The Planet Reigate Podcast
54: Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and more
Thu, 19 Sep 2024
Episode 54 – Harlequin latest news and reaction, our RunReigate preview… and moreFor Saturday 21st September 2024TIMECODE00:00 - What’s in this episode 04:40 - Planet Reigate area news and sport 04:40 – GUEST: Ali from the Harlequin Support Group gives us her reaction to this week’s news about the theatre. 37:45 – TRAVEL NEWS: the major road closing overnight for the next month. 40:30 – GUEST: Dave Kelly, the man behind RunReigate tells us all about this weekend’s event. 50:20 - The Good Time Guide: Local places to go and things to do this week 1:00:30 – Planet Reigate Stars: thanking local heroes. This week from Redhill. 1:0220 – The Sixty-second Soundscape. Natural sounds form a place you know. This week from Reigate Castle. If you get value from The Planet Reigate Podcast, please give us value back in return; click here to support us with a small donation: www.buymeacoffee.com/theplanetreigatepodcast or share us with your colleagues. *CREDITS:The seven-note Planet Reigate Theme is ©Peter StewartOther music www.Pond5.com:GTG - inspiringaudio Item ID: 116855857NEWS - ThomPie Item ID: 75456323STARS - jwsaudio Item ID: 073206386 TRAVEL - FrauMuller Item ID: 102031400SOUNDSCAPE PolkadotFlowersMusic Item ID: 136304431 Listen: https://linktr.ee/PlanetReigatePodcast Web: www.ThePlanetReigatePodcast.com Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ThePlanetReigatePodcast Insta: theplanetreigatepodcast X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/PlanetReigateEmail: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This is the Planet Reigate podcast.
Hello, this is Peter Stewart. Welcome to this week's episode of the Planet Rygate podcast, episode 54. Hope you are well. This is how we're reflecting and celebrating our love of life around here this week. Well, there's been movements on the Harlequin here at the very latest on what's going to happen and when, and we have comment and reaction from Ali from the Harlequin Support Group.
Plus, our guest this week, Dave Kelly, joins me on the Run Rygate course with Look ahead to this weekend's events. Quite a fixture in the local calendar, of course. Also, we've got an update on what the local police and council are doing about crime in the borough. And we explain those CCTV stats that other media seem to have got wrong and explain where more could be going up.
And the latest from the Belfry. OK, M&S may have gone, but we've got the latest on those units and the state of health for the rest of the centre as well. Plus, how to have your say in big changes in Rygate and Bamstead Borough that are set for the next five years. Happy birthday to a local shop. Do you live in Merstham? We tell you how you could be a good neighbour to others living there as well.
An update from Nutfield Dairy on a story we brought you a few weeks ago. Some fun stats from the nearly newly opened Flores Cafe in Redhills Memorial Park. And a different kind of cafe has opened up in Redhill. I'll tell you why it's so different. Thank you very much. Plus, of course, we've got the good time guide of events across the area across the week ahead.
Planet Reigate stars from Red Hill and our 60-second soundscape. Before we go, at the end of the show, natural sounds from a place you know. This is the Planet Reigate podcast with Peter Stewart.
The Belfry Shopping Centre, Redhill. Ditch the click for hassle-free local shopping in a welcoming environment. See, touch, smell and try before you buy and speak to real people who can advise you. The Belfry Shopping Centre, Redhill.
Our news and sports sequence on its way. Plus, of course, as I mentioned a few moments ago, the latest on the Harlequin. Oldswood and Redhill Kidical Mass is on Sunday the 6th of October. Now, we've spoken about them before and it's a big family.
kind of bike ride this time they move different places around red hill area red hill earlswood area each time do it a couple of times a year i was involved earlier on this year start and end this time around in october is going to be carrington school
Now, I mention this because we got a really nice message from Eco Earlswood and Kidical Mass a little bit earlier on in the week, which I wanted to bring you, which says, for those thinking about joining us on our next ride or not sure what it's about, here is a wonderful podcast on what we're all about, featuring some interviews with kids that took part and our fabulous ride leader.
Yes, and Kidical Mass RH1 on TwitterX.
kindly referring to episode 42 in which we spoke about critical mass and we went down there and help started all off and as i say spoke to various people taking part and others have got in touch recently as well nick says just listen to the podcast well done for producing such an interesting podcast christine says thanks so much for mentioning our singing workshop recently much appreciated i'm really enjoying the show and asking friends and family to sign up as well
Yeah, please ask friends. Do you know, here's a question for you, do you know someone else that lives in Reigate, Redhill, Merston, Buckland, Betchworth, Brockham? I think there's a slim chance that maybe you do. Well, why don't you, in conversation or maybe on social media, mention the Planet Reigate podcast? I'd be really, really grateful because it's bums on seats. Can I mention that word?
Yeah, I think I can mention the word seats. That actually makes the podcast continue. Some people think I get paid for doing this. I don't. It's a labour of love. But obviously, you know, as you know, and I certainly do, love given is even better when it's reciprocated. Good time guide of events across the area across the week ahead still to come.
And don't forget, you'll find the time that each of the features are on in our show notes. So you can scooch straight through to that point if you're after something particular that you want to listen to that I've already mentioned.
Now, news broke this week about some movement on what is going to be happening at the Harlequin Theatre, which was closed down a year ago because of that crumbly concrete rack. Yeah, we've got some dates and we've got some information on the way. And also we've got comment and reaction from Ali from the Harlequin Support Group. But first of all, let's go back in time.
