George
Appearances
The Planet Reigate Podcast
58: Horley in Bloom, art at The Belfry, an unusual happy 40th… and more
And that was the first place outdoor scenes and activities photography category. Thank you very much indeed for talking to us, Rajesh.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
58: Horley in Bloom, art at The Belfry, an unusual happy 40th… and more
the chair of the Hawley in Bloom competition. It's councillor Mike George.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
58: Horley in Bloom, art at The Belfry, an unusual happy 40th… and more
How long have you been involved with Hawley in Bloom now?
The Planet Reigate Podcast
58: Horley in Bloom, art at The Belfry, an unusual happy 40th… and more
It's really good to see the little ones getting involved now, the primary school kids.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
58: Horley in Bloom, art at The Belfry, an unusual happy 40th… and more
When you walk or drive around the town, it is a very colourful place, isn't it? The holly and blue. Really, people seem to enter into the spirit of it all.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
58: Horley in Bloom, art at The Belfry, an unusual happy 40th… and more
The Mayor of Reigate and Banstead, Councillor Eddie Humphries. This is quite an amazing event, isn't it?
The Planet Reigate Podcast
58: Horley in Bloom, art at The Belfry, an unusual happy 40th… and more
Fiona Stimson. She's the Hawley in Bloom administrator. And it's down to her, all this hard work, much of it anyway, is down to Fiona.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
58: Horley in Bloom, art at The Belfry, an unusual happy 40th… and more
It must keep you very busy, all of you.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
I'm George W. Gray and it's the British Art Foundation.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
Oh, serving customers. We'll start my 25th year next week. It is a charity shop, yes. We've got a place in Rygate, we've got a place in Hawley.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
Same house, 89 years.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
It'll be a big, big book like that.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
I used to work for the Performing Arts Society in London and then I come back to Red Hill and Reigate and I went freelancing. Then I finished up by working for Holidays for the Disabled, which the office was in Hawley. And I used to do printing for them and sending a lot of information out. They were a charity and British Art was a foundation.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
And they wanted people in the old building in High Street. That's where I started with them. And that's how it all started up. Then they moved to the present place near Sainsbury's, which is a much larger shop.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
I don't know if it does. You keep your eyes open.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
All kinds of things. Ladies' dresses, men's trousers and suits and things like that. A lot of bric-a-bac, of course. But we do sell new things as well, like men's underpants and things like that.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
No, no, I don't. Well, you can. It's up to them.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
Each to their own, yeah.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
satisfaction. You're doing something for the community. It's like playing the organ. You're doing something for the community.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
There are six. I was director of music at St Matthew's. Oh, I do play at St Matthew's some time. I'm available. and Sir Luke's Reigate, but they don't have much of an organ now. But I play at Merstham, St Catherine's, Sidlow Church and Blindle Heath. They're the three I do regularly every each month.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
And I'm standby, that's right, for, like, Charwood, Hawley and something like that, you see. Parachuted. LAUGHTER Oh, no.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
Oh, it's very good. I like the food.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
Oh, yes. Well, young people don't want to do it now. Churchgoing isn't what it used to be. When I first went to St Matthew's in 1973, a much larger congregation, although they do quite well now, but they don't get 100 people, 150.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
Best thing, I think, is the Harlequin Theatre, one of the things useful, and the redevelopment of some of it, making the town more pedestrianised, you know. Worst thing is, I think, some of the old shops, sad to see them go. And even the old market hall, because we used to have the music festival there, you see.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
Yes, yes. And it held more than the Harlequin. You know that, don't you? I think it was about over 500, because it had a nice balcony there. But I know it was Victorian. The late Joyce Hooper used to put all her grand operas on there, you know? Oh, she was the founder of the Radio Madrigal Singers. And she also conducted the Bach Choir. She founded that.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
45: Awards for 700+ years of local volunteering… and more
She's put some of her concerts on in St Matthew's and in St Mark's Ryger with professional singers. They used to come for half free. Oh, joy. Yes, they won the BBC Rose Bowl with the best singer in the South East England. With ill medical singers, they were well known.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
52: The LoveWorks food charity, the world-famous local artist who etched a view that you know so well… and more
today we're packing parcels so we have a sheet for each beneficiary of the various food items they want to be provided anything they can't have we're aware of and we gather those items from around the warehouse put together parcels that are then taken out to the food banks today these ones we're doing on friday these are done into bags that are home delivered to people who aren't able to get to food banks themselves
The Planet Reigate Podcast
52: The LoveWorks food charity, the world-famous local artist who etched a view that you know so well… and more
So these people could be elderly, could be disabled, something like that?
The Planet Reigate Podcast
52: The LoveWorks food charity, the world-famous local artist who etched a view that you know so well… and more
Two local bakeries, Gales and Chalk Hill, donate a lot of bread to us. They're excess that we can give out. A big thing we do here is, you know, it's dignity. It's not just having something to eat, but actually being able to provide something where people can feel good about themselves.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
52: The LoveWorks food charity, the world-famous local artist who etched a view that you know so well… and more
And, you know, certainly having nice bread from a local bakery rather than just the cheapest one off the shelves, I think, goes a long way towards that.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
52: The LoveWorks food charity, the world-famous local artist who etched a view that you know so well… and more
When we have a beneficiary sign on, they will have a long phone conversation. We'll take details on things they specifically don't want, things they specifically do want. Certainly we've packed parcels that are halal. We do vegan, vegetarian, lactose-free. When we're packing, even if there's no preference given, we do try to give a balance.
The Planet Reigate Podcast
52: The LoveWorks food charity, the world-famous local artist who etched a view that you know so well… and more
in terms of both what sort of foods they're getting, but also brands.