Village News

Beautiful new stained glass windows at St Martin’s Church were dedicated by the Bishop of Guildford, the Right Reverend Andrew Watson, at a special service on 13 October. The windows are intended as a memorial to the Covid pandemic – as a reminder of its far reaching effects and also of the strength of the community in coming together to fight it. Speaking to a full church, the Rev Renos Pittarides spoke movingly about officiating at the funeral of a parishioner in the early days of the first lockdown when he was the only person present; one indicator of the profound effect Covid had on our day-to-day lives.

Derek Hunt, the designer of the windows, explained how he had used the English Oak Tree as a symbol of steadfastness in the face of adversity, of regeneration, recovery and of growth and renewal through the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. 

The central section of the design contains the suggestion of an oak tree, surrounded by decorative symbols of growth and renewal, in the form of plants and seeds. The bottom of the design contains a decorative frieze reflecting the ornate brickwork of the adjacent Lovelace Mausoleum, in celebration of the many buildings of this style locally. The upper right section of the design contains binary code spelling out Saint Martin in memory of the huge contribution Ada Lovelace made to the invention of computer code. The central top windows contain the inscription ‘They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, planted by the Lord to Glorify Him’ (Isaiah 61:3) and the words Faith, Hope and Love are central to each triptych. There are small animals hidden within the design of the lower frieze; below the word ‘Faith’ is a lamb to represent faith in Christ, below the word ‘Hope’ is a goldfinch, to represent the hope of resurrection, and below the word “Love’ is a pelican, to represent the love of Christ.

During the service, Councillor Holly Haling accepted on behalf of the parish council the gift of an oak tree from the church. This will be planted next to the old bowling green at St Martin’s Place as another reminder of the pandemic that will hopefully stand for the next 400 years.

The windows are a wonderful addition to the church. If you want to see them, the church is open Tuesday to Sunday (9.00am – 4.00pm). They are definitely worth a visit.

Pictured above - Right Reverend Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford, Derek Hunt, designer of the windows, Reverend Renos Pittarides, the Rector of St Martin’s Church, East Horsley - Supplied by The Diocese of Guildford, Church of England

In response to urging from residents of Horsley Court, your Parish Council has erected a mirror opposite their gates to overcome the restricted sightlines of those exiting the driveway.

Additionally, a few yards away, the faded Kingston Avenue road name sign has been upgraded.

This coming Saturday morning  gives Horsley residents another chance to have new life breathed into household and personal items that have given up the ghost. Bring them along to the Repair Cafe in the Canterbury Rooms next to St Martin’s Church between 10.00 and 12.30 where our team of volunteers will be on hand to administer their wizardry. Our seamstresses will be there as well to repair garments and other textiles – although please note that alterations cannot be undertaken. There’s free parking at Horsley Towers thanks to the generosity of the hotel management and once inside the cafe there’s tea, coffee and cake available while mending is carried out.

The repair service is without charge although a donation towards running costs would be appreciated by the organisers.   

Horsley Station Ambassador Richard Bunce now taking care of pets as well as passengers.

If you have not already noticed, a new ATM has been installed in Station Parade.

There was huge excitement (and a bit of trepidation!) in the air on 6 July as East Horsley opened its first Repair Cafe. The aim of this new venture is for a team of local volunteers to fix broken items which would otherwise end up in landfill sites. There was a steady stream of ‘customers’ bearing, amongst other things, broken kettles as well as a Hetty the Hoover, a high-level lopper, a garden fork, earphones, a suitcase, an old sewing machine, a silk dressing gown, a Karcher pressure washer and an old pocket watch. Quite a selection! 

On arrival, your item will be assessed to see if a fix is possible. If it is, you are then assigned to a repairer. We can’t promise to coax everything back to working order but our enthusiastic team will do their best. The service is free, although to meet running costs donations are encouraged. We are always looking for volunteers to help with repairs including textiles, and catering, so if you want to get involved email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

And finally, while your item is being attended to, you can enjoy tea or coffee with scrumptious home-made cakes. The Cafe is open for business on the first Saturday morning of each month.  Together we can do our bit to save the planet!

"Great Service" - "It was lovely to visit people with different skills. The service was perfect" - "They were not defeated, kept working on until they had got it fixed and working" - "Fantastic service"

The Horsley Repair Cafe opened its doors yesterday for the first time, at the Canterbury Rooms alongside St Martin’s Church.

Items the team of local volunteers restored to working order include a vacuum cleaner, tree loppers, a coffee maker, binoculars, an earring, a paper shredder and a suitcase. Some items, alas, had the last rites read, meanwhile others were taken home by volunteers to undergo longer but hopefully successful treatment. Textiles, too, including a bath gown were mended while the owner mixed with other ‘customers’ over a beverage and cake and biscuits. 

Donations for work done were gratefully accepted and the organisers extend their appreciation to the management of Horsley Towers for offering free car parking.

The Repair Cafe will be open for business on the first Saturday morning of each month so if you have an article of clothing that needs attention or some other item that requires coaxing back into life then come along next time on Saturday 3 August.

The East Horsley Road Safety Task Group thanks General Manager Tom Parrish and his team at The Drift Golf Club for adjusting the curbing at the entrance to the driveway. An unwelcome pinch point in the road has now been eliminated.

The Horsley Repair Café will be open for business between 10am and 12.30pm at the Canterbury Rooms next to St Martin’s Church in Ockham Road South where an enthusiastic team of skilled local volunteers will be on hand to coax all manner of broken items back into working order.

They will take on textiles that need mending, IT equipment, almost anything electrical or mechanical and even toys that have seen better days.

In return, if the repair can be successfully completed then a small donation will be requested which will go towards any spare parts and general outgoings. 

So, by not throwing away the item, pressure on the environment will be eased, your pocket will take a less severe hit and there’s the opportunity to enjoy the company of others over tea or coffee and a slice of cake. 

A public meeting will be held on Monday 10 June at 7.15pm in East Horsley Village Hall.