I'm up the top of the steps at the Harlequin because I don't know whether you spotted on social media this week there has been a bit of an announcement and a letter has gone in from Richard Biggs, who's leader of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, to the Harlequin support group and essentially saying, well let's quota a little bit of it, and that says that I'm pleased to be able to advise that Reigate and Banstead Borough Council has now agreed with Aviva
to jointly commission the RAC survey and the work will commence during the week of the 23rd of September. That's this coming Monday, of course. The survey work will include intrusive inspections with various trades on hand to support the opening up and making good process.
The first phase of the survey will determine the extent of the opening up required and will confirm the indicative programme for the completion and issue of the final report. And it's anticipated that will run into November. There's another paragraph as well, which I'll bring to you in a few moments' time. And that's essentially kind of hot off the press.
Ali is with me from the Harlequin Support Group, who you may know because she wears another hat as well. Ali, you help run youth drama groups as well, don't you, in the area?
I do, yes. I'm part of the leadership team for the youth section of East Surrey Performing Arts.
So that means that you and your colleagues and people you work with will have performed the other side of these doors over the years?
Many, many times. We've had a great deal of fun and put on numerous performances here to great enjoyment and with the involvement of literally hundreds of children over the years.
Well, as I say, we're at the top of the steps and, well, obviously the doors are closed. We've got some warning signs, warning construction site, keep out, caution works in progress, authorised entry only and all sorts of things.
Well, you've got railings and barriers and none of us general public are going anywhere near it for the moment. But as we peer in through the window, we can see lots of scaffolding bars and planks and... Yes, it does indeed. Look, as though work will start shortly.
OK, well, let's hope it does, because it's been a while coming. What's your thoughts about what Richard Biggs has been saying in that letter to you?
Obviously this letter was extremely good news. It was celebrated by the Harlequin Support Group and it's been a long time coming. So really I can say that this is the first bit of good news we've had in a year. So we're very, very pleased and at last we have some indication of what some of the timings are. We will obviously keep the pressure up to make sure the timings don't slip.
But as soon as those survey results are out and we know what we're dealing with, we feel that all the groups, the Reigate and Racial Society, the Harlequin Support Group, all the community arts groups involved should come together and help the council put the right plan together so that we get the best possible arts and cultural provision that we can do.
And to be fair, that's what Richard Biggs on behalf of the council has been saying. It's just taken so long, hasn't it? And you must be pleased that you've kept up this polite but rather insistent pressure which has been stepped up over recent months with the forming of your group.
I think that's a good way of putting it. I hope we've been polite but persistent. And I hope we've raised the profile of the issue. And I'm very grateful to all those of you who've commented, written in, written to your councillors and so on. Thank you so much. Yes, we were frustrated by the 11 months that apparently nothing happened.
I know the lease is complicated and I know there were some sort of legal wrangles with Aviva, the property owner. But at last we've come to a sensible, pragmatic decision to at least get the survey done. And we need to know what the scale of the problem is that we're dealing with. So that is a great first step.
And also, it's not just the scale of the rack, is it? Because looking back at the letter, he says, given the age of the building, it's prudent at this moment to commission a full building condition survey. This building condition survey will be undertaken in October after the on-site rack survey work.
But before we get the rack survey findings, I hope you're following this at home, once the final rack and building condition reports have been issued, which we expect by the 15th of November, will have an indicative understanding of likely costs of any remediation.
Lots of long words there, but essentially what he's saying is, well, we've got the scaffolding up, let's have a poke around, let's just check everything else is as we would expect it to be because of the age of the building. That's good because you don't want the rack to be solved and then for them to find something else in five years' time, do you?
Absolutely, I agree. It is the right time to do that survey as well. I would hope that the council has been doing... Condition checks on its buildings throughout its tenancy and over the years, so I hope there are no surprises there. That would be very disappointing if there were.
Although I suppose it's been empty for a while. There could have been water ingress or something like that, couldn't there?
There could indeed. As I say, it'll be a year empty next week, the one-year anniversary of its closure. So, yeah, let's hope there are no horrible surprises when those surveys are completed.
OK, so it's going to be a while until that happens. But we've also got this meeting coming up, the public meeting, where people are going to get together to put forward their views and perhaps their frustration at the delay and so on, but also their hopes for the future.
Yes, the public consultation event scheduled for October has been mentioned once or twice, but yesterday was the first time a date was put on it.
Yeah, we seem to have Saturday 5th October. We don't know where, but we know when.
We don't know where, and we apparently know when, but in the...
views of the harlequin support group this is really too short notice if you're going to contact all the groups that have hired the harlequin in the past and get this news out across the across the borough properly you need more than two and a half weeks the risk of doing it on the 5th of october is that you'll get poor participation and also it does seem a little idiotic to have a consultation when we know the survey results are only going to be five weeks
later coming out that's right yeah so what you're saying is if i understand you and thinking back to that letter we're going to have a public consultation we're going to invite people to put forward their views before the council actually knows the state of the building how much it's going to cost whether or not they need to i don't know i suppose on one extreme could tear it down and another extreme it could be up and running in a fortnight it seems a little open-ended doesn't it to have a public meeting about it
It does. It does seem that we're now so close to knowing the survey results, it seems foolhardy to go ahead with a consultation without that knowledge in hand. It could be very unproductive. It could turn into just a talking shop that... discusses things that are completely unfeasible and therefore turns out to be a waste of time and money for everybody.
I would recommend, and the Harlequin Support Group would strongly recommend, that this event is deferred until after the survey results are known. I mean, the biggest... outcome of that survey will be either the rack is so severe that the building has to be demolished, or the rack is much more minor and the building can be repaired.
Until you know even that, a consultation is not a good idea just at this moment.
Well, I suppose Richard Biggs, leader of Ruggett and Banster Borough Council, might say, and I've not spoken to him about this specifically, although I have spoken to him about the Harlequin several times in the past, that he promised there would be a public meeting in October, and so there will be a public meeting in October. Maybe there should be two.
