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As part of the History of Thursley Society's Wedding Belles exhibition held in 2007, this list of marriages that took place in St Michael's and All Angels was compiled. For ease of research a complete file of the marriages from 1613 to date can be found at the end of this post. Overall, the most popular month to be married is October and March the least: 2000 August 19th James Ainsworth & Amik Nadia Steven Stephen Langley & Julie Holloway September 9th Stephen Langley & Julie Holloway   2002 June 14th Giles Parker & Lauraine Anderson September 7th David Slater & Emma Joan Scales   2003 July 5th Adrian Hugh George Linegar & Eulando Florendo Rimando July 26th Andrew Simon Ruffell & Joanne Jobson   2004 October 16th Christopher Melchior Richmond Hall & Louise Jane Burgess   2005 April 1st Simon Nicholas Richmond Hall & Amanda Jane Wood June 11th Theo Ivanovic & Martha Georgina Harvey August 27th Kerry Porter & Katherine Erika Sealy September 3rd Andrew Martin & Susannah Lindsay Prain September 9th Philip Patrick Collier & Abigail Christie Anderson   2006 May 6th Nigel John Hall & Fenella Duyland Wakeley August 26th Peter Rouse & Amanda Baker September 23rd Joseph Douglas Mercer Nairne & Melissa Emily Wakeley Scene from a Wakeley wedding   2007 September 15th Mark Ralph Godman & Katie Helen Cripp 2009 May 2nd Mark Lawrence Gordon Adams & Sarah Anna Maria Keating June 27th Ricardo Nuno Bugia Pires & Hayley Joanna Jutsum July 11th Gilbert Thinghi Yule & Michelle Anna Axford July 17th Christopher James Mendelssohn & Caroline Louise Morris July 25th Michele Ernesto De Gregorio & Catherine Selvarani le Doux Edwards September 12th Paul Tyers & Lynette Mary Jean Lawson November 7th Kevin Dass & Liza Ann Devi Gray December 28th Richard Charles Miller & Anna Hutton-Potts 2010 April 24th Nikolaos Minas & Lydia Laura Stephen May 28th Mehrdad Rahbar Sehat & Charlotte Mary Ford June 12th Edward James Alsford & Lara Camilla Patrick July 24th Deane Richard Eales & Annabel Charlotte Sophia Timberlake November 6th Andrew Neil Peters & Hannah Ellen Ford 2011 June 18th Benjamin James Russell Stoneham & Chloe Ria Rankin November 12th Mark John Fisher Foster & Emily Jane Ockenden 2012 June 30th Alan George Andrew Weir & Hailey Louise Wilkinson July 12th Maximillian Michael Collins & Shannan Louise Keen September 1st Benjamin John Whitehead & Katherine Jeanne Morris 2014 July 12th Benjamin David Clutterbuck & Francesca Louise Goodwin 2015 May 23rd Charles Simon Treadwell & Anne Herforth Finnerup June 6th James Peter Goble & Lucy Kate Wall-Palmer August 1st Peter Edwin David Swabey & Magali Clotilde Marie Webster-Nicol 2016 May 28th Alistair Matthew Smith & Louisa May Hunter 2018 June 30th Peter Justin Rickenberg & Jacqueline Jean Brown 2019 March 15th Ryan John Birse & Amy Louise Rapley June 29th Thomas Clermont Lake Davies & Pollyanna Louise Russell Stoneham 2021 July 30th Toby Oliver Simon Downes & Leonora Susan Chisholm Schofield Historical note: Covid masks worn by most 2022 April 2nd Calum Alastair Gee & Jemma Elizabeth Corridan 2023 May 27th Neil Geoffrey Lankester Woods & Lisa Catherine Rickenberg Neil Woods & Lisa Rickenberg September 9th Rupert Terence Bulkeley Perrier & Elodie Camilla Pendred 2024 April 27th Bradley Patrick May & Charlotte Mary Cruickshank Bradley Patrick May & Charlotte Mary Cruickshank July 20th Cameron Burns Dow & Lila Kate Flint Roberts Cameron Burns Dow & Lila Kate Flint Roberts 2024 Photo: James White Photography September 14th Patrick Hugh Hudson & Matilda India Tess Warner (Wedding Blessing) 2025 June 7th Edward James Spencer & Sophie Baker

Thursley History Society has a long tradition of publishing brief biographies of its villagers as you can discover at the end of this post. Thanks to Tricia Horwood, editor of the Thursley Parish Magazine, we are able to reproduce these lives from a series she is running in the magazine called "A Day in the Life of". We shall continue to update this post until the series is finished. So far we've had the lives: James Giles, Reserve Manager Simon Hall, Arborist & Children's Author Byrony Holloway, Show Jumper Gillian Duke, Fine Art Publisher Dr Peter Clarkson, Cardiologist David Young, Book Publisher Michelle de Vries, Film & TV Music Supervisor ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A Day in the Life of a Reserve Manager (September 2024) By James Giles Hello  everyone. My name is James Giles and I am the warden/ranger, but my official job title is Reserve Manager for Thursley National Nature Reserve (NNR).  I’m the chap who is responsible for the nature reserve right on your doorstep.   A  little about me then; I was born in November 1967 in Solihull, Warwickshire back then, now a part of the West Midlands. Who would have thought I would be responsible for one thousand acres of beautiful Surrey - I had not even heard of it, let alone knew where it was. Rolling forward a few years, I moved to Guildford way back in 1994 to attend Merrist Wood College where I studied for three years on a conservation management course. Full of excitement as I had never lived anywhere else before (apart from a brief stint on a college placement in 1995 in North Yorkshire with the National Trust). When my course ended in 1997, I was looking for gainful employment. This hunt led me to Thursley National Nature Reserve where I bumped into a chap (Mark was his name) who was sitting by a pond with a stick, and something dangling from that stick  on a  string (turned out to be a thermometer), looking rather like a gnome I thought. Intrigued I approached him to ask what he was up to (I have never been one to be shy) turned out he was the current warden at the reserve and was measuring water temperature as a part of the Dragonfly mentoring project). We got chatting and I took his details and contact number. (no emails or Facebook back then). On my return home, wowed by the beauty of Thursley NNR, I duly contacted him to see if they needed help and to offer my services and he said yes please, so we arranged to meet up again and I became their volunteer, back in September 1997, some 27 years ago now. After a while of volunteering and some short-term contracts elsewhere whilst building up my knowledge and skills I applied for a full-time job at Thursley in 2001 and was successful. That was over twenty-three years ago, and I am still here. My new life as a warden with English Nature had started — they subsequently became Natural England. So , what is my role, what does it entail? What does a normal day look like? Well, I will answer that when I have one! My responsibilities range from physical management, letting contacts, managing budgets, health, and safety, establishing and running the wonderful volunteers, physical management of the reserve, chatting to visitors about what wonderous species there are to be seen, and of course, where and how to see them, and how to PLEASE behave. I do occasional guided walks and talks,   I drive a tractor, I use chainsaws and brush cutters, I enjoy photography when time allows,  I drink tea and eat cake and I plan the work programme to ensure Thursley NNR is properly looked after. I’ve helped fight fires over the years (a huge one  back in 2005, and again back in 2020, and some smaller ones in between). I have been through two outbreaks of Foot and Mouth and of course most recently, the awful Covid pandemic. I have to say the most rewarding part of my week is the volunteering day on a Thursday. We started the volunteer group because of the devastating fire of 2006. It was very apparent we needed help post this whopper (over 200 hectars were affected) and there was no way it could be done without help, and a lot of it – so the Thursley NNR volunteer group was born. I remember the first task as clearly as yesterday. I had very few chairs, a very small camp table, only a couple of ordinary flasks, a few tools and no exact idea what to do or where to start. We started anyway, and the need to get the impetus flowing was clear, if only to demonstrate to everyone that we intended to do something, to start making a difference, we cared and wouldn’t let this beat us. A phoenix  rising from the  ashes was the much over-used quote at the time I recall. I remember writing for the very first time in the Thursley and Elstead Parish magazines seeking help. And you came, and many still come to this day. In fact, the last three years post Covid restrictions we’ve averaged around 730 volunteer days. There are conflicts between the different users that I deal with daily, but in such a popular place it is an inevitability of course. But what I do it is ultimately and primarily for the wildlife and the enjoyment it brings me and other visitors. But it is not all doom and gloom. There have been many wonderful days. Filming with non other that Sir David Attenborough, and more recently BBC Countryfile. Patrolling around the boardwalk in early summer looking at the