is hoping Harlequins take a gamble on him in the same way he gambled his future to join the club in the first place. The 24-year-old started his career at the Stoop in 2004 playing for free before his displays in the A team
Gymnasts from a Streatham school scooped top prizes in a Londonwide competition. Pupils from Streatham and Clapham High School claimed gold at the London Schools’ Gymnastics competition. The U11 and U13 teams will now represent London
The number of cases of C. difficile has fallen again at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, according to the Health Protection Agency. The new figures show there were only 17 cases across the Trust’s hospitals between September
Former John Fisher School pupil George Skivington captained England Saxons to their 17-13 victory over Ireland A at Bath’s Recreation Ground yesterday. It was the end of an 11-month itch for the Wasps flanker, who missed out on the Saxons captaincy
Old Whitgiftians built on victory over London Exiles the previous weekend with a hard-fought victory over Bec Old Boys at Croham Road on Saturday, writes Bob Schad. New fly-half Graham Streete played with increasing authority as the game wore on, making
A health minister said any plans to close or downgrade hospitals in south-west London are a matter for local health services, not him. In an answer to a parliamentary question from Kingston and Surbiton MP Edward Davey, Mike O'Brien, a junior
Fine individual tries from full-back Dave Charles and Dave Rees allowed Wimbledon to claim a narrow London One South victory over Old Colfeians on Saturday. The win was just about deserved for a side welcoming back long-term injury victims Ben Nightingale
Esher Rugby are celebrating the start of the Six Nations competition this weekend with a marathon of Rugby. As the first 6 Nations game kicks off at Croke Park between Ireland and Italy on Saturday, Esher are playing Wharfedale in a rescheduled National
The Nonsuch Park 10km funrun is held this Sunday (11am). The event takes in a four-lap course, starting and finishing at Nonsuch Mansion. T-shirts and medals will be supplied to all competitors, with trophies for the first three finishers. For more details
An elderly couple were saved when their smoke alarm woke them up and allowed them to escape a flat fire in time. A faulty fuse started a fire in the cupboard under the stairs in the house in Malvern Road, Surbiton, at 10.30am on Saturday, January
Jubiliant residents celebrated last night when the planning committee rejected Whitgift School’s application to build an all weather pitch. The application was rejected because it would put protected trees at risk. Families living on
The family of MR EDWARD HENRY “TED” VINE Are very sad to announce his passing away. He lived in his house for one hundred years, two months and three days until his death on the 20th January 2010. All his many friends in Sheen
A woman and a baby were taken to hospital after a fire at a house in Sutton. Fire crews from Sutton and Wallington were called to a house fire at Glencroft Court, Sherwood Park Road at 1.36am after reports of a fire. Ten people were
Clapham United reserves turned the Greater London Women’s Division Three South form book on its head with a 5-3 victory over previously undefeated East Moore at Clapham Common on Sunday. The visitors, sitting second in the table but with four
Florent Rossigneaux admits last weekend’s narrow win over Barking had him chewing his nails - but has backed his side to emerge stronger from the experience. Visitors Barking missed a last-gasp penalty as Park claimed an 11-10 victory in their titanic
A failure to convert superior possession into points cost Old Walcountians dear as they drew 17-17 with London Exiles in Surrey One on Saturday. Old Boys started on top with props Ben Anderson and Kemlo Longstaff outscrummaging their Exiles opposite
Kempton Park hosts a jump race meeting this afternoon (first race 1.45pm). Feature race is the 3.25pm Betdaq.co.uk Handicap Chase. Admission is £18 (children admitted free).
The chief executive of Hounslow Council has announced his retirement after nearly a decade at the helm. Mark Gilks has devoted 40 years of his life to serving the public sector, including 21 years as a London chief officer. The father-of-six
By Community Correspondent Anita Chagar Schools across the London Borough of Hounslow are preparing themselves and their students for yet more snow forecasted to come our way this week. With most weather channels concluding that more snow is
Neil Warnock has hit out at some of the money being offered for his players at cash-strapped Crystal Palace. Victor Moses signed for Wigan Athletic this morning and there have been enquiries for other Eagles players, including Southampton's bid for midfielder
Crystal Palace captain Shaun Derry heaped praise upon the club's supporters after their vital victory against bottom club Peterborough at the weekend. 15,000 faithful fans welcomed the players to the pitch with a rapturous chorus of songs,
Spencer Collins admits losing striker Martin Grant to local rivals Walton & Hersham is a bitter pill to swallow as the Stags face up to a Ryman League Division One South relegation battle. In a surprise Monday development, 19-goal striker
Swimexcell Esher Swimming Club were in fine form at the Staines Open Meet at Elmbridge Leisure Centrelast week. Twenty swimmers competed in 42 events, with all achieving personal best times. Alisha White, 13, claimed gold in the 100m butterfly, while
Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock has confirmed Southampton have made a bid for midfielder Neil Danns. Speaking after his side’s 2-0 victory over Peterborough the Eagle’s chief spoke of the League One sides interest but urged his player to stay with
Quins winger David Strettle admits he is bemused why clubmate Chris Robshaw was not picked in Martin Johnson’s original 32-man squad for this year’s Six Nations. The 23-year-old, the Guinness Premiership play of the year last season, was called
