Honeywood Museum hosts Sutton Cultural Awards Ceremony

And the winners of the Sutton Cultural Awards are…

 
The winners with the Mayor of Sutton.

The crème de la crème of Sutton’s cultural world has been celebrated at a borough-wide awards ceremony.

And the winners of the Sutton Cultural Awards are….

Chas Bailey and Ross Feeney and Teresa Whitfield from Successful Sutton  

Who jointly delivered history walks in Sutton High Street.

Kate Puleston

For her life-long work in the theatres with Sutton Council and supporting young performers in the borough.

Adam Greenhalgh

Adam partnered with the IMAGINE festival of the arts in 2014 to create and coordinate One Body / One Sound at the Sutton Life Centre. The project engaged a new audience through music workshops for children on the autistic spectrum and painting workshops for adults with learning difficulties and the elderly.

Vanessa Wilkinson

An outstanding art teacher at Wallington High School for Girls who also strongly encourages the school to take part in shows at the Europa Gallery, organised by Arts Network Sutton.

Richard Paris Wilson

Ran the Citizenship Media Group, delivering training for young people to create films.  He is an acclaimed director and founder of the London-based video production agency ‘We are Cowboys’.

Keeley Wilcox

Is constantly growing the opportunities that InUnity gives to the community of Sutton. By enabling local people to enter dance at any level, she has and continues to improve the health and well-being of the community. The organisaton was born in Sutton. Based in the Phoenix Centre on the Roundshaw estate, the programme at present is made up of dance classes, targeted towards community groups that would not traditionally access a regular dance school.

Mr and Mrs Forty

For running the successful Carshalton Methodist Church community cinema.

Tim Devenish

Art teacher at St Philomena’s Catholic High School for Girls and partnering to deliver exhibitions at the Europa Gallery, organised by Arts Network Sutton.

 

The Mayor of Sutton Cllr Arthur Hookway, in his speech at the ceremony, said:

A thriving cultural offer is at the heart of every cohesive community. Cultural activities should reflect and celebrate the diversity of its residents, and offer an open space for local people to be inspired. As chair of the panel who selected this year’s cultural award winners, I’ve had the chance to learn about and even experience some of the great work being done.

Many can mistake cultural activities for only taking place within formal settings such as a gallery or performance space. But this evening’s winners have shown that culture is all encompassing, with a range of activities from history walks, delivered by working with business and regeneration, community music, painting and acting workshops, film screenings and training and individuals who go that extra mile.

All eight winners have shown innovation by always moving forward, diversity by the range of people they reach, empowerment by increasing skills and confidence in Sutton’s residence and the ability to reach a wide audience by being inclusive and open.

I would like to thank those who’ve taken part in selecting the winners, and those who put forward their nominations and of course to all of the runners up.  It is with great pleasure that I now present the awards to our eight winners… the exemplary residents of Sutton.

 

The awards ceremony was held last night, Wednesday 29 April, at Honeywood Museum.

The annual awards recognise those individuals or organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to the cultural life of the borough.

They began in 2012 as a legacy from the work of the local Olympic and Paralympics Games Forum.

General Election 2015 – Polling Stations in Carshalton Central ward

Hours of poll on Thursday, 7th May 2015 are 7am till 10pm.

All eligible electors have been sent a poll card by Sutton Council informing them where to vote or if they have applied to vote by post with a code (MA, MB or MC) and a number on them. The polling stations in the Carshalton Central Ward within the parliamentary constituency of Carshalton and Wallington are as follows:-

MA The Scout Hall, Westmead Road, Sutton SM1 4JN

MB The Cottage Room, The Windsor Castle Pub, 358 Carshalton Road, Carshalton SM5 3PT – this is a change to the previous polling station at Highfield Hall, on Carshalton Road.

MC All Saints C of E Primary School, Rotherfield Road, Carshalton SM5 3DW.