wonderous display of Dragonflies and the abundance of the reserve’s flora. To walk the heathland and see a scuttling bright green Sand Lizard is a thrill. To watch the Hobbies speeding through the skies over the wetland in search of their prey, to hear the spring bird song of Woodlark, Dartford Warbler, Willow Warblers, Chiff Chaffs and Reed Buntings is all a treat. Then on a warm summer’s evening to hold and organise the annual Nightjar survey is truly magical. I am exceptionally lucky and privileged to call Thursley NNR my place of work, my office. To be able to work with so many great volunteers, the real stalwarts of the NNR and of so much that is good, to know so many people in a great community, in such a beautiful corner of Surrey. I am indeed a lucky man. To have such a depth and broad range of stunning wildlife to look after and be responsible for is an honour. My garden is truly great. And finally, for me, as mentioned earlier one of the greatest pleasures of looking after a nature reserve is that of running volunteer groups. The group meets on nearly every Thursday and once a month on a Sunday. If this appeals to you simply get in touch via an email to me, we provide tea/coffee/cake and a warm welcome, and during the autumn and winter months a warm fire. No experience necessary and all training and tools provided. Cheers all! ============================================================ A Day in the Life of an Arborist & Children’s Author (November 2024) By Simon Hall   The working day usually starts with the alarm going off at 5 a.m. and a negotiation with our cat, Harry, who tries to trip me up going down the stairs to make a cup of tea! I wear many hats these days. I started my life in tree surgery in 1992, doing the ten-week intensive tree course at Merrist Wood College, followed by a one-year apprenticeship for local company Honey Brothers. Having qualified, I moved to Munich, learning how to work in cold winters with lots of snow. Later, I moved to Vancouver and discovered the huge sequoia redwoods. Moving on to Australia for two years, I worked in various remote outback communities – memorably near a courthouse made entirely of corrugated iron sheets – but also in Sydney and as far north as Darwin on mahogany and giant eucalyptus trees. Biting green and red ants, Huntsman spiders and green snakes were just some of the friendly wildlife you could find when climbing in Australian trees. In 1998 I moved to New Zealand and worked for a large company based in Christchurch on the South Island. Some work involved being taken up in a crane and lifted into the tree because it was too unstable to climb following a cyclone that had come through, causing immense devastation. In 2001 I returned home and took a long-distance learning course with the International Society of Arboriculture, gaining my certification as a qualified arborist. I started my own small business, Thursley Tree Services, in 2002, with my main client being Guildford Diocese but also working on trees all over Surrey. You might have seen me at the end of August perched on top of my Land Rover trimming the hedges around the village hall. I have been maintaining them since 2004. Back then, they had grown into holly trees, and it has taken to the present day to get them back under control. Returning to South House with my own family in 2013, we began renovating the house so that it could accommodate three generations of Halls under the same roof. Mum's wonderful last years were fulfilled by never having to leave the home she had lived in since arriving in the village in 1957! As my climbing days started to come to an end, I took further qualifications in consultancy and tree reports. I still keep my hand in alongside a younger climber, but I have learnt that it's just as hard physically working on the ground, and that you have the drawback of gravity: all that is easily dropped from a height has to be picked and moved! Last month, one of my climbers was working on an oak tree in Bowlhead Green, only to find that the hornets from a nest nearby were getting particularly interested in the sap from the tree. Luckily, he managed to finish his work and make a speedy descent without getting a nasty sting. So, even in this country there are critters to avoid in tree surgery! Despite living in a conservation area, many homeowners are not aware of the responsibilities they have to the trees in their garden. It's always worth considering having a tree report done if you have several trees. It can save you money in the long run! About eight years ago I started on a very different journey, writing short stories for my own children based on heritage railways around the country. Never could I have imagined then that this would result in five self-published books and a busy schedule of travelling around the country to promote them in wonderful places as far afield as Yorkshire and Cornwall. I have recently finished a book launch at the Cheddar Caves and Shepton Mallet Jail. This year has been the busiest for my writing so far. The books all have an educational element alongside their stories and a portion of the proceeds from each sale goes to the Railway Children charity, which supports vulnerable children on the streets and at transport hubs. www.thursleytreeservices.co.uk      www.troubleonthewatermeadowline.co.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Day in the Life of a Show Jumper By Byrony Holloway My name is Bryony Holloway and I live with my husband and team of horses at Haybarn. When Tricia asked me to share “a day in the life of a Show Jumper” for the Parish Magazine I felt both honoured and marginally alarmed! I have come from a totally non-equine background, but my love and fascination for horses has been my constant driving force for as long as I can remember. To follow your passion for your life is a privilege and I have done just that producing horses in and around Thursley (the best place in the world to do this, with it’s fabulous hills and sandy soil) for over 30 years now. Working with horses is not a job, more a way of life that is 24-7, with never-ending responsibility, people, travel, training, injuries, joy and set-backs.  Though we try to adhere to a strict format with the horses’ routine, no two days are ever the same with animals, so I thought perhaps I’d stretch to “Two days in the August life of” to give you a better insight of the highs and lows! SUN 18 AUG – The Highs 6am – alarm goes.  I get up feeling sick….pre competition nerves! I am in Chelsea with my fabulous show Team. We have Piers (AKA The Easter Bunny) and Gravin, my two older horses with us at The Global Champions Tour London Show. This is one of our favourites and the horses love it too. It is held annually at the Site of the Chelsea Flower Show and it always feels odd having the horses in central London. I dress in my show kit and scooter to the showground. Too nervous for breakfast! The horses stay in temporary stables on site for the week. Ash and Helen have been up since 5am feeding and mucking out; then hand walking before beautification starts… Gravin is white and often has to have a bath pre class!!  Then they are plaited and polished ready for the ring. This morning is our last day and so our Grand Prix. I have to walk the course; learning the route and stepping the distances between fences.  It is my responsibility to make their experience in the ring as enjoyable as possible so a plan is paramount. Space is a premium in Chelsea so, once mounted, there is one strip of concrete to walk up and down (I do this for 20 mins on each horse) then a tiny sand space to have a warm up. Jumping at the big shows involves just a couple of minutes in the ring jumping on each of three days … however, prep for this is literally years and years of early mornings, fitness regimes and training sessions! Both the horses jump lovely clear rounds and I have had a fabulous week at the show.  We now have to pack up camp to leave.  Getting the horses out of London is quite a big operation… once the kit is all cleaned and packed in trunks we have to wait until 8pm before I am allowed to bring the truck from Battersea Park, where it has been parked for the week, up to the showground for our 15 min slot to load stuff and horses and be out! Phew…We drive through the gates at home at 11pm ready to unload, settle horses, unpack and start the big clean ready for Hickstead next week. First load of washing on and to bed 1am!! WEDNESDAY 21st   The Lows! 7.00am — morning yard starts… my brilliant home team are in to start daily care. Ihave a few horses to ride today;  The London horses are still having a few quiet days hacking in the village. 9.30am -    I have a training session on Jabab who is set to go to Hickstead next week. Jabab, obviously furious at not being selected for London, decides to have a leap about and deposits me on the bank. 5 mins unconscious then the next thing I know I am surrounded by lots of really helpful people and an ambulance ride to the Royal Surrey. After an overnight stay I am released with massive nausea, a brain swell and a shattered Scapula. Two months downtime and a chance to reflect and make new plans! This has always been the sport.  