Clubs & Societies

Chertsey Museum is planning an exhibition later this year about the innovative institution Princess Mary Village Homes at Addlestone and wants to talk to former students. If you are a former student and would like to share your memories in the forthcoming exhibition, please contact Emma Warren on 01932 565 764 or email her at curator@chertseymuseum.org.uk

The nights are drawing in, Christmas is lurking round the corner, it must be Pantomime time (Oh, no, it isn't! Oh, yes, it is!) This year Thorpe Players have a brand new, credit-crunch busting panto, "Jack and the Queenstalk", which has been specially written for them with two Dames (Buy One Get One Free)! With a large cast, it is full of action, jokes, colour and singing, and has lots of opportunities for the audience to boo, cheer and join in. The story follows the well-known tale, but with plenty added: extra characters, the two Dames for the price of one, a beanstalk, and a giant - well, a gigantic Queen anyway! - and is suitable for children of all ages, from 4 to 104.

"Jack and the Queenstalk" takes place in Thorpe Village Hall, which is just the right size for such a show, as it is not too big to frighten the little ones. Performances are on Friday 27th, Saturday 28th November, Friday 4th and Saturday 5th December at 8pm, with matinees at 2.30pm on the Saturdays. Tickets are just £4 for children and £8 for adults, with family tickets (2 of each) at £20, and further discounts for larger groups. For bookings and enquiries phone 07923 583295. The show is suitable for all the family, so if you can't borrow a child, come along and be one yourself!

Chertsey Camera Club is holding a talk by member Don Halliday on Thursday October 15.

The illustrated presentation about Antarctica will be at Addlestone Community Centre in Garfield Road, Addlestone, from 8pm.

For more information, call 01344 842279 or visit www.chertseycameraclub.com.

The family of a war hero are paying £1,450 to get his name on a memorial which should have been included in 1945 after he died in World War Two.

Private William Melville Field who lived in Lasswade Road in Chertsey, was 16 when he joined the army illegally in 1937 claiming that he was 18.

A COLLECTION of outstanding artwork by children from 10 different schools in Chertsey will be on display until October 27 at the Chertsey Museum.

The selected pieces from children as young as three up to 18 have all been based on the theme of sanctuary.

A man with bipolar disorder is looking to start a support group for the illness in Chertsey.

Lee Vaughan, 28, who lives in Station Road, Chertsey is a drama teacher who wants to raise awareness about the notoriously misunderstood mental illness.

Local drama group Thorpe Players is breaking new ground with their next production. Not only is it an European premiere, but it features a mother and daughter acting the roles of mother and daughter. Dee and Angie Bews have both been members for many years, but this is the first time that they have acted together and they are both thrilled to be playing Mrs Bennet and her daughter Lizzie in a new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice.

Director Sharon Young "searched for a version of the story that kept the truth of the book, and this one by Jon Jory does just that. I am excited and nervous at staging such a well-known and well-loved classic, but I know my cast will meet the challenge and they and the audience will enjoy the humour and charm of the play." Thorpe Village Hall is an old barn, and just right for this show, which takes place from Wednesday, June 10 to Saturday, June 13 at 8pm. Tickets are £9 and can be booked on 07923 583295.

A SCHOOLGIRL from Chertsey has won her first baton twirling competition just four years after learning to do it.

Charlena Ward, 11, of Heriot Road, took part in the contest in Bracknell last Saturday (May 9), watched by her mum, Lynette.

Carve Her Name with Pride is one of the all-time classic war movies, starring Virginia McKenna as Violet Szabo. Local resident, Margaret Robinson, has kept the original designs for this film that were done by her late husband Bernard, and they will on display for the first time at The Chertsey Hall on Sunday 17th May.

This is in addition to the illustrated exploration of the work of Special Operations Executive and agents such as Szabo and Odette Sansom by Dr. Mark Baldwin, who has had access to recently released information. The SOE trained over 9000 agents between 1940 and 1946, many in undisclosed locations in Surrey and Middlesex, and they worked not just in Europe, but in the Far East and Africa. Doors open at 7.00pm and the tickets for this joint event cost £10 and are bookable on 01483 811923 or on the door.

Are you new to the area or looking to make some new friends? If so there is a social group in the area that may be just right for you.

Groups have been established thanks to the Dear Dilys agony column which is published in editions of the Informer newspaper, and they've been going strong for 18 months.