Firstly we wish you all very well and hope that being at home is not proving too testing for you. You may feel very concerned about going out at all. Did you know that if you need something from the shops, or to talk to someone you can phone our Street Champions? To do so – Either phone 0300 200 1008 – or Cranleigh Parish Council between 9:30 and 12:30 Monday to Friday on 01483 272311, or look for a leaflet through your door with a vetted person’s name and phone number on – your Street Champion – who lives very near to you and will help with anything you need. We are bracing ourselves for a full 12 weeks of being mostly unable to do things in the normal ways. 23rd March to…probably mid June.
Secondly thank you so much for all your support of Cranleigh Civic Society – your membership payments mean that those of us who are carrying out the reading and meetings to speak up for you can pay for our annual insurance and the web site, plus any other costs we really need to cover.
Our 3 Councils are managing the work they do by staying at their homes and contacted each other for meetings via video on their computers. We can all do this as families and groups too. Cranleigh Society are holding online, “Zoom” meetings to discuss issues that matter to all of us. The Government has a draft Act of Parliament allowing legal proceedings to take place remotely including planning permission meetings’ decisions. We will try to find out how this is being interpreted and used going forwards.
The pressing issue that was left high and dry is the state of Cranleigh Primary School and the project Surrey CC has to pull it down, build houses on the land and build a brand new school on fields behind housing on the Common (opposite Curry Inn). Before the “lock down” Cranleigh Society launched a petition to stop all this and get the current building urgently repaired. After a couple of weeks the allowed petition was taken down because it breached some planning rules or other! We didn’t even get the list of 200 or so people who had signed it sent to us.
We have now launched a new petition appealing to SCC to simply repair the old school urgently, ready for September. You can see and sign at: https://bit.ly/2Rj1uGX
There are many Websites to help people share information about which shops, pubs and restaurants are doing delivery services. One place to find out is the “Destination Cranleigh” and their Facebook Page – you can access it at: https://bit.ly/2xerw7t
Waverley BC are also trying to help people with information on their web site – you can see this at: https://bit.ly/2wtMlvy
We feel enormous gratitude to the local shops where we can get everything we need – for example – shops that are open are Fishmonger, baker, butcher, chemist and For Earth’s Sake (10am to 2pm) fresh organic vegetables, all sorts of basic foods, plus store cupboard items including cleaning materials. Also the newsagent towards the Common is selling fresh vegetables and you may know of a few other Champion shops supporting us all – including providing home delivery services.
We are all being urged to make a routine and try to stick to it. To get jobs done, speak to family and friends by phone and video, including grandchildren, and try to get fitter rather than fatter! We are now being advised to only do one weekly shop and to attend to our mental wellbeing too – taking time to appreciate what we value, love and enjoy. We are trying very hard to spend some time every day valuing what we have. We don’t know when and if we will see all our family and good friends again, but we all have trust that “We will meet again!”