One minute you’re at the best event of the year and then the following week a few days in Bramshott Ward at the Royal Surrey, but this has never put a dent in my dedication – I still love it to this day and feel very fortunate to have been able to follow my dreams. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Day in the Life of a Fine Art Publisher & Print Maker (December 2024) By Gillian Duke   Tricia asked me to write about a day in my life. Well, I thought, no two days are ever the same and there’s always a surprise lurking. I enjoy variety in what I do and I’m very lucky to work with amazing, multi- talented people. I’ve been involved in arts and culture my entire life, since graduating in the 1980’s. As managing director of a fine art print publisher and printmaker, CCA Galleries, I’m thrown different challenges every day. With a gallery in Jersey and distribution networks reaching across the UK and worldwide, I’m immersed in the ever-evolving world of fine art. Alongside my team, I oversee fine art print projects at our busy working studios in West London or flying off to oversee contemporary art shows, exhibitions and installations at our gallery in Jersey. Here we are also currently renovating a listed Jersey property to create a boutique style Art Hotel offering art and culturally based experiences and tuition in an eclectic atmosphere. Once known as Christies Contemporary Art, the company was founded in 1972 by Christies International, the famous auction house and was established with a vision to support and promote contemporary artists, offering a platform to showcase their work through print publication. CCA Galleries London and CCA Galleries International has been privately owned for the last thirty-five years and the ethos remains the same. Some days, you'll find me heading up the A3 to our studio in West London, formerly Walton Hall Film Studios (incidentally where in 1953, the Oscar-winning film, The African Queen, was filmed and produced). There I will find myself collaborating with talented artists and our expert printmakers.  We're more than just a team. We're a close-knit family, each person bringing years of experience and passion for artistry. I’m able to bring my own skillset in printmaking, gained from my studies in all techniques and many years in this complex business to strive to produce the highest quality. We thrive on innovation and tradition, merging the old with new technology, whether we're discussing edition sizes, printmaking techniques or artistic intent. Every print we produce is an intricate balance of artistic vision and technical skills in print. In the main, it’s an ancient, handmade process, often underappreciated by those unfamiliar with the intricacies of this unique art form. In the studio, we're privileged to work with and print for some of the finest artists in the UK, such as Damien Hirst, Sir Peter Blake, Bruce Mclean, Frank Bowling, Rose Wylie, Marina Abramovic, Ai Weiwei, Gavin Turk, Nic Fiddian Green and the King. Past masters include Sir Terry Frost, Donald Hamilton Fraser, Sandra Blow (whom were all Royal Academicians) Storm Thorgerson and John Piper. Also, where music and art meet, we are joined by musicians who produce artwork such as Ronnie Wood, Bob Dylan, and Maxim of The Prodigy. These special people are multi-talented, and work is hands-on and collaborative, as we discuss techniques, test colours, and make adjustments on the spot. Each project brings its own challenges, whether it's the delicate layering required for lithography, or the precision needed for complex screen printing. The surprises when making prints still amaze me. The processes can be quite technical yet sometimes the results are unexpected. We often enhance the final image with collage, emboss, diamond dust, and layered glazes, each of which brings a new dimension to the one-dimensional image. We have pioneered many such techniques and have embraced 3D printing, adding the 3D elements to some artworks. When working in Surrey, each day involves a combination of administration, contract negotiations, strategic planning of art shows and exhibitions. We supply many galleries with our own publications and original works and assist them with their own show programs. It’s a dynamic environment where art meets commerce. One of the most exciting aspects of my role is working with diverse partners across many sectors. We've had the privilege of collaborating with musicians and artists, creating album covers, for bands such as The Who, Madness, Paul Weller, to name a few and working on licensing agreements with corporate brands including Apple Corp, Coca-Cola, and DC Thompson (The Beano). These partnerships have extended the reach of artists we work with and provide them with opportunities in unexpected spaces, from fashion to music. Our charitable work also plays a central role in our day-to-day operations. We're proud to support causes like Teenage Cancer Trust, The British Heart Foundation (where I was for many years on the committee for fund raising events), Care2Save (Bentley Motorcars), Grenfell Tower, Art for Grenfell and the NHS's 70th anniversary, Comic Relief, the Eve Trust (ovarian cancer).  London Stands Together (The Felix Project) was an interesting challenge. Whilst isolating at home during the pandemic,  the Evening Standard contacted me out of the blue.  Peter Blake had made an artwork which was a pull-out in the paper for everyone to stick in their windows to bring hope and unity. They wanted to take this further and asked us to produce a limited-edition silkscreen signed by Peter to raise money to feed Londoners in need. At the time the studios had closed, we were in lockdown and staff were isolating at home. From the garden, where phone signals are sometimes non-existent and within a tight deadline, two staff members went back to the studio and produced a stunning silkscreen edition,  LONDON STANDS TOGETHER, which then sold out in hours and raised £100,000.  These and many other art projects have raised millions for worthy charities. Whether it is limited edition prints or exclusive collaborations, we've seen firsthand how art can raise awareness and funds for causes close to our hearts. This gives our work a greater sense of purpose, knowing that each piece sold contributes to life-saving initiatives, to assist people in need with long-standing conditions or to alleviate human suffering.  I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with non-profit organizations to support a variety of causes, from community outreach to international aid. It is incredibly fulfilling to be part of projects where the artwork isn't just admired, it helps make a tangible impact for the benefit of many others. In 2012, during the London Olympics, we had the amazing opportunity to contribute to the cultural landscape by being selected to install artwork at Gatwick Airport, created by Sir Peter Blake and produced at our West London studios. This was a high-profile project that showcased the power of art in public space, emphasizing our multicultural society. Our printmaking arrived to a global stage as the world and its athletes and supporters came to London. One of my roles for the past decade has been to source and produce the image to advertise the City of London Lord Mayor’s Show. We've created the CCA Art Bus for such events to promote art as a fun…inclusive experience for all ages, cultures, and beliefs. As is the power of art therapy to comfort and heal. I have the joy of working with an exceptional autistic artist whose work we publish and promote. Art is her window to the world and being a part of her journey inspires me every day. I feel incredibly fortunate I found my home Badgers.  What I never realized at the time was the magic of Thursley. I originally chose this location as the central point within my constantly moving triangle between London, Surrey and the Channel Islands. Little did I know I would embrace the amazing social life here, with many great friends. Many of whom have also shared this unique experience of Lord Mayor’s Show procession (see photo opposite), may that tradition continue for years to come. As they say, find a job you truly love, and you’ll never work another day in your life… well I can say, the artworld is truly ore inspiring, embracing and diverse, on so many levels. It fills my days, well most days…. aside from walking the dog, riding, various building and restoration projects and now, learning and turning a potter’s wheel. www.ccagalleries.com www.wortonhallstudios.com =============================================================   A Day in the Life of a Cardiologist (January 2025) By Peter Clarkson   Peter was brought up in East Sussex and went to medical school at UCL and undertook the majority of his training, in London. His first cardiology registrar job was at Frimley Park Hospital in 1991 where he met his wife Pam, who was also working there (in between ski seasons!). He returned to Frimley Park Hospital as a Consultant Cardiologist in 2001 and was Clinical Lead for 23 years, developing the department from 2 to 10 consultants and establishing invasive and interventional (coronary stenting and pacing) services. On moving out of London, Peter and Pam first lived in Pirbright, later moving into Guildford to be closer to the schools attended by their three children-Abby, Will and Lydia.  