Maybe there should be one to get the sense of feeling and opinion on the 5th of October, as we know. And then another one, perhaps towards the end of the year, you're getting towards Christmas. That may be a little tricky and so on. People have got other things on. But maybe towards the beginning of 2025, when we actually know the lie of the land and the possible timeline and cost.
Yes, I completely agree. I think you could have two events. An alternative is an offer that the Harlequin Support Group have made to the council leader, which is to do a survey before we hold this event. You're talking a public survey as opposed to a structural survey? Yes, I'm sorry. A survey among the residents and the users of the Harlequin to see what...
they need from their arts and cultural provision.
Now we're very lucky in this neck of the woods aren't we because Surrey being Surrey we've got a lot of expertise and professionals. And presumably some of those are in your ranks. They've approached you. You know them anyway. And they're suggesting that they can help out on this.
They are. They're offering their services for free. They would design the survey, conduct the survey, analyse the data and then feed the findings back to the council. And our thinking is that this very useful information could help structure and formulate the design of the public consultation to make it a better and more productive event.
Between now and whenever these doors open up properly again, where do you think the arts provision should be in the borough? I mean, there's going to be the arts takeover, which we're going to be talking about next week on the programme. That's going to be across Redhill in October. But after that's happened, where do you think other shows, performances and events should be held?
Some smaller scale events, perhaps. can be held in community halls and churches and school halls, but the larger ones that I'm involved in, like musical theatre, we're really struggling. The Dorking Halls is closed for refurbishment for the second time next year, and it's just had a closure.
Because they had problems with their ceiling as well, didn't they? I don't think it was rack, but other things.
Something else. Epsom Playhouse is going through some refurbishment. as is the capital at Horsham. The Horth in Crawley is fully booked for two years, they tell me. There's absolutely no slots at all. So for events like musical theatre, large-scale productions, orchestral productions, Red Hill Sinfonia and such like, We have very few options. We can go to the Chequermede in East Grinstead.
It has one or two slots and we should be going down there in the summer.
But then you're losing, aren't you? You're losing your bedrock of support from people in this area who are going along because it's easy to drive ten minutes up the road to the Harlequin or whatever. And I guess also you may be losing some of your members who can't perform anymore and the excitement kind of goes out of it.
We've already experienced that. We lost some volunteers who couldn't travel to East Grinstead last year. We lost some cast members that we'd cast in very, very decent roles that then couldn't do the show when the adults moved out to the theatre in West Horsley. So we do lose people and it's heartbreaking for them.
For some of them, the theatre and our societies have been the bedrock of their social life and their friendship groups for years. So it This cannot be allowed to go on for too long. It will decimate our groups and it will be very difficult to build back up if this lack of a seriously sized theatre goes on for too long.
And our thanks to Ali from the Harlequin Support Group. Now, if you want to know a little bit more about the background to the Harlequin and why it is closed, listen back to episode 48 with our Harlequin Q&A. So all the answers to all of the questions that I'm sure you've been asking yourself.
And there was a recent council meeting all about the Harlequin, and that was reported in some depth in episode 49 of the Planet Reigate podcast. Now, If you ever want to pass on your thoughts, then you can get in touch with me in various ways. You can drop me an email and you can do that either directly or you can do it via our website.
And also you can send me a voice message as well, which we may then go on and play on the podcast. This is all the ways you can get in touch.
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OK, there's a few other things that I thought you'd like to know, which came out of the Redhill Business Guild meeting, which was on Wednesday night in the town centre, in the light as it happened. So on the way, I've got an update for you on crime and CCTV in Redhill.
Also going to be telling you a little bit about the latest from the Belfry and about the Reigate and Banstead Borough Council corporate plan. It's OK. That one sounds a bit dry, doesn't it? We're going to keep that really, really short. And also about Flores. Flores is the new cafe which has opened up in Memorial Park, of course.
I think probably the most interesting piece of information that came out was to do with the Safer Red Hill Partnership. So that's a group of, well, it's the council and its shops and businesses, and it's also the police, as you might expect, in and around Red Hill.
So a report at the Business Guild in the week talked about more visible policing, which has been stepped up, particularly after school hours in the town centre. And also there's been a range of interventions, what they called interventions, at the railway station as well, which I know can be a bit of a hotspot there.
Up to July there were 83 more arrests in Redhill Town Centre than there would normally be from the start of the year, the start of previous years if you get my drift, and there were 41 more drug seizures from the start of the year than there would normally be in any other year. Shoplifting in Redhill down 40% in the last 12 months. Now, we've spoken about it before.
The YMCA bus, which tours around the Redhill area, is now operating four nights a week. They weren't around in the summer because of school holidays and so on for their staffing issues, but they... Take that bus out to meet young people in the Cromwell and Fairfax areas and also Memorial Park. Engage with young people, offer support and so on, that kind of thing.
They've helped 800 people in the first six months of that bus being out on the road. There's going to be a social media campaign through Safer Redhill later on this month, September, to try and instill, try and suggest more of a sense of pride in the community. There's going to be more visible police patrols this month, again, in the town centre and also at the train station as well.
The Safer Redhill Partnership is working with the Redhill Boxing Club to offer more self-defence lessons for women, and also they have got some drugs education kind of roadshows, for want of a better term, workshops and so on, at Carrington and East Surrey College, and there's going to be more lights in Memorial Park. So, to me, that sounds all very positive stuff.
Now, there was also talk about CCTV camera provision. in the town centre. And they said, please don't believe all of local media. Now, I've been onto a couple of local media sites which have been talking about CCTV provision in Redhill over the course of the last week. Let me quote from one very kind of significant media publication. See if you can spot the problem with this, what they say.
