Local News
Bishop Discloses Terminal Diagnosis
The Bishop of Guildford, the Rt Rev’d Andrew Watson, has announced that he has been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer and is now in the care of a hospice team. He said his oncologist had told him that his tumour was particularly aggressive and hard to manage, and chemotherapy was likely ...
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Letter: The Question Is – Will Candidates Prioritise Community or Party?
From John Ferns In response to: Politics-free Councils Would Not Give Us What We Need and other letters and comments on the topic of party political involvement in parish and town councils. As the proponent who sparked off this debate, I’m pleased to see the number and range of views being express...
Letter: Politics-free Councils Would Not Give Us What We Need
From Vanessa King Deputy GBC leader and Lib Dem borough councillor for Stoke In response to: Parish and Town Councils Must Be Politics Free Let me see if I understand former councillor and R4GV member John Redpath’s position clearly: No political parties in a town or parish council – that is pos...
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GSC Knife Crime Awareness Campaign Reaches 2,000 Students
By Isabelle Trubshaw As Guildford Shakespeare Company celebrates its 20th birthday, the milestone offers an opportunity to spotlight its Knife Crime awareness programme, Put Up Your Swords, which continues to deliver significant impact across the community. There is particular poignancy because of t...
The park in an unspoilt Surrey village near Guildford with cheerful springtime family walks
Lace up those boots, pull on those hats and get outside for a countryside adventure
Dragon Interview: Council Leader Faces Questions on Leadership and Reorganisation
Cllr Julia McShane faced 30 minutes of questioning today (February 20) on her leadership of the council, her role as lead councillor for housing and the challenges linked to merging all the councils in West Surrey into a single unitary authority. Searching questions were asked by the editor of The G...
‘Would You Put Up With Someone Else’s Poo in Your Kitchen Sink?’
By Chris Caulfield local democracy reporter The lived reality of strangers’ poo filling people’s kitchen basins was enough to sink plans for 70 new homes in a Surrey village suffering from serious sewage issues. Developers Waites had hoped to build new houses in Alford, saying they would help ea...
Beautiful Surrey walk with 'breathtaking' views and a 'magical' crystal grotto
A 'breathtaking' walk in Surrey, 20 minutes from Guildford, contains a 'magical' crystal grotto and beautiful gardens - and it's an ideal day out for the whole family
Friends Pay Tribute to Colin Stokes, Founder of The Prostate Project
By David Reading Friends have been paying tribute to Colin Stokes MBE, founder of the Prostrate Project in Guildford, who died earlier this month (February). Colin spearheaded a decade-long fundraising campaign that raised £3 million (matched by the NHS) to build a state-of-the-art urology departme...
Letter: Council Decisions Are Inherently Political
From George Potter Lib Dem borough councillor for Burpham I think it’s a shame that Mr Bennett seems to have such a flawed understanding of how town councils work. Unlike a borough, county or unitary council, there is no “council leader”, “Executive” or “Cabinet” on a parish or town co...
Prayer and Song for Ukraine To Mark Anniversary of the Invasion
The Ukrainian School Surrey, together with the Ukrainian folk ensemble Syla Rodu, will be hosting a commemorative gathering at Christ Church, Guildford, on Tuesday (February 24). They will be coming together to mark four years since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb...
Dragon Review: The Talented Mr Ripley – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
By Ferenc Hepp We are in 1950s New York and Italy in a very different way this week at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, with The Faction Production of The Talented Mr Ripley, which is currently on a national tour. Originally written by Patricia Highsmith, it was famously made into a film in 1999, starring...
Letter: I Can’t Believe Party Rosettes Will Be Left at the Door of a Guildford Town Council
From Pete Bennett chair of Residents for Guildford & Villages In response to: Opinion – A Brave New World – with No Party Politics Please I couldn’t agree more with John Ferns. A political label serves no useful purpose when it comes to parish or town councils. The best parish councils (an...
How Guildford's new Spectrum pool will look this summer after a £10 million refurbishment
The play pool is getting a series of upgrades, but some older features will be removed
Letter: Parish and Town Councils Must Be Politics Free
From John Redpath former R4GV borough councillor In response to: Opinion – A Brave New World – with No Party Politics Please Well said John Ferns. We must get rid of politics in any new parish or town council(s) that may be formed as we move to a unitary system. I’d like to go one […] The po...
‘Neglect’ Leaves Council Homes Empty Despite 2,000 Long Waiting List
By Esme Campbell Many council houses across Guildford are empty due to their poor condition, with some properties having been unoccupied since 2018, despite more than 2,000 households being on the waiting list for a home. The state of disrepair has rendered many of Guildford’s 5,026 council homes ...
Loseley Estate Confirms Permissive Path Closure But Viewing Platforms To Be Constructed
By Martin Giles The permissive path that ran alongside field at the Guildford end of the Hog’s Back “has now been closed” the Loseley Estate has confirmed. To allow view southwards raised platforms are to be constructed in the deep hedging between Green Lane and the fields. But the Estate’s ...
Surrey Local Government Changes Plough Ahead Regardless of High Court Ruling
By Chris Caulfield local democracy reporter The Government’s u-turn on reinstating elections across 30 local authorities shows just how “rash and reckless” last year’s decision was to cancel polls in Surrey, opposition councillors said today (February 17). In 2025, residents were told electi...
Photo Feature: More Great Guildford Pancake Races – But Will They Be the Last?
By Martin Giles Photos by Mandy Millyard Guildford’s traditional Shrove Tuesday pancake races took place yesterday on the High Street lined with spectators but the event’s future is not secure. As well as the housewives’ and mascot races there were 18 relay teams. The teams were divided by age...
'First of its kind' Guildford Wetherspoons set to open on University of Surrey campus
The town already has a large Wetherspoons in the town centre, but students will now have even more options