As the kids moved on to university, they were keen to find a more rural property with some land for the animals and, by chance, were sent some details of a bungalow requiring some work on Highfield Lane (and we love it!).  Most working weeks combine outpatients (both NHS and Private), operating in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory (Cath Lab) and a variety of multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTs) where patient management is discussed and plans agreed.  Every 8 weeks I am Consultant of the week (COW) dedicated to caring for the inpatients, including those cardiology patients admitted through the emergency department. The variety provided by clinics, MDTs, COW and operating, makes the weeks to fly by.   Tuesday is a very varied day, starting with an Outpatient Clinic where I see patients with a wide variety of conditions including chest pain, breathlessness and palpitations. Unfortunately, following the COVID pandemic (where we undertook very little non-emergency work) and the junior doctor strikes (where consultants covered ED and the ward resulting in a cancellation of huge amounts of elective work), the wait to be seen in outpatients is more than 40 weeks. As a result, the patient's condition has often changed since the original referral (by the GP) and we find that the first few minutes of each consultation is taken up with apologies and explanation. Patients’ frustration is further exacerbated by the clinics being significantly overbooked, both to try and bring down the waiting times (also giving us the opportunity to see patients with urgent problems), but frequently leaving clinics running late.  Although there is a trend to offer telephone consultations, much is lost to the patient and doctor. Many of us believe that face-to-face consultations have a therapeutic benefit, up and beyond a diagnosis and management plan, and allow a nuance of interaction that is often much more satisfactory (and fun!).  I spend about half my week operating; performing procedures which include coronary angiography and stenting and pacemaker or ICD (defibrillator) implantation. Coronary angiography involves inserting a fine tube into the main artery of the wrist, allowing the injection dye into the heart arteries to identify narrowing and blockages. These x-ray images allow us to plan stent treatment—here a fine wire  through a tube is inserted down through the narrowed segment of the artery, and over this wire a balloon is passed which is inflated to stretch up the narrowing. A stent is then inserted, which is a tube of wire mesh which is pressed into the wall of the artery to hold it wide open. Sometimes a stent procedure is not suitable, and the patient will be referred on for coronary artery bypass grafting.   During each operating session I undertake a variety of procedures, some elective and some urgent inpatient procedures. On Tuesday afternoons I often insert cardiac pacemakers, which prevents the heart stopping or going too slowly (and sometimes gets the heart to contract more efficiently) and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD's), which can detect dangerous, and sometimes fatal, abnormal rhythms and automatically deliver an electric shock to terminate them and save the patient.  One of the nice aspects of the procedures we perform is that they are all conducted under local anaesthetic (with or without a little sedation). This allows me to talk to patients whilst performing the procedures, which often very proves very interesting (although not always!) and helps keep the patient calm.  Most Tuesday nights (and one is six weekends) since 2007 (when we opened our Cath Labs with money raised, from amongst other things, a charity fashion show in which I forced strut along a catwalk in Camberley M&S, I was advised to stick with the day job!), I have been on-call for heart attacks. If you live within a 25 mile radius of Frimley Park Hospital (this includes Thursley) and have an acute severe heart attack you will be ‘blue lighted’ to the hospital  where we will use the balloon treatment and stenting to unblock your heart artery, restoring blood flow and preventing heart muscle damage or death.   Patients suffering significant chest pain will (hopefully) call 999, and an ambulance will be dispatched. The paramedics will make an assessment and perform an ECG which is then transmitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) at Frimley Park Hospital. The CCU staff will call me and transmit the ECG and if the patient is having an acute severe heart attack  we will arrange an emergency transfer to the cardiac catheter laboratories and call in the‘ Primary Angioplasty’ on-call staff, which includes a cardiac nurse, physiologist and radiographer (a tight knit team due to the severity of the illness being treated; one in twenty patients do not survive).   Arriving in the hospital within 30 minutes, the stent treatment is rapidly performed, re-opening the blocked heart artery, relieving pain, reducing damage to the heart muscle and in some cases, saving the life of the patient. Although we are often called at night, the procedure is generally quick and tends to be very gratifying, rapidly improving patient's symptoms and allowing us to immediately reassure the patient's relatives and friends.  Although I consider it a privilege to have the skill and experience to be able to perform these procedures, like many doctors, the week in week out on-call commitment has significantly impacted on my family life. Missed Christmas parties, Pam sat alone in restaurants, abandoned supermarket shopping and children sat alone waiting in the Cath Lab coffee room (although this has resulted in some success with choosing medical based careers).  The NHS has provided with me with  a wonderful career and the opportunity to make a living doing something I love (although it not been without its sacrifices!). Over the past 35 years I've worked through many changes and reorganisations but, previously, there has always been ‘light at the of the tunnel’. Sadly, it is now the NHS that is in need of resuscitation, although given the resilience of the workforce there is always hope.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Day in the Life of a book publisher (February 2025) By David Young   Unlike others in the village contributing to this column, mine will be less in the present and more a retrospective – I am old, Father William, and my working life is largely behind me. Still, I am happy to write a little about a career I have so thoroughly enjoyed that I can scarcely remember a handful of bad days in more than half a century.   I had a notably underwhelming and undistinguished school career in the 1950s and 60s, but in a life I consider to have been full of good fortune, one of the very luckiest things was a family firm prepared to take me on if I proved I had something other than my name to offer.   The family firm was a Mind, Body and Spirit publishing company called Thorsons.  It had been started by my maternal grandfather in 1930.  He was evangelical about bringing alternative medicine to wider public attention after my grandmother, gravely ill with dry pleurisy, was restored to health by the Champneys cure, just down the road, using such therapies.   My father, quite rightly, wouldn’t let me join until and unless I had learnt a useful skill, and so, after a year at a newspaper where I learned the invaluable skill of touch typing, and turned 17,  I took a Diploma in Printing Management at Watford College of Technology, and subsequently joined Thorsons as Production Manager in 1970.   It was an exciting time to be publishing in our field:  we went into full colour covers, sold into mainstream shops as well as health food stores and via direct mail, and with books such as E for Additives  and Food Combining for Health (still one of the Top 100 nonfiction books published since records were kept), we caught a wave of public interest and rode it.  I worked with my father, my brother-in-law, and my best friend from college, along with a loyal and enthusiastic staff, and those years were such fun.   We sold Thorsons to HarperCollins Publishers in 1989, and so I have spent the last 35+ years working in general Trade publishing, at HC, Time Warner, and Hachette Books USA, where I was the CEO for eight extraordinary years living and working in New York City.  