Reigate and Bandstead Council has 65 cameras in key locations including the Priory and Memorial and Lady Neville multi-storey car parks. Hmm, that's a big problem there, isn't there? First of all, okay, Lady Neville is up at Bandstead, so that bit is kind of correct. That is in Rygate and Bandstead. Obviously nothing to do with the Planet Rygate podcast area, we don't go that far.
But Priory and Memorial multi-storey car parks? Well... Memorial Park doesn't really have a car park, does it? To speak of. Priory Park has a car park, but it's really on the Bell Street car park is actually what it's called, isn't it? But I suppose you could call it the Priory Park car park. But none of them are multi-storey car parks associated with either Priory Memorial or Lady Neville parks.
So they've got that completely wrong, haven't they? Yeah, very disappointing. Anyway, this is what we heard from the horse's mouth directly from Isabel with the Safer Red Hill Partnership. She said that Red Hill... CCTV cameras are locally recording any incidents that take place.
Now, as you may have seen, when you pass a CCTV camera poll, in that vicinity, legally, there has to be a sign up saying why they are recording. And it's usually because of the prevention of crime or detection of crime, that kind of thing. So, legally, you can't just have... A public authority or anyone just putting up a CCTV camera for no reason.
OK, they've got to demonstrate, they've got to show, they've got to have evidence of a specific reason that there has been some crime which has been committed in that particular area over X number of months. So bear that in mind. It is proposed to upgrade nine CCTV cameras in Redhill Town Centre, and these are the ones which are most important. More of that in a moment.
Some cameras will be, they said, they told us, decommissioned because they're not being used. So legally, as I say, there has to be evidence of a reason to have cameras up. They can't just have cameras up willy-nilly. There's got to be evidence of them being needed. Those cameras are not needed. Why do we say, or why do they say, not me, why do they say they're not needed?
Because there's been no crime committed in front of those cameras or in the vicinity of those cameras over the last X number of months. Legally, they have to take them down. Now, there will be a possible upgrading of more cameras. For example, the one opposite McDonald's. Now, that is a camera which turns. Now, that is great if you want to follow somebody.
But of course, while you're following someone that may or may not have committed a disturbance or a crime or an assault or whatever it happens to be, the camera is not pointing. where it used to be, further down the road, the other direction, inevitably.
So what they're looking at is some additional cameras, probably on the same pole, which will be linked, but are looking in different directions at the same time, which kind of makes sense, doesn't it? So, say, three cameras, one pointing up the road, one pointing straight ahead, and one pointing down the road, for example.
And they'll be possibly at the centre of the pedestrian crossroads of the town and also at McDonald's as well. And also, while we're on it, quick brief mention, creating safer parking areas for delivery scooters and motorbikes in the McDonald's area as well. OK, that's crime and CCTV in Redhill. Let's move on to a couple of other issues that came up at the Redhill Business Guild.
Oh, and don't forget, we're going to be hearing from Dave Kelly from Run Reigate a little bit later on in the show, plus our 60-second soundscape and our good time guide, and also Planet Reigate stars on the way on the Planet Reigate podcast. Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, like all borough councils, have to have a corporate plan which lasts for five years.
Reigate and Banstead is going to be launched on Monday. There's going to be an eight-week consultation online Four, their plans for what they're going to be delivering across the borough between the 1st of April 2025 and the 31st of March 2030. It feels a long way away, doesn't it, 2030? But heck, it's only five years. What are you going to be doing in five years' time? I'm making plans. So...
They've got three kind of factors that the corporate plan has been looked into, has been divided into, I should say. Thriving communities, providing support, and a resilient council. Now, on the face of it, that doesn't kind of mean much, does it? So...
If you want to know a bit more about their plans for the future, for where you live, and obviously this is Rygate and Banstead, Mole Valley, which of course is Buckland, Betchworth and Brockham, they will have their own corporate plan going forward as well. So I would urge you to investigate and look at that. Look on social media during the course of this week for both of those councils.
There will surely be some links to some more information so you can read more about it, see what's going to be happening with the provision of various amenities and facilities.
at a local council level obviously Surrey County Council is another level and they run things like libraries and roads and things like that in the main there's a bit of crossover so if something that you're expecting to see in a local plan isn't there it's probably because it's either
a county council issue, it may be a parish council issue, which is below borough council, or it may even be a national issue. It's complicated, isn't it? So look out for details on how you can have your voice heard during the course of the week. Now, let me turn to what Andy Nash was saying, and he was speaking from the Belfry. He's the man in charge there.
Now, we know already, don't we, about the Marks and Spencers pulling out. Again, just to refresh your memory, they had 117 years remaining on their lease, and it was a profitable store. But several years ago, Marks & Spencer's decided, as their long-term strategy, that they were going to be pulling out of medium-sized stores.
So the Belfry had to go, along with other ones in neighbouring towns as well. Epsom has been saved, for example, but Crawley has not been saved either. Already reported on the Planet Rygate podcast, how Marks and Spencer's are said to be looking for another store, possibly a larger food store somewhere in the Reigate Redhill area. So have a little think about where that could be.
Well, to my mind, there's a police station site, which is up for grabs at the moment because nothing much is going on there at the moment anyway. That aside, Andy at the Belfry was saying that they are actively seeking new tenants for the two levels of that store.
As we've reported in the past, particularly they would want to have one business that would go into both units at the same time, because otherwise there's going to be a delay and a huge...
cost because they'll have to take out the escalators there's wiring there's smoke alarm and sprinkler systems security systems there's access to other parts for example the basement and delivery areas which they'd have to subdivide as well either the belfry would have to do that or it'd have to be done by the new tenant so obviously they're trying to avoid that they have had quite a bit of interest from various organizations parties businesses groups
who want to go in, but ideally they're after both levels being taken by the same company at the same time. What happens in the meantime? Well, in the meantime, Marks and Spencers are still paying the Belfry for... Those two levels, they've got 117 years remaining on their lease. So arguably, what the Belfry could do is just keep it empty and they'd still get the money.