On the day of the election, you go along to the polling station shown on the card, give your address and name, and are given a ballot paper. There is lots of information in the polling station to help you, and our staff are happy to give you more help. You do not need your poll card to vote, but you do have to be a registered elector.

You mark your vote in secret on the ballot paper in a cubicle and place it in the sealed ballot box. The ballot boxes are only opened after the polling stations have closed and they are taken to a central counting place. No one knows how you voted.

The result of the election in Carshalton & Wallington parliamentary constituency is not likely to be known until around 2-3am on Friday, 8th May 2015 and will be available on the BBC website.

Local school children become energy experts, thanks to council and charity group project

The winning entry.

Ella Rollings, age 11, of High View Primary School in Wallington, can now call herself an expert in energy efficiency.

The enthusiastic year six student was awarded last week for her creative poster promoting the merits of being more energy conscious. Her poster will be on display around the borough.

Her school was one of ten in the borough to take part in the Schools Energy Project, which saw Sutton Council team up with local charity EcoLocal to better educate them about saving energy and reducing fuel bills. It also aimed to help students become more energy-savvy.

As well as the poster competition, the programme saw each school have an informative assembly and lesson. The EcoLocal Energy Doctor made the whole affair fun for the children, who also received homework packs to help them work with their parents or carers to waste less energy in their own homes.

The schools involved in the programme, which was free to them and ran from December last year to this March, included: Beddington Park Primary; Brookfield Primary; Culvers House Primary; Devonshire Primary; Foresters Primary; Green Wrythe Primary; Holy Trinity CofE Junior; Tweeddale Primary and Overton Grange School, as well as High View.

Mary Morrissey, Sutton Council’s Strategic Director of Environment, Housing and Regeneration Services, said:

“I am delighted that our younger residents are getting on board to help us achieve our One Planet Sutton targets. Protecting our environment is key and it is fantastic that our schools agree.”

“Well done Ella and all the students involved in the programme. Your poster is fantastic.”

View the story and more pictures online: http://www.newsroomsutton.co.uk/ 

Tom Brake’s Health Survey

From Tom Brake:

The future of hospitals and the NHS is consistently the biggest issue for local residents.

That’s why I’ve been fighting to protect services at St Helier for the last 25 years and why the Liberal Democrats are committed to increasing NHS funding by £8 billion per year by 2020.

It’s also why I would like you to take part in my online Health Survey – I want to know how you feel about healthcare locally and nationally.

I also wanted to let you know that this summer, local health bosses will present outline proposals for the future of hospital services across SW London (more detailed plans are likely by the end of the year or the beginning of next) – meaning St Helier’s A&E and Maternity Units could be at risk again. You can get a further update here.

I look forward to hearing your views on healthcare.

Best wishes,

Tom Brake

PS Why not take my 2 minutes long health survey here.

Head to Sutton High Street for free books this World Book Night

BOOKS

The World Book Night titles

Fancy a free book?

To celebrate World Book Night this Thursday 23 April, the literature-loving staff at Sutton’s libraries will be giving out free reads.

The Enjoy Sutton shuttle bus will be zipping up and down Sutton High Street from 3pm, with libraries staff giving out free books. But be quick – last year they were snapped up.

Staff from the Wallington branch, Library @ Westcroft and Library @ Life Centre will be giving out free books in the local community throughout Thursday afternoon in Wallington, around Carshalton and Westcroft Leisure Centre and from 4pm at Tesco, Oldfields Road, Kimpton Park Way.

Free books will also be up for grabs at Cheam Library, as well as “guess the book title” quizzes for adults and children from 2pm.

The books will include a special Sutton bookmark, encouraging people to join the library service and enabling members to hire a DVD for free.

World Book Night is an annual celebration encouraging and promoting the benefits of reading for pleasure through The Reading Agency, a national charity that inspires people to become confident and enthusiastic readers to give them an equal chance in life.