I was also Chairman of the Association of American Publishers for two years.   I am not, and never have been, on the editorial side – I don’t commission or buy books.  My interest has always been on the business side of the business, and in the people working within publishing.  It’s a wonderfully creative, collaborative process, full of imagination, courage, risk and reward.  I’ve always loved the fact that I have had a hand in producing a tangible object.  I am in the process of weeding my own enormous collection of books ahead of our downsize into the village this year, and each one holds a host of memories.  I’ve been lucky enough to work with authors such as Nelson Mandela – presenting him with the one millionth copy of The Long Walk to Freedom  in South Africa House, once a bastion of the apartheid movement.  That is probably still the most proud and humbling moment of my whole career.  Others include Stirling Moss, a personal hero; Carole King (an absolute delight); Edward Kennedy; the historian Antony Beevor, Keith Richards (the audiobook of his autobiography Life  won an Emmy) and the wonderful J K Rowling (we published her adult titles) and other novelists such as Michael Connelly, David Baldacci, James Patterson, Val McDermid and Sarah Dunant to name but a few.  I’ve been involved with publishing phenomenon, such as the Twilight  series in the USA in the early 00s, where we were selling so many copies our software wasn’t equipped to print royalty cheques with so many zeroes!   My American adventure was exactly that.  We had a warehouse in Indiana where staff were allowed to be armed at work (bear in mind that temperatures often exceeded 40C with high humidity, and tempers ran short), and there were very necessary tornado shelters.  I worked with TV evangelists through the company’s Nashville based Religious Division, and that was, shall we say, eye opening. I even had lunch with Donald Trump, who was suing my company for libel (we won!), to try to smooth the waters but failed.   I semi-retired in 2013, but as the cliché goes, when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life, and since then I have been on the boards of Scholastic books, the largest children’s educational publisher in the world, Canongate Books, a boutique literary house, the Raymond Chandler Literary Estate, Portland Literary, and, pro bono, Tate Enterprises, and the Book Trade Benevolent Society.  The common theme is always books and book people.  Approaching the age of 75, I will shortly give up almost all of the roles that keep my hand in with an industry I love.  I leave it in pretty good shape, I think – rumours circulating a couple of decades ago that the book was dead were very wrong.  But it has transformed across the 50+ years of my career.  The end of the Net Book Agreement, which had price-maintained books, was a huge challenge and change.  The move to digital, with Kindles and audio books, not to mention the vast new array of other entertainments available, have all caused sea changes within the industry.  Jeff Bezos started Amazon using books, because ISBNs, the numbers on the bar codes on every book, made books the only international product numbering system at the time, and also because he could ship them from his garage!  Bezos is a brilliant but very strange man, not at all warm unlike Steve Jobs who was such an enthusiast about his products.  We helped to open the iBook store which was an experience and one that also led to litigation, but that’s another whole story.   Publishing faces challenges, of course.  AI is both an extraordinary opportunity and an existential threat.  And I believe strongly that WFH is potentially incredibly detrimental to the creative process which makes the magic happen at a publishing house.  But those challenges are for younger men and women than I to rise to.  I shall read about them from my armchair.    ===========================================================   A Day in the Life of a Film & TV Music Supervisor By Michelle de Vries I’m definitely not a morning person, but today, I’m on set at 6 AM, working on a film  starring Katherine Waterston, Minnie Driver and Simon Pegg. I’m here as the film’s music supervisor, ensuring everything sounds and looks authentic.   Last week, I was in Lincolnshire pre-recording a girls’ choir that we chose to perform in the film. We selected a classical piece and had it newly arranged. Today, they’ll be miming to that track, and my job is to ensure their performance aligns perfectly with the pre-recording. One of the actors plays piano throughout the film, and while I arranged for her to take lessons, learning piano takes years. So, I’ve also hired a hand double for the close-up shots, and today, we’re filming those scenes.   I became a music supervisor after spending many years in A&R at a music publishing company, where I worked closely with songwriters and emerging bands. My understanding of the studio environment, along with strong connections with managers and recording artists worldwide, has been invaluable in my current role. While legal expertise isn’t required, having a solid grasp of copyright and contracts is essential. A deep knowledge of music of all genres is too . There is often a lot of research required which is the fun part of the job for me and has taken me to incredible places like Colombia and Texas. Shifting schedules are a constant in this industry, which means I’m juggling several projects at once. With my music industry background, I get hired for many music biopics—recently, I worked on the  Robbie Williams  Netflix series and a fun project about the history of Motown Records. That one made me the envy of all my music-loving friends—I was sent individual original stem recordings of every artist and instrument they ever recorded. A true highlight was hearing Marvin Gaye’s original solo takes of  I Heard It Through the Grapevine.  Right now, I’m involved in several biopics under NDA, but the process is always similar: securing rights, shaping the musical narrative, and licensing the music.   I also work extensively on sports documentaries. This evening, I’m collaborating with a young poet who I found to write the end credits for a series about  Liverpool FC . He’s incredibly talented but is new to film work and needs some guidance. I also have to watch the episode to flag incidental music—like crowd chants or ringtone sounds—which can be costly to license. My job is to assess which moments benefit from the music and which can do without. Coming from a musical household, I hate cutting songs—but sometimes, it’s necessary.   In other projects, my role involves placing songs in scenes, working with directors to find tracks that enhance the story. A well-placed song can elevate a moment; the wrong one can ruin it. Early in production, we establish a musical palette—a sonic blueprint for the film. For example, on  The Capture (BBC), we opted for a modern electronic score. I curated playlists to guide the composer I hired and supervised the orchestral recording in Budapest.   Other projects, like  Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon , require original songs. For something like this, I organise songwriting camps, bringing together writers to generate ideas before matching them with artists. Other times, I approach artists directly with a brief. One particularly fun moment was arranging a duet between indie band  The Vaccines  and Kylie Minogue—We had so much fun recording it- both patties knew it was a crazy match and entered into the spirit of it.   Of course, the job isn’t all creative fun. It’s actually extremely stressful, full of long days, weekends working,  tight deadlines, legal paperwork, and endless rights clearance. Every song requires approval from multiple parties—songwriters, artists, labels, publishers, and unions. Some songs have up to 12 writers, and tracking them all down can take weeks. I’ve sent friends in the U.S. to knock on doors in Brooklyn, tracked a ‘70s songwriter through the California police department, and even contacted a spiritual leader in Manaus to clear a song. Once, I had to negotiate with a hip hop artist serving time in a Jamaican prison. Mistakes are costly and deadlines are fixed so there is no room for any errors.   Budgets are shrinking, and production timelines are getting tighter. Many companies fail to allocate enough resources for music, so part of my job is educating them. I worry that creativity is being sacrificed for speed, but there are still rewarding moments—like discovering a new band and giving them a break. On the football series,  Sunderland ‘Til I Die , I found a local singer for the opening credits; his song became the unofficial anthem of Sunderland FC, and now, his lyrics are written all over the stadium.   