Julian Speroni: Looked comfortable throughout the game and when he was rarely called into action he did so with minimal fuss. A top keeper at this level. 7 Nathaniel Clyne: The young defender kept the dangerous George Boyd quiet the entire
Three Surrey adventurers will be pushing themselves to the limit in the wilderness of Chilean Patagonia this month in a bid to secure the ultimate prize in the extreme sport of adventure racing – and in doing so they aim to help raise awareness of the
By community correspondent, Isabelle Kabban Christmas passed in a flash and it wasn’t long before I was deciding what to do for New Years. One thing, however, which I knew was definitely not on my list, was to drink. I find it ridiculous that
A man has died after falling from his van into the path of another car near the Ikea superstore this morning. The van driver, believed to be in his late 40s, was struck by a mini travelling in the opposite direction along Ampere Way just after
West Middlesex Sunday Football League results: Ace Awards Cup: Barnes Albion 5 AFC Richmond 1. Keith Cook President’s Cup: Hampton Corinthians 5 Trojan FC 0. Division One: Sunbury Sports 8 Shire United 4. Division Two: London Falcons 2 CB Hounslow
Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather JOE XUEREB Fell asleep 5th December 2009. Resident Elm Road, New Malden 37 years. Memorial 2.00pm 5th February 2010 St Cecilias 101 Stonecot Hill SM3 9HN
AFC Hornchurch 2 Carshalton Athletic 2 For the first 18 minutes of this Ryman League Premier Division game, it looked as though the Robins were trapped in an ongoing nightmare that had resulted in their demolition by Worcester City in midweek, and
Rosslyn Park 11 Barking 10 Park deserved their win on the strength of dominating the second half of the match, but they had to first endure the trauma of Barking fly-half Craig Ratford missing a last-second penalty that would have stolen
Police witnessed a fatal car crash on Saturday when a sports car overturned in Putney Hill. A 41-year-old driver died after the yellow Lotus Exige overturned at about 9.30pm on Saturday, yards from a police car. A Metropolitan Police
In loving memory of our beloved son and much loved brother STEVEN MOORE 2nd December 1984-18th January 2010 Taken from us so suddenly. We miss you so much, and all the love you brought into our lives. You will never be forgotten,
Brian McDermott insists there is plenty for Harlequins RL fans to look forward to this season despite their opening-day defeat to Wakefield. Quins slipped to an 18-10 home defeat in a bruising contest that saw Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook red-carded along
By Community Correspondent Anjali Parshotam It’s been a busy start to the year this month, with teenagers all across Hounslow starting to go back to school, battling the cold weather and many, starting their exams. However, nothing has stopped them
Rover Oxford Ladies 1 Surbiton Ladies 7 Resuming after the mid-season break, Surbiton Ladies maintained their four point lead at the top of South Clubs’ Women’s Hockey League Division One, but had to recover from falling behind in the fourth minute
A woman who falsely claimed more than £7,000 in housing and council tax benefit was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court. Nicole Parillon, of Mortimer Crescent, Worcester Park, was found guilty with defrauding Epsom and Ewell Borough Council
Twickenham’s Chemmy Alcott reckons she is approaching some of the form of her life which could take her to a dream Winter Olympic medal in Vancouver. The 27-year-old British number one jets off - along with Kingston’s Ed Drake - to Canada this
Would-be-mothers fighting for better publicly-funded fertility treatment have claimed a victory over NHS managers in Sutton and Merton. The area’s Primary Care Trust has been forced into a u-turn having initially spurned an offer of free treatment
Pupils from three primary schools joined forces with an award winning a cappella octet to put on a concert at a shopping centre. Year three pupils in choirs at Homefield School, Manor Park School and Robin Hood School sang at the St Nicholas Centre
London’s deputy Mayor for policing has pledged to provide funding for more special constables in Croydon. Kit Malthouse spoke to the Croydon Guardian about the Cops for Croydon campaign at a meeting last week. Mr Malthouse said he was sympathetic to
Brentford’s Leon Legge insists he is keeping his feet on the ground having emerged as one of his side’s standout performer in the club’s run of good form. The 24-year-old has become the first player on boss Andy Scott’s teamsheet since scoring
Stab-proof vests are being issued to littering, graffiti and fly-tipping monitors after a Merton Council employee was stabbed while on patrol in Mitcham. The enforcement officer was taking photos of an alleyway in Gorringe Park Avenue when
Doctors switched off a Battersea woman's life support machine without her family's permission to save NHS resources, her husband has claimed. Shun-Yuen Pang, a former British serviceman, asked for his wife Lai-Mei to be kept alive for two more
Plans for a new West Norwood fire station have been delayed due to a funding shortfall. A new station was due for completion in 2012-13. However London Fire Brigade's (LFB) failure to sell its old central London headquarters for development
Elmbridge is under threat from city slickers who want to turn the borough’s green fields into a developers’ paradise by making it part of Greater London. This is the fear some people have, after rumours started circulating among Surrey County
By Community Correspondent Aakash Balani January has been anything but typical for students in the more senior years of school. For many a start of the year was coupled with days of heavy revision for the January modules of the ever so important