But of course, the problem with doing that is they wouldn't get the footfall. Now, Marks and Spencer's, to my mind, are reckoning that... If, as and when, the Belfry has somebody in one or two of those floors and associated basements and delivery areas and so on, then they will be able to surrender their lease. But until that happens, Marks & Spencers still paying.
It kind of, as a personal opinion, seems a bit of a false economy from Marks & Spencers. Surely you would have kept that going. Because it was a profitable store, and then you would still be making money, but you'd say, okay, you'd make it be known that it was up for grabs, that you'd like to surrender, you'd like to sell that lease on to another company, but still stay in there at the meantime.
Anyway... In reality, there's not going to be anything in there before Christmas in the Marks & Spencers site. Now, every other shop unit has a contract with the lawyers. In other words, if there are any shop units which are empty, apart from M&S, in the Belfry, they will be...
Filled up with a shop, a store, something will be going on in every single one of those in the likelihood in the next few weeks, possibly, you know, our lawyers work slowly, expensively towards the end of the year or in the beginning. So everything is in line, is on track. Okay. They've had interest from an NHS community referral centre. They're talking to the Belfry.
They would have things like mammogram unit, maybe a blood test, CT scans, that kind of thing. That wouldn't happen overnight, but contracts are being discussed. And also, and this is a big one, Where do you reckon, we've spoken about the Harlequin before, where do you reckon the library is going to go? Because it can't stay where it is for much longer.
The library, as you know, in Red Hill was next door to the Harlequin. They also had rack in that building in the ceiling too. That is more easily sorted. and some work, as I understand, is going on there at the moment.
But, of course, Surrey County Council, in charge of libraries, between a bit of a rock and a hard place, because even though they could go ahead and make those changes to the library, they're probably still waiting to find out what's going to be happening to the Harlequin next door, because that may have repercussions on the long-term viability of the library as well.
So, in the meantime, the library has gone around the corner to an old office building. It can't stay there for long. So where's it going to go? It's going to go potentially into the Belfry. So that's interesting as well. Also, there's going to be a burger kitchen opening up in October as well. So that's the latest from Andy at the Belfry.
One more thing to bring you from the Redhill Business Guild, and then we'll move on to other things. But hopefully you're finding all of this of interest. And that is about Flores. Now, Flores... It's the cafe which opened up in July, Memorial Park in Redhill. 10,000 customers have been through their doors since July, which is absolutely fantastic.
They served, let's do a bit of number crunching here, 6,000 coffees, 5,000 scoops of ice cream. They've sold 2,000 toasties. Toasties, they say, are their best seller. And it's not surprising because the bread comes from the Chalk Hills Bakery, who also provide their cakes as well. And word to the wise, Flory's also has a really good deal going on with kids' lunchboxes.
And also, at time of recording, they've got a coffee and pastry deal for a fiver, which is fantastic news. So we wish the guys down there all the very, very best. It was good to hear what they had to say and that things are going great, Guns. I know they've got great plans for the future.
So if you want a space either just to have a bit of coffee or a cake, or also if you want a space to have a little meeting with some people, it could be a business meeting, it could be a kind of knitting group or a toddler group or something like that, or if you want a platter of ready-made-up sandwiches for a business lunch somewhere in Redhill,
then knock on the door of Flory's, go and make yourself known, and tell them you heard about them on the Planet Rygate podcast, and they, I am sure, will do their very, very best to help you out. Okay, let's move on and tell you briefly about a few other items that you might be interested in. Last Sunday, staff and customers celebrated 50 years of Holborns. Yeah, the, well, what are they?
A kind of convenience store, I suppose, at the... But they're a bit more than that, aren't they? Because they're... They're really integrated in the local community. It's a family-run business and so on, so they really support people who are round and about, who are living in neighbouring roads and so on.
Glasses of Bubbles, along with tastings from Chalk Hills Bakery, Robert and Edward's Butchers in Rygate, Brewdog, AF Blakemore and Face Painting as well. Sounds quite a party, doesn't it? So congratulations to all of them. Again, congratulations. Happy birthday, 50 years of Holborns. Over in Earlswood, of course, Merstham is our next venue for Merstham Neighbours.
They offer practical help for people of that area and they need some more volunteers. So could you spare an hour or so occasionally? No regular commitment is needed. If you want to learn more about them, then you can ring 07733 55 5316 and they'll sort you out and hook you up. An update on a story we told you about a few weeks ago from Nutfield Dairy.
I told you how their vision was to convert an old electric milk float into a mobile shop so they can return to selling milk directly to customers. And the float will house a specially designed milk dispenser which will contain whole and semi-skimmed milk and also gives the means to make milkshakes as well. That sounds good, doesn't it? They would then park in a few locations during the week and
you'd be able to go along and refill a glass bottle well the update is they say thank you so much to everyone who donated shared and supported our crowdfunding campaign and they've now raised over 10 000 pounds towards the project which is incredible they're really really grateful and they've sorted the rest of the finance required they're excited for that conversion work to begin and you can hear more about the nutfield dairy in episode 17 of the planet reigate podcast
From a dairy to a cafe with a difference, Sarah wrote to me about her new business. It's called the Curiosity Cafe. It's a stay and play, a little different from the usual offering. It has exploring sessions specifically designed to encourage children to grow and learn through their natural curiosity alongside parents and carers, of course.