Sometimes, I have to convince legendary bands to license their songs at a lower rate for an indie film. The directors often have platinum desires and we often have copper budgets ! If they say no, I hunt for alternatives that capture the same sentiment but are more affordable. This is actually more fun in a way as you can be a lot more creative and have to think outside the box. Every project has that moment of panic when it feels impossible—but somehow, it always comes together, often at the last minute. (I say as I’m currently panicking over a project I’m on at the moment!) .   While premieres are a nice perk, I’m usually already deep into my next project by the time a film is released to go to them.  Every day is different—some are exhilarating, others are anxiety-inducing. It’s not a job for the faint of heart. Like any film I work on, there are highs, lows, and plenty of drama.  Managing expectations, solving problems, and finding creative solutions—I always say my job is all about fitting a square peg into a round hole.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------     A Day in the Life of the Chief Steward at Wimbledon (June 2025) By James Mendelssohn   As any tennis fan will tell you, there is no better place than SW19, and for me, there can be no better job than being the Chief Steward of the Association of Honorary Stewards at the Wimbledon Championships.  But when Tricia asked me to write about a day in my working life, I wondered where on earth to begin ... largely because there is no typical day. The role is year-round and I am at the Club perhaps once a week – providing feedback after the Championships, discussing future plans and beginning to prepare for the following year.  In the Autumn, we assess, recruit and train approximately 15 new Stewards; we hold an AGM and various social functions; and early in the New Year, we begin the planning and scheduling process for the next Championships.  But during the Championships themselves, the alarm goes off at 4.45 am and I am on the A3 soon after 5.00 am to make sure that I am parked and at the famous Wimbledon Queue well before 6.00 am when the night team of Stewards finishes, and the day team starts.  This is one of the busiest times of the day: the London Underground has started running and guests hoping to get in on a Grounds Pass will be converging on Wimbledon Park to join the Queue. At the same time, those that have camped overnight in the hope of securing a show court seat will be packing up their tents, depositing them at left luggage, and rejoining the Queue, waiting for the gates into the Golf Course to open. Any casual onlooker observing Wimbledon Park at that time of the morning would wonder how on earth that crowd, which may be 10,000 strong by 8.00 am, could be managed to ensure that everyone enters the Grounds in the order in which they have arrived.  But they do.  A system of Queue Cards and wristbands means that the established, fair and very British system works ... and anyone trying to buck it will fail to do so ... and be politely redirected to the back of the Queue! Having had a quick chat with the senior Stewards who manage the 30 or so of the team working in Wimbledon Park, I will then head into the grounds to my small office opposite Gangway 101 on Centre Court and grab a quick coffee before the morning security briefing at 7.30 am, attended by the Club’s Head of Security, and representatives of the various contractors providing security services, together with the Military and London Fire Brigade Stewards. After that, the day takes on a less structured pattern.  I have a highly competent and very experienced team of Stewards working with me – many of them have served for much longer than I have – and they certainly don’t need micro-managing.  We have structures and schedules in place to ensure that all areas are covered at the right times – in the Queue and outside the Gates in the morning; on the Show Courts and various places outside the grounds in the afternoon – and we also ensure that less experienced Stewards are trained on the job and given the support that they need in the early years. This being as it is, I spend much of the rest of the day moving around the grounds and outside the gates, talking to people, keeping an eye on things, and having the odd word when necessary.  For the most part, everything runs very smoothly, but from time-to-time incidents do occur which need a level of support or intervention.  Our role is absolutely to improve the guest experience, and the knowledge and experience of a Steward who has been serving at the Championships for 20 plus years will normally achieve this.  But just occasionally, guests step out of line or become upset, and we need to be very careful to manage such situations sensitively and within very strict protocols. During the day, I will grab a quick lunch, both as a necessary way of sustaining the inner man, but perhaps more importantly, because it provides a great opportunity to chat to colleagues and hear what is going on. In the afternoon, the Show Courts will be fully operational and the situation in the Grounds becomes very dynamic.  Typically, there will be a little over 40,000 guests in the grounds on any day and depending on the progress of matches, you can have 30,000 watching games on Centre and No 1 Courts – or they can all be in the Concourses, getting a drink, or going to the loo if matches on the two courts finish simultaneously! No two evenings are the same.  There is a second daily security briefing at 6.30 pm each evening, but after that, Centre Court can finish at 7.30 pm – or it can continue until the curfew at 11.00 pm.  Either way, with a great team of colleagues, I try and grab some supper and get away by about 9.00 pm to be home by 10.00 pm ... although it is frustrating how often there seem to be evening roadworks on the A3 during the Championships!  Then, six hours sleep ... and off we go again. Last year, with the Qualifiers, a training day, a Briefing Day and 14 days of the Championships, I did 22 days on the trot.  The last day ended with the Champions Dinner in the West End and home at 2.00 am.  When I tried to catch up with my online banking the following morning, the face recognition log in failed – too many rings round my eyes and bags under them – so I had to resort to a regular password! But I love it.  There is something very special about Wimbledon, even on a wet Tuesday afternoon in February, and I consider myself hugely honoured and privileged to have been asked to take on what, for me at least, is the most perfect retirement job. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Wikipedia : Have a Go was a BBC Radio show that ran from 1946 to 1967. Hosted by Wilfred Pickles and co-presented with his wife Mabel (née Myerscough), it involved the couple travelling to venues around the UK and speaking to members of the public, who were then invited to answer quiz questions in the hope of winning a small amount of money. It was the first quiz show in Britain to offer such a prize. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_a_Go By Rosemary Stockdale Did you know that the Village Hall in the 1950’s was located where the bungalow close to the pub now stands. It hosted a variety of events including Wilfred Pickles ‘Have a Go’ in 1958. Do you recognise anyone? Please get in touch if you do or if you have any other information to add to the archives. Thursley ‘Have a Go’ contenders 1958 …. And you can hear all of the programme, 28 minutes, on the Thursley History Society YouTube channel: https://studio.youtube.com/video/74CzJk-Oe44/edit Wilfred Pickles hosting… The winner(s)…..? The winner was Mrs Messenger who was given £4, 10 shillings, a chicken and dinner for two at a local hotel The cutting above includes the information that Thursley residents' big grouse was the housing shortage as it was driving young people from the village.

