Wallington Girls School seeks your views on sports hall community use
Wallington High School for Girls are holding an event for residents seeking your views on their proposals to extend the use of their Sports Hall to make it available for community use. This will enable the school to promote sporting activities in the local area, as well as generating vital revenues for the school.
The school appreciates that local residents may have some concerns about the impacts of these plans and so want to hear from you what would be acceptable conditions of the extended use before they submit an application to the council.
As your local ward councillors we fully support this early discussion with affected local residents and will be chairing the meeting on Monday 23rd November 2015 at 7.30pm at the school.
Please do come along to find out more about what the school wants to do and why, and to help shape the proposals.
Wallington South Ward – Police appeal over man approaching 13-year-old girl
We have received this appeal from the local Police Team:
Over 50s Advice Event in Wallington
All three Wallington South ward councillors attended this special event for over 50s to celebrate International Older People’s Day 2015. Muhammad officiated as Mayor, whilst Steve and I attended to meet with local people and update ourselves about the information and advice available for older people in Sutton.
Organisations attending the event included Sutton Libraries, Queen Elizabeth Foundation, Sutton Vision, Sutton Shopmobility, LiveWell, SCILL, Neighbourhood Watch, the local Police Safer Neighbourhood Team, Sutton Age UK, Sutton South Hello, Sutton College and The Oaks Way Centre.
A fantastic lunch was provided as well as entertainment and an opportunity to practice your rhythm with the Gary Mason Drumming Charity.
See the programme below for what’s on in Sutton for older people.
Steve helps out at Digital Tea Party
Steve recently helped out at the Digital Tea Party where residents were invited to discuss any queries they had about IT and the latest digital communications.
This involved introduction and advice on the use of computers, emailing, internet, installing Apps, on-line security, Face-Time, Skype, mobile and smart phones.
Our MP Tom Brake was there and he performed a demonstration Skype call to Bradford showing how IT could help residents keep in touch with their friends and family.
The event was held by Sutton Council in partnership with Age UK Sutton.
The event was very well attended and Steve was on the Face-Time and Skype desk and had the pleasure of meeting people across all age groups interested in finding out about using these devices to speak to their friends and relatives across the globe for little or no cost. It was fantastic event, one that Age UK plan to repeat regularly.
Open Day at Sutton Fire Station Sunday 16th August
Sutton Fire Station is opening its doors to local residents to meet their local Fire Crews and enjoy a fun family day.
The Open Day is on Sunday 16th August 12 – 4pm at 43 St Dunstans Hill, Sutton, SM1 2JX and will be supporting the Firefighters Charity and St Raphael’s Hospice.
Activities will include:
Raising the Flag ceremony for Armed Forces Day
On Monday 22nd June at 11am the special flag will be raised in Trinity Square, High Street, Sutton.
This is all part of the advance celebrations for Armed Forces Day on Saturday 27th June.
At the flag raising as an additional tribute to the Volunteer Military Reservists and Supporting Auxiliaries there will be a presentation of a copy of Stepping Forward, a commemorative publication compiled as part of our World War One commemorations. It is a comprehensive and detailed reference guide to the lineages and linkages of London’s Reserve Force units, with links to the London boroughs. The publication is also available as on online reference tool, making the information researched and contained within the publication, accessible to everyone. This tribute to the Volunteer Military Reservists and Supporting Auxiliaries of Greater London 1908 – 2014, has been compiled by The Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association for Greater London.
Everyone is welcome to attend this special event on Monday which will also be attended by the Mayor of Sutton and Sutton Councillors.
Your views needed on Wallington Girls School merger
Wallington High School for Girls and Nonsuch High School for Girls have announced their intentions to form a “multi-academy trust” and are entering a five-week consultation period with staff and parents.
The two schools have said their governing bodies have been “evaluating the possibilities and potential advantages” of merging for some time and that they see themselves as having “very similar visions, profiles and strengths”, as well as having many “synergies” between them. As such the schools consider it to be in their best interests of their students to collaborate with each other. If it goes ahead Jane Burton, current headteacher at Wallington and previously a deputy head teacher at Nonsuch, will take on the role of executive head.
Each school will still have its own headteacher, responsible for day-to-day running of their school. To further retain their individual identities they will also keep their own leadership teams and local governing bodies. The consultation period closes at noon on June 29. The consultation document and FAQs are available on both schools’ websites.
I spoke to Wallington Girls Headteacher Jane Burton recently and she is keen to have as much feedback on the proposals as possible so please do respond to the consultation either by using the dedicated email address: matconsultation@wallingtongirls.org.uk or in writing to the school: Margaret Burnett, Clerk to the Governing Body, Wallington High School for Girls, Woodcote Road, Wallington SM6 0PH
Wallington Music Festival Saturday 27th June
Wallington is to hold its first Music Festival on Saturday 27th June 12-4pm in the Wallington Library Gardens.
Based around our new bandstand we will be showcasing local musical talent from bands, choirs and individuals.
There will also be stalls promoting local businesses and groups.
From the bandstand in the evening the festival will move into the Wallington Arms and The Brook on Manor Road where more live music will be hosted and just as important, alcohol available!
It is being put on as part of the borough’s Take Part Take Pride summer festival.
The idea for the festival came from Ric Adams who brought together local groups and businesses to get our first Festive Light Switch-On at Christmas. Buoyed up by that success Ric is now putting in his bid to rival Glastonbury! Ric and your councillors are working with The Brook , the Gary Mason Charity and other local people to make it all happen. Some details are yet to be firmed up but if you want to get involved get in touch with either Ric or myself – or call in The Brook and have a chat with Andy or Thea. But most important keep the 27th free to come and join us celebrating Wallington and its musical talent.
FESTIVAL UPDATE at 26th June
We now have over 30 live acts booked to perform at the event and had to recruit a third venue – The Woodcote Flying Club. There will be stalls offering face-painting, hair braiding and henna tattoos and the forecast is warm and sunny!
Full listing below:
TfL Consultation on 154 bus route to run overnight at weekends
Transport for London (TfL) is seeking your views on proposals to run the 154 bus through the night on Fridays and Saturdays from September.
The purpose is to link in with the 24 hour London Underground service when it comes into operation.
The details and online survey can be accessed here.
Wandle Valley Big Green Fund Celebration
On Thursday 14th May I got to wear my Wandle Valley Regional Park Trustee hat as we celebrated the achievements of the Big Green Fund project. This has enabled the restoration and improvements to the boardwalk at the Spencer Road Wetlands and the opening of the Watermeads Nature Reserve to the public for the first time in its history.
Also part of the project was work done in Poulter Park to improve this stretch of the Wandle Trail to enable the trail for walkers and cyclists to follow the path of the river, and the creation of a backwater as one of a series of interventions to make the Wandle attractive and hospitable for the reintroduction of water voles.
The project was the result of partnership working and funding from a broad range of organisations, ably managed and overseen by project manager Peter Wilkinson.
The celebrations involved ribbon cutting at the three locations, presided over by the Sutton Mayor Cllr Arthur Hookway, a presentation and lunch at the Tooting and Mitcham Community Sports Club, and then a guided tour of the sites.
Unfortunately this was the one day last week that it decided to rain, but the enthusiasm of the large number of attendees was not dampened, and most of us had come well prepared for the weather.