Taking inspiration from Montessori's approach to learning, So as I understand it, you won't find the usual toys you see in other places. They've actually chosen a range of authentic resources, loose parts, recycled materials, alongside a text-rich environment to inspire your children.
Those sessions take place Monday, Friday, Saturdays at the Learning Hub at Earlswood Infant and Nursery School on Ifold Road there. And if you want some more information, Sarah, with an H on the end, at thecuriositycafe.uk, not .co.uk, but just .uk. Let me say that again. S-A-R-A-H at thecuriositycafe.uk. And Sarah says, thanks so much, Peter.
I'll pass on the links to the podcast to my followers and local friends and families too. Such a great idea. Well, back at you, because yours is as well. I think we're... There's another round of applause there for you, I think, isn't there? Some travel news for you. West Street in Reigate is going to be closed for a month. Yeah, you pricked your ears up at that, didn't you? Let me explain why.
Major resurfacing and changing the existing advisory cycle lanes to wider and lightly segregated mandatory cycle lanes. They're also going to be upgrading some of the zebra crossings there.
If you want to know our breakdown of road improvements and changes, including changes to traffic islands, road markings and layouts, new speed limits and speed cameras, the length of the A25, well, across our neck of the woods anyway, between the Blackhorse Rye Gate and the Cockerell Roundabout in Dorking, all sorts of changes. Listen back to episode 50...
I've been along to each of those points and explained exactly what's going to be happening at each of those. So, back to West Street, Reigate. Closed 23rd September to the 19th October, 8pm to 6am.
So it's going to be overnight, but if you're out and about, if you're coming back from dorking for whatever reason, if you're picking up the kids from an event, if you're going out for a party or an evening meeting or something like that, you may be caught out. 8pm to 6am, excluding weekends. Okay, so that's the situation there.
And also, while I've got your ears, some news about the M25 Junction 10 project. We've spoken about that several times. Of course, that's been going on for decades. Gosh, it must be a couple of years now. Some changes at that junction you need to be aware of.
Slip roads on and off the junction are going to be closed on the weekends of the 4th to the 7th of October, 18th to the 21st of October and the 1st to the 4th of November from 9pm on the Friday until 6am on the Monday of each weekend. And turning to sport now, this is really interesting from Rygate Squash Club.
They say as the Surrey Cup Squash Vets winter season gets underway, they've sent me their next three home matches. And the Vets' fourth team versus Surrey Sports Park on the 21st. Vets' third team versus David Lloyd Clubs in Purley on the 28th. And Saturday the 5th of October, the Vets' fifth team at Okshot or versus Okshot Village Sports Club. So all of those are home for Rygate Squash Club.
All matches start at 3.30 and spectators are welcome to cheer everybody on. But what's really interesting about that is that they've got five vets teams. And in fact, they've let me know that this season, those five vets teams, there's the most vets teams from any squash club in Surrey. How about that? Now, turning to Run, Rygate, which, of course, is this weekend at time of recording.
It really is one of the most notable events in, I was going to say, the Rygate calendar. It's the kind of regional calendar, really, isn't it, with Dave Kelly and his series of, well, Run series. That's what the group is called, isn't it? All sorts of different events going on across the area, across the year. Run Gatwick is another big one, I know. And last year...
Dave Kelly was our very first guest on our very first show. Talking about Runrygate 2023, somebody thought, well, all those reasons together, anniversary, and also such a big event. Let's catch up with him and find out about Runrygate 2024. So I did just that in Priory Park this week. Well, it is Thursday afternoon, just before the big weekend of Run Rygate.
With me is, well, he phoned me about 20 minutes ago to say I'm going to be a few minutes late for this interview. And he called himself Mr Run Rygate. Well, if he's calling himself that, well, I'm not going to disagree with him. It's Dave Kelly and we're standing here in Priory Park. How are you doing? Good afternoon. How are you?
Nice to see you again, Peter. When do you start setting up? It's tomorrow, Friday or Saturday? Today. We've started setting up today. We've been marking out our event village. We are well known for our big event village, which is an all-day celebration of food, fun, fitness, family. It's for everybody. All the F-words that we can say. Exactly. So we have our biggest event village yet.
It's incredible that just the number of people parts of the community that want to be at this event. From the charities, to all of our partners and sponsors, to local businesses that want to be here. All kinds of fantastic, interesting people that want to be in the Event Village. We've got very good numbers this year, Pete. Let's say we've got already 4,000 signed up.
We'll get more by the time Sunday comes. So it's a strong run, Reigate. It'll be very busy. You know, you get three or four times that number of people coming along, supporting family, friends. And all about community.
I mean, you've got your friends just over the road at Andrews who are really kind of supporting it, but also other people as well supporting. And the runners are supporting themselves, other charities across the area.
Correct. Pete, you know this. We've always been about community. This event is all about community and charity. We're very proud. to strongly support local charities every year, and we like the local charities. You know, the Lucy Rayner Foundation, the Renewed Hope Trust, a homeless charity.
You'd hardly believe that there are as many homeless people in Reigate and around that there are, but it's true, there are.
We love supporting our local charities... ...even our local branch of Smartens... ...have a big team running... ...here on Sunday... ...Stripey Stork... ...all of the local charities... ...this event is all about getting... ...our community involved... ...really from the four year olds... ...that run in the kids race.
There is something which is hanging over us... ...which is potentially a bit of a storm cloud... ...so what should people be aware of... ...if the weather is really bad... ...as is predicted... ...as I say Thursday afternoon... ...that's the possibility.
When we say bad... There's rain predicted for the weekend. We've had rain before. We've been very lucky in 11 years of doing Run Roygate. Really most years we've had lovely weather. This year it's looking like rain, but Pete, you never know. This might blow over by Sunday. The forecasters have often been wrong. And people should be obviously prepared for that.