The exhibition, entitled 'Victory Euphoria', was the brainchild of the Thursley History Society's Chairman, Sally Scheffers. She spent many months asking Thursley villagers past and present to search their memories and photograph albums for stories about their relatives' experiences during World War 2. The result was an extraordinary exhibition of over 100 entries, albums and objects of interest most of which can be accessed from this main entry. All other entries have been cross-referenced. Welcome from Sally Scheffers: The main hall consisted of stories, desriptions of events and places and objects in display boxes This farm was made by Anthony's Langdale's mother in 1942 out of orange boxes. She made it for her three sons to play with. She and her husband, Arthur, ran a farm in Sussex and there were land girls on the farm The north hall was used as a reading room The exhibition consisted of: PEOPLE Sir Malcolm Arnold Mary Bennett Air Vice Marshal Denis Breakey Russell Brockbank Admiral Sir John Bush Reg and Elsie Cottle Jean Chopping Squ Ldr P F Clayton Frank Debono Major William Arthur Kirwan Dickinson Sheila Dickinson H A L Fisher Lettice Fisher Steven Frank Bruce Austin Fraser Eddie Gale Robert Goble Wing Commander Charles W Gore Vincent Grygelis Rudolf Hess Ernest John (Jack) Hesmondhalgh   F/Sgt Robert Henry Houldey Colonel Christopher Hutt Kate Jensen Ann Levy Jeffrey Malton David Man 'Topsy' and Christopher Man   Hilda Matheson Kenneth Mathews Noelle Mendelssohn Raymond Monnery Arthur Moss Edward Osborn Tom and Grace Ranson Robbie Robinson Peter Scheffers Joyce and Tony Secrett Robert Sharland Sir Roger Stevens Jack Stimpson Jo Streatfield-James Sally Streatfield-James Carl August Hendrik Swift and Joan Betty Swift Charles James Treadwell Christina-Maria van den Toorn Paul Von Oldecop   Tim and Margaret Walsh Monica Whately Michael Wyatt John and Madge Young It was hoped that by clicking on the surnames above, you would be able to connect to the individuals you wished to read about, unfortunately this proved to be difficult and so the pdf below was created. It has a contents page so that it can be both searched and navigated quite easily: Here is a sample entry: This is just one of the over 90 white plaques that Sally Scheffers made for the exhibition. Each one commemorates a person featured in the displays or stories. EVENTS, PLACES & THINGS 1939 Register Admiralty Signal Establishment Aircraft Recognition Journal The Camp Canadians in Thursley 'Doodlebugs' Farnham Castle Gee Radio Navigation System Hitler's Black Book Life in Thursley During World War II Life in Tweedsmuir Camp with the Lorne Scots Regiment Marriages in World War II Queen Victoria Rifles Siege of Calais Thursley Horticultural Society in WW2 Thursley's Home Guard Tweedsmuir Camp VJ-Day 15th August 2025 Voluntary Positions of Thursley's Non-Conscripted Residents Women's Land Army YMCA Like the People section above, these entries can be found a searchable pdf: Here is a sample entry: DISPLAY CASES These crocheted dolls, some fashioned over chicken wishbones, were lent by Marion O'Brien Mein Kampf in blue on the left and a Jewish Anti-Nazi novel in yellow in the middle Medals from many theatres of war The Camp was produced for POW's by the Germans Includes Jeffrey Malton's Log Books

The books listed below are available to be borrowed. Please make any requests via the contact form on the website LIST OF BOOKS, BOOKLETS, CATALOGUES, LEAFLETS HELD BY THURSLEY HISTORY SOCIETY – MAY 2025 The Great War, Imperial War Museum, edited by Mark Holborn Hindhead’s Turn Will Come (Golf Course), Ralph Irwin-Brown The Lost Countryside Images of Rural Life, Chris Shepheard Living in Tweedsmuir Camp 1948-57, Wies & Zen royal ski Helen Allingham’s Cottage Homes – Revisited, Annabel Watts The LWRR Guide – Tigers – 2017 25th anniversary  2 copies Farnham and the Civil War,  Derek & Angela Hall Edwin Lutyens – Monographs 6, Academy editions Pictures from a Country Churchyard St Michaels , Guy Singer All Tanked Up – The Canadians in Headley WW2  2 copies, John Owen Smith Thursley Today 1965, Thursley Women’s Institute Monica Edward’s – Authorised Biography, Brian Parks Malcolm Arnold: Rogue Genius – donated by Patricia Coles, Anthony Meredith & Paul Harris Witley & Milford in Living Memory, Valerie Box The Badgers of Punchbowl Farm, Monica Edwards Fascinating Farnham, Guy J Singer Tales from a Country Churchyard – St Michaels & All Angels, Guy J Singer The Wigwam Murder, M J Trow The Unsought Farm, Monica Edwards A History of Europe Vol 1– donated by Mary Bennett, H A L Fisher The Land of the Sophy, Roger Stevens Dolphin Summer, Monica Edwards Wish for a Pony – 2 copies, Monica Edwards Discovering Local History, David Iredale & John Barrett Thursley Remembers, John P Hill The Hunter Children, Natalie Joan Punchbowl Harvest, Monica Edwards Black Hunting Whip, Monica Edwards The Broom-Squire – 2 old copies, S Baring-Gould Witley & Thursley Parish Churches – 4 copies, Alan Bott Common Prayer Book donated by Mary Hall (nee Warner) 1927 Holy Bible presented to Tim Christmas at Sunday School 1912 The Punchbowl Companion to Monica Edwards’ books, Brian Parks The Romney Marsh Companion to Monica Edwards’ books, Brian Parks Women in the First World War, Neil R Storey & Molly Housego Marchan’s Hill 1939-1989, Judy Hewins Thursley Horticultural Society Centenary 1923-2023

This book was adapted by Allan Collis from the book by Gillian Drew This post was taken from https://elsteadvillage.co.uk/elstead-then-now/ The book is now out of print although second-hand copies can be purchased from online suppliers. It gives an interesting account of our neighbouring village.

This presentation was prepared by Amanda Flint for Thursley History Society's 'Victory Euphoria' exhibition to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Thursday 8th May 2025

These moving letters written by Sukey Langdale's father, a man just 24 years old, were part of the 'Victory Euphoria' exhibition staged by Thursley History Society to mark the 80th anniversary of VE-Day, Thursday 8th May 2025 Here is the first:

At a meeting of the Thursley History Society early in 2025, it was agreed that the website should include an entry for our many beloved villagers who are no longer with us. Our archive contains a lot of information and we shall gradually build this entry retrospectively. If you would like to contribute please do so via the website: https://www.thursleyhistorysociety.org/contact . Hilary Joy Denholm Barr, 3rd May 1945 - 12th January 2025 Hilary's obituary in Thursley Parish Magazine, May 2025 Pete Hanauer 26th September 1946 - 15th December 2024 There were tributes to Pete from family and friends as well as poem. The tribute below from Dick Lowther, a friend and former colleague, is reproduced in full: Peter   Warm, generous, witty Peter - 47 YEARS MY FRIEND. We took many paths together but then you trod many more. Memories of you, glued in my souvenirs, coming back as sure as swifts in summer.  As surely as the seeds you sowed in your veg plot - from the smooth bean to the  wrinkled pea.  Some forgotten for a time, but greeted with joy when they pop up again.   I met you in the autumn of 77 in Farnham the same day as Brad, who is also here today. You were a new student, yet already rich with experience.  Your second bite of the art school cherry.    With your generosity and effortless way of making friends - witness this turnout - I soon found myself enjoying the delightful company of Pete.  And of Sandra, of Rachel, and Sam.   You brought with you a history and an inquisitive mind, tempted by a new path trusting it would lead somewhere - a characteristic of art students,  We who took a stroll with out a care, never knowing how we’ll fare.  How I wish I had met the much younger you.  But the music of Hole Cottage gave me a rewarding glimpse into the lay of your land.   This shared musicality  led us to - Springsteen in Paris, Leonard in Lyon, Baez in Portsmouth, Dylan in London   You fared well at Farnham as glassblowing caught your breath.  Those fiery workshops set you on another new path, one that would take you to the Royal College of Art. I recognized early on that you were someone respectful of tradition, yet always open to the modern. Even those paintings you worked on for Bridgit Riley where beautifully hand crafted.    Two years later, our paths crossed again — this time with greater consequence. I was scouting for talent for Epsom when we met at  your Royal College  show. I proposed  part-time teaching , wanting you to have days to continue creating your beautiful glasswork. But you wanted a  full-time job. The principal, on  looking into your box of glasswork,  pounced on you.    And so we worked together again. I confess I bear the responsibility for England losing a talented glassblower — but there are many many students, some here today I believe, who would thank me for that.  You anchored yourself at Epsom, devoting your days to teaching, guiding, listening to and inspiring others.   You became a weekly presence in my life once more: the kind, charming committed colleague, a steadfast friend.   But my most treasured memories are of Hole Cottage. Descending the track from the A3 always brought the anticipation of the warmest of welcomes, your hand held high and the ever-open back door.  The country kitchen, where much was talked of and chuckled at.  A small corner of England you and Sandra have long  been caring for - a place for people, animals, and birds and celebration.  At one point a homestead of black sheep, black chickens, black pigs, black cat, and Blackberry the cow.  The crows and blackbirds were well impressed. Green finches and blue tits not so much.   Warm welcome and warm nights nights too, often a new year’s eve, much enlivened by the grape.  Once you put me to bed in front of the open fire and closed all the doors. I woke up smelling like an Arbroath Smokie for a day.  Another example of your commitment to  a country craft and love of food the cottage always brings to mind.  But whilst Spotted Dick is is a famous english  pudding, Kippered Dick has yet to make it to a menu.   