Angela Fletcher, Head of Libraries and Heritage Services at Sutton Council, said:

“From improved well-being to reduced stress and increased creativity, reading for pleasure has so many benefits. There is also overwhelming evidence that literacy and a love of reading can break cycles of disadvantage. That is why we want everyone in Sutton to become a member of our wonderful library service – and what better way to encourage people to get involved at their local branch than by handing out free books? So please come and have a chat to our friendly library staff and start reading for pleasure.”

View the story online at: http://www.newsroomsutton.co.uk/?p=1507

Please help us to spread the word on social media 

Registering to Vote – Midnight Monday, 20th April is the deadline!

If you want to Register to vote

The deadline to register to vote in the general election is MIDNIGHT on Monday 20th April 2015.

Use this service to:

  • register to vote
  • update your name, address or other details on the electoral register

You need to be on the electoral register to vote in elections and referendums. Registering takes around 5 minutes. You’ll need your National Insurance number (if you have one).

Start now

Before you start

You can also register by post. The online service is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg). You can’t register to vote if you’re in the UK illegally.

Public servants posted overseas

There are separate registration services for public servants who are likely to be posted overseas:

You can still register as a non-service voter if you’re in the armed forces and have a permanent home address in the UK.

Northern Ireland

This service is for England, Wales and Scotland only. You’ll need to register using a different form if you live in Northern Ireland.

Missing archives finally restored to the Sutton collections, as Carshalton history lovers help out council

 

Society president Margaret Coombs, publications officer Jacky Oliver and secretary Richard Fitch.

No one knows how some of the records from Sutton’s archives went missing maybe more than 100 years ago, but thanks to the generosity of the local history community, Sutton Council has been able to buy them back.

The records about Carshalton, purchased by the London Borough of Sutton Archives Service from Bloomsbury Auctions in central London last year, were revealed to about 25 local history buffs yesterday, Thursday 16 April at Sutton Central Library.

The purchase of the records was mainly funded by The Friends of National Libraries, but the local history community kindly stepped in to fill the gap.

The Carshalton & District History & Archaeology Society agreed to fund the 20 per cent difference and some local historians came forward offering to anonymously donate £100 each if there was any shortfall.

Margaret Coombs, The Carshalton & District History & Archaeology Society President, said:

“Our mandate is to respect and enhance the history of the district – it’s our reason for being, so we were more than happy to support the service in purchasing these records. However, I have been surprised at the interest they have generated – there are certainly more people here today than I expected. Hopefully some people may be inspired to visit the archives again.”

Kath Shawcross, Borough Archivist & Local Studies Manager at Sutton Council, said:

“I am delighted that the local history community has banded together to help us add these very valuable records to the Sutton collection. Not only are these records fascinating, but they will allow the history of the borough to be preserved in a more complete form for generations to come.”

The three lots included:

  • Court Baron for Carshalton dating from 1682 to 1833. No one knows when these records went missing, but it may have been at least 50 years ago during which time the court records were in the hands of a predecessor authority. As the manorial records held for Carshalton date from 1346 to 1936, one of the most extensive and important collections in the Sutton archives, obtaining this volume was a priority.
  • The minutes of the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor in Carshalton, 1691 to 1746. The volume contains a great deal of account information, including details of those in receipt of parish relief. The existence of these records was known due to a 1913 article in Surrey Archaeological Collections, which, at the time, described it as being “in private hands”, so it was exciting to purchase them against strong competition from a telephone buyer.
  • A thin volume containing a valuation of the Parish of Carshalton, 1839, made for the purposes of the Parochial Assessment Act of 1839 by John Foakes and William Roberts. The volume very much complements the existing Carshalton tithe and rate book collection and is out-of-the-ordinary in including all rateable properties, not just largely agricultural land. It includes owners, occupiers and descriptions of properties. Unfortunately, the map that would have accompanied the valuation is missing.

The documents have been accessioned into the archive collection (Accession 914) and are available to researchers during local studies opening times.