They can look at the forecast.
forecast they can change their shoes they can change what they're wearing or who's going to be supporting them they can take their time and things like that running in the rain is quite good fun it throws a different element at it we're closing the roads we have hundreds of marshals here and out on the route no matter what the weather's doing we will be safe we will have a fantastic event if you're running you're running hail rain or shine or snow you're gonna have a great time look there's plenty of gazebos and marquees here there's plenty of cover
There's plenty of food. There's plenty of shelter. We'll all be fine.
And also, keep thinking to yourself about you don't want to let down those charities. You know, if you are thinking of coming along and you're thinking, oh, it's a bit of drizzle or it's raining, come along, support your runners, because by supporting them, you're going to be supporting the charities. They've got sponsorship forms. You'll be buying stuff at the gazebos and stuff like that.
Yeah, absolutely. And there are a lot of people running for charity, Peter. Lucy Rayner Foundation, at last count, had over 70 runners in those fabulous red t-shirts that say Running Off Depression. You know, the work that they do in our community, particularly amongst young people with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts, is just fantastic.
I am very proud to support local charities like that at Run Rygate. Very proud.
We spoke about this, I think, briefly last year. You're not originally from around here, but what makes, I can tell by your accent, and also you're telling me that you spent several years in Australia as well, but what makes Reigate and Redhill so special for you that you want to do this year after year and support these local groups?
Peter, it's a combination of this fantastic community that we have. Everybody comes out, everybody kind of looks after each other. We are blessed, of course, with this park, Peter. We are spoilt. Priory Park in Reigate is spectacular. We have this iconic priory building that we're looking at right now for our start and finish line. Local, pretty country roads in and around Reigate to run on.
That we close, so it's all very safe. All the schools get involved. We have 1,200 kids running again on Sunday. It is sold out yet again. And they come from over 60 local schools. And all of those schools support us as well. We do lots of school assemblies, we talk to all the kids and we get involved. So it's not just the charities, it's the schools.
Almost every shop, restaurant and bar in Roygate is now involved in our Medal Madness campaign. And that is where you can go in with your medal, usually for a couple of weeks after the event and get a good deal from that shop. So it's just wonderful. Sweaty Betty are doing 30% off. Bills this year have come on with a free burger if you go in with your medal.
Wagamama are giving you a free side portion of food. Some of the bars are giving you a 50% off or a free drink. The coffee shops are giving free coffees. Most of the shops in town are involved in this now. It's great because that supports our local traders. It means that they want to talk about this event because they get the footfall from it.
And our runners are getting these wonderful deals that they wouldn't get, all for just going in with their medal. Fitness was one of the F's that you mentioned a little bit earlier on. Peter, I make no apologies for getting anybody and everybody, but particularly kids, into regular aerobic exercise because it's so important physically and mentally for everybody.
Burning those calories, keeping your brain ticking over, helping you sleep. helping you just perform better and think better, it's got so many pluses. So I love actively getting everybody involved in this event because I know it's good for them. It's not just on the day, it's all the training that they do for it. It's a good thing.
We mentioned the medal and that is going to be featuring, as we've mentioned a couple of times, the Priory.
I've always wanted to put Priory School, this lovely building that everybody knows, I've always wanted to put it on the medal. And it's a real feature of the medal this year. It's our Run Rygate Blue, but it's really featuring the school on the medal. And of course, our wonderful headline sponsors, Andrews. And I've just got to say a big thank you to them because... This is their third year.
They're very involved with us and very engaged. They're a charity themselves.
Yeah, they're involved with the community. Correct. So they are unlike other estate agents.
They are. How they're set up. Correct. But they're also unlike any sponsor we've ever had before. Because they're a charity themselves. And that really resonates very strongly with us. So we love it, you know. So people have been going into their store all of last week.
And this week into Simply Sports, picking up their race numbers and their T-shirts for the kids and their finishers T-shirts and all of that. So, yeah, everyone's involved. It's great.
Final message for Sunday for people coming along, either taking part or supporting or going to be under a gazebo or marshalling at the car parks, which we didn't mention, but I have now. What's your final message for Run Rygate Sunday?
Most of all, good luck on Sunday with your run, whether you're doing the 5K, the 10K, the half marathon, or indeed the kids' races. Good luck. Please come on Sunday. Don't worry about the weather. Listen, we live in this part of the world. We're all used to a bit of rain. If it's raining on Sunday, so be it. Come down. You're going to have a fabulous time anyway.
Get out there and run and earn that lovely medal, and I guarantee you'll have a good time no matter what.
And great to catch up with Dave again.
Now, if you're taking part in Run Reigate on Sunday from 9am, it may very well be that as you cross that finishing line, I'll come up to you and ask you to say a few words because I'm going to be doing some short little interviews, find out what you enjoyed about it, what the worst bit was, maybe why you're running, who you're running for, that kind of thing, how long you've been in training.
Not all of those questions, but one or two of those questions. And we'll put together a little sequence of answers in next week's show. So listen out for that. Watch out for me. I'll probably be wearing a Planet Reige hat or something. Certainly introduce myself. So just watch out. Obviously, if you don't want to, that's absolutely fine as well. But it's kind of a bit of a heads up.
So if you see someone walking around with a microphone, that might very well be me. Because we like to be a strong local media presence at all of these big main events. This is...
The Planet Reigate Podcast. Great stories from Reigate. The Good Time Guide. Things to do and places to go on the Planet Reigate Podcast.
Well, I mentioned episode one a few moments ago, didn't I, when we interviewed Dave Kelly for the very first time in our very first show. Don't forget you can hear all of our shows on our main page, www.theplanetrygatepodcast.com.