And the barn - multifunctional, ever-evolving. At times it housed vintage vehicles, a cinema, a dance floor, an illicit still, and  Sandra’s six-star restaurant. Above it all, your little studio - the elevated man cave filled with books, art, and bits of this and mementos of that, gathered with care.  Surrounding it all the the perfect summer-party garden.   Not too far away were the cricket grounds, grand at Lord’s  or modest in Thursley,  where we could slow our life down for an hour or a day. Along with morning dog walks and pub lunches.   You identified with, and reintroduced me to, the culture of rural England. You would probably have been wassailing this month where it not for why we are here.   Your talent you wore lightly. but there was always a reminder of it - in your delightfully drawn  birthday and Christmas cards, your graceful handwriting instantly recognizable on the envelope.    These are not just nostalgic memories - they are an appreciation of a life well-lived, rooted in craft yet open to innovation. Life is a collection of meandering paths, with missteps along the way. Yet we leave footprints in the sands of time. You, of course, would modestly deny this. But Peter, you and Sandra have made your small corner of England a better place, filled with goodness.   For Sandy and Rachel and Sam there will now be the undone years as Wilfred Owen called them - not just the years that Pete will not now do, but those which you will not now experience.  But they will be enriched because you new and loved him and he was there.  He will be still be there - invisible but you will be able to call on memories and be guided by his humanity, his generosity, his humour, his ease with people, young and old, whatever path they found themselves on.     So lets not whine at death but withstand it  ( so wrote that gloomy poet of my  home town Philip Larkin) and celebrate Pete’s life and be thankfully happy that his paths crossed ours.   So I say Fare thee well, Pete.  I will miss you terribly. Two examples of Pete's glass-blowing in the V&A This eulogy was from a close neighbour, Jo Kelly: For me Pete was a friend and neighbour, a fellow valley dweller and wassailer, a muddy biking buddy and member of the Help in Thursley team, a litter picking organiser and ever friendly greeter of my horses and dogs. Pete was our runner bean supplier and bringer of mice for our barn owl - (although I am not sure that the Amazon drivers ever got used to the surprise of dead mice looking up at them from a flowerpot in our parcel bin!).  A long-standing dog grooming client (he and Stanley were the only two who thought that my haircuts with horse clippers were acceptable, albeit after a couple of weeks regrowth!). He had been the previous keeper of our Land Rover, and a few years later with Sandy, crept in at the crack of dawn in a snow blizzard to decorate it for our wedding.  He was also the village illustrator and creator of the most beautiful and memorable Christmas Cards. As you all know Pete wore many hats! Anyone who witnessed Pete and my relationship will know it consisted of a lot of banter and a very dubious sense of humour. I fear he has gained the last laugh looking down on me here today trying to hold it all together. I was deeply touched, honoured and daunted when Sandy asked me to say a few words. How on earth do you do justice to Pete and his life?  So I googled the definition of “a life well lived”. One version was, “more people have benefitted from your presence than not”. And BLIMEY!  - didn’t we all benefit?! I’m sure that every one of you here can’t reflect on Pete’s time in your life, however long or short, even those fleeting interactions, without smiling and recalling his ever cheery chat and endless positivity. That is a life well lived. If we all tried to live our lives a bit more like Pete ….. that would be a truly great legacy.

This diary, written and illustrated by Jean Chopping (Caroline Mendelssohn's daughter) at the begininng of World War II, was exhibited at the 'Victory Eupohoria' exhibition put on by Thursley History Society to mark the 80th anniversary of VE-Day. The complete diary can be found in this pdf:

This is the title page of a remarkable set of pictorial propaganda maps produced by a British officer in a German prisoner of war camp, approved and made available by German authorities, and published in Britain in 1941 with government consent. It featured in the 'Victory Euphoria' exhibition put on by Thursley History Society on 3rd and 4th May 2025. From Cornell University Library: As the subtitle accurately says, this work is “An Illustrated Diary of the March Into Captivity of the Last of the British Army in France - June 1940.” It details the route and experience of thousands of officers and enlisted men captured by the Germans at the time of Dunkirk. From June 11 to July 7, 1940, these soldiers were marched across France, Belgium and Holland to German POW camps . The author is identified as Leslie C. Hunt, “2nd Lieutenant, The East Surrey Regiment. No. 1351, Oflag VII C, Germany.” Oflag VII-C was a German POW camp for officers located at Lauren in southeastern Bavaria and operated from 1940 to early 1942. Each page of the work bears an oval stamp, reproduced in publication, reading “Oflag VII C geprüst” (“approved”). The book begins with a one-page “Introduction” (ID #2346.02), a textual overview of the march and the conditions faced by the soldiers. That is followed by a series of eight pictorial maps: an initial “Key Sheet” entitled “The Whole Weary Trail” (ID #2346.03) and seven detailed maps of the course of the march (ID ##2346.04-10). Each of the detailed maps contains charming illustrations: soldiers, tanks, airplanes, columns of refugees and soldiers, graveyards, windmills, factories and important landmarks, including the city of Ghent, the Brandenburg Gate, and a number of cathedrals (Rouen, Amiens, Antwerp, Cologne). Each detailed map also includes several text blocks describing events along the way. The Introduction and the text on individual maps includes credible descriptions of the privations the prisoners faced, from persistent shortages of food to “Nights spend huddled together in fields, in the pouring rain without any cover, after a twenty-mile march.” Introduction. At Domart St. Leger, for example, “Had only one ladle of soup in two days.” Sheet Two. At Bergen, “Too crowded and cramped to move. No food and hardly any drinking water.” At Nijmegen, “Hungry, cold, and dirty.” Sheet Six. On the other hand, the Germans come off reasonably well in the telling. “At first there was little or no food: this was not the fault of the German escort, who were as badly off themselves, but simply the inevitable result of the speed of their advance through France. . . . Food and nightly camps improved as we got further away from the zone of recent fighting.” Introduction. At Doullens in France, “German rations increased.” Sheet Two. At St. Pol, “Meat and soup from Germans with amply supply of biscuits,” and at Bethune, “Some British greatcoats and underclothes distributed by Germans.” Sheet Three. At Tournai, “Seemed like the ‘Ritz,’ with cold showers, liberal rations.” Sheet Four. Once in Germany, there were “people regarding us in silence, but there were no hostile demonstrations.” Introduction. One interesting question is why the Germans not only permitted the creation of these maps and supporting text, but  “approved” and facilitated their transmission to Britain. The most likely answer is that the material generally presents German soldiers as treating prisoners of war humanely, and thus provides some reassurance to British soldiers who might at some point consider surrender. It is also possible - albeit unlikely - that Germany continued to harbor hope for a peace settlement with Britain at the time this material was sent, in order to avoid the two-front war that resulted from its invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. In this regard, the timing is consistent with Rudolf Hess’s mysterious and controversial flight to Scotland in May 1941, purportedly with a peace proposal in hand. Whether Hess was acting with Hitler’s knowledge and direction, or was simply mentally deranged, is hotly debated to this date. See Handwerk 2016. The cover page of the book reproduces the stamp of the British “Press & Censorship Bureau,” which shows that the material was “Passed for Publication” on July 7, 1941. It’s likely that the British censors approved this publication in order to reassure the families of captured soldiers as to their treatment. The book was published in 1941 in a limited, numbered edition; the copy in the collection is No. 74. There was a larger edition published in 1942. Hunt, Leslie C. 1941. The Prisoners' Progress. An Illustrated Diary of the March Into Captivity of the Last of the British Army in France - June 1940. London: Hutchinson and Co. Prisoner of War Camp