Sutton among best in London for primary school place allocations

Sutton has once again achieved one of the highest preference rates in London for primary school place allocations. Parents in the borough have been told which primary schools have made offers of places for the September intake. Despite an increase in applications this year, 96.7 % of children were allocated one of their six preferences for a school place.  This is up from 96.2% last year. The London average is 95.53%.

There were 2,667 applications this year and 84.1 % got their first preference compared to the London average of 80.97%. Of those remaining, 7.7 % achieved their second choice and 2.7 % got their third choice allocation. In September, Sutton’s children will be starting at primary schools that have been consistently ranked among the best in the country for teaching and exam results.

Research by the Department for Education (DfE) ranked our primary schools joint second in the country (87% of pupils) for attainment in level 4 reading, writing and maths combined.

Colin Stewart, Executive Head of Education and Early Intervention, said:

“We have worked hard with our primary schools so once again the majority Sutton’s children get an offer of a school place. We are confident that Sutton’s performance on helping parents secure one of their preferences compares very favourably with the position across the country.”

Local councillors campaigning, Polling Cards & Polling Stations

Cllrs. Jill Whitehead and Alan Salter by the Lib Dem battlebus

Cllrs. Jill Whitehead and Alan Salter by the Lib Dem battlebus

All eligible electors have been sent a poll card by Sutton Council informing them where to vote or if they have applied to vote by post with a code (MA, MB or MC) and a number on them. The polling stations in the Carshalton Central Ward within the parliamentary constituency of Carshalton and Wallington are as follows:-

MA The Scout Hall, Westmead Road, Sutton SM1 4JN

MB The Cottage Room, The Windsor Castle Pub, 358 Carshalton Road, Carshalton SM5 3PT – this is a change to the previous polling station at Highfield Hall, on Carshalton Road.

MC All Saints C of E Primary School, Rotherfield Road, Carshalton SM5 3DW

Election Timetable

Monday 20 April (midnight) – Latest day for voter registration applications for 7 May election – register online.

Tuesday 21 April (5pm) – Latest time for applications for new postal votes and cancellations of, and amendments to, existing postal and postal proxy votes.

Thursday 23 April & Friday 24 April – Postal Ballot papers to be sent first class to those voters that have requested postal votes.

Tuesday 28 April (5pm) – Latest time for applications to vote by proxy.

Wednesday 29 April – Applications start for Emergency proxies.

Thursday 30 April – First day that electors can apply for replacement for lost postal votes.

Thursday 7 May (7am – 10pm) – Polling day – various locations

 

Death of Cllr. Colin Hall, Deputy Leader of Sutton Council and a fine citizen of Sutton

We’ve heard the sad news that Cllr Colin Hall, the Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader of Sutton Borough Council, died recently after a short illness. He was only 53. Tributes have been paid to him.

Council leader Ruth Dombey said:

Colin was a wonderful colleague and a good friend. He was passionate about the borough and dedicated to his work as a councillor.

His particular interest was the environment and how to make Sutton a more sustainable place to live. He was highly respected across London for his knowledge and experience and tributes are flowing in from people who admired his work.

He was kind and generous and always ready to help and guide others.  Colin’s wife and three children are overwhelmed by depth and warmth of the huge number of tributes they have received.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Tom Brake MP said:

It was very clear that he was totally committed to Sutton and he had a particular commitment and interest in environmental issues. His passing will be a great loss to Sutton and my thoughts are with his family at this very difficult time.

The former local Conservative leader, Cllr Graham Witham paid a generous tribute:

Colin brought honesty, wit, charm and above all, a gentle courtesy to local politics which cross the party divide.  He will remain a role model to all of us who knew him.  In a time when manners are often at a premium he was unfailingly polite and in his specialist field he had a breadth of knowledge which one could only envy.

Cllr Hall was born in 1961 and lived in Wallington. He was first elected to the council as a Liberal Democrat for Wallington South ward in 1998. He was re-elected in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.  He died on 30th March 2015.

We send our deepest sympathy to Colin’s friends and family.