But also on that page, there are direct links, what we call hot links, which will take you through to all of our guests, all of the main features that we've had over the course of the first 12 months. So you don't have to listen to a whole show to find us. What you want, you can scroll down that list and then you can just click through and just listen to the bit you want from whatever show.
So again, that's at theplanetreigatepodcast.com. It's there on the first page. Let's turn our attention now to the good time guide. Di dropped me a line and she said, calling amateur wind, brass and percussion musicians in Surrey, looking for a local concert band to play with, open rehearsal with a band of the Surrey Yeomanry.
in Redhill on the 21st between 11 and 4 it's very friendly they've got a wide range of ability of players you do need to be able to read music though that's one of the prerequisites they play all sorts of music by the way film scores musicals marches classical pieces They perform several times a year. And yeah, so if you're interested in that, it's going to be at St. John the Evangelist Church.
And for more details, well, actually, they've sent me a QR code, which is going to be a little bit awkward. But as I always say, well, I could read out the QR code. It's space, black dot, space, black dot, black dot, black dot. But no, it's not going to work, is it? Get in touch with me and I'll put you in touch with them.
Brockham Green Horticultural Society, so that's for Betchworth, Brockham and Buckland, our three major villages across the Planet Reigate area, have their autumn show 2024, Saturday 21st, 2.30am to 4pm. Brockham Village Hall, free entry. More information, bghsociety at hotmail.com.
Don't forget that once you've been to run Rygate, you can go up the road to Redhill because Food Rocks, who run the Redhill Market, are organising what they're describing as a fantastic day of global street food, drink and live music in the centre of Redhill on Sunday. The event's been billed as a fun day for everyone.
A number of music bands set to perform, lots of market produce, pop-up bars, serving refreshments and so on. So that's in the centre of Red Hill. Yeah, and don't forget, if you are going to run Reigate, there's going to be several road closures in the morning, especially in and around Priory Park, but also including the A217.
Special cheer points at the Beehive Pub, Woodhatch, Westvale Roundabout and Sandcross School as well. Let's move our attention now to the Archway Theatre in Hawley. And yeah, don't forget that the Planet Reigate podcast is proud to be official media partner with the Archway Theatre in Hawley. For more information and booking details, archwaytheatre.com or phone 0333 666 3366.
And if you would like to be media partner with us for your event, then get in touch with me. Hello at theplanetreigatepodcast.com. So why am I telling you about it this time round? well they are presenting Wild written by Mike Bartlett and directed by Eddie Redfern nine performances 7.45 between the 24th of September and the 5th of October and a matinee on Saturday the 28th at 2 and yeah
about the play Wild, premiered at Hampstead Theatre London back in 2016. And it's all about Andrew, who last week was that guy lunching with his girl in KFC, discussing apartments, making plans for the future. Today, he's in Moscow, in an undisclosed hotel room, on the run and at risk of assassination. How did he get from there...
to hear well find out about this darkly comic play that explores the unexpected bewildering and life-changing consequences of challenging the status quo at a global level again archway theater.com reigate musical theater choir is starting up singing technique harmony and show tunes It's going to be Tuesdays, 7.45 to 9.15 at St Mary's Church Hall. They say, bringing the West End to Reigate.
Open to all adults, no auditions necessary, all levels welcome. Monica at singspacechoir.com. If you like singing, then why don't you go along to the Afternoon Tea Singers, Wednesdays, 1.10 to 2.40, starting the 25th of September. and they sing a wide variety of beautiful songs from a diverse selection of cultures, eras, and traditions, so rounds and harmonies.
Sessions are led by Joe Peace, who's a member of the Natural Voice Network. First session free, Room 5, Rygate Park Church, £10 a pop, joe.peacechoirs at gmail.com 07981 086963. OK, let's move on to Thursday. The Art Society, Reigate, bring people together through a shared curiosity in the arts. Meetings begin at 2 o'clock, Reigate Park Church, Park Lane East.
And this coming Thursday, hearing about Jochan Sorola, one of the most extraordinary Spanish painters from Valencia. He's become better known more recently. He lived from 1863 to 1923 and created a world full of light and colour which... Delights the senses. If you want more about that, then contact the Art Society Reigate on social media.
Reigate Business Guild Golf Day, Thursday 26th September at Betchworth Park Golf Club. Join us for a fun day and evening helping raise money for Reigate's Christmas lights. It's going to be a midday registration and bacon rolls, then the golf and then the evening dinner, prizes and raffle. So if you want some more information, then get in touch with the Reigate Business Guild on all social media.
Friday the 27th of September, I may see you at BBC Radio 4's Any Questions. It's coming to Salford. It's going to be produced locally and it's going to be a live event, as you're probably aware. That goes out live on BBC Radio 4. We don't know who's going to be the guest at this stage, at least I don't know. I haven't been involved with that. Hosted by BBC political correspondent Alex Forsyth.
But they're usually maybe a couple of MPs, a couple of notable names, maybe from...
politics or maybe a think tank or a a group to do with uh awareness campaign issues could be health could be green issues something like that and usually somebody else may be a novelist or a celebrity something like that uh you will have had to have bought your tickets sorry have got your tickets they are free but if you're not going along you can listen uh straight after the 8 p.m news bulletin on bbc radio 4 and then repeated saturday lunch times as well
You may hear somebody that you know asking a question. Not me, I'm not suggesting anything, but maybe somebody else. OK, an evening of magic with Bertie Pearce, member of the Inner Magic Circle. Friday the 27th, Betchworth War Memorial. Arrive at 6.30, supper at 7.00. Tickets £28. Pillars, Betchworth. at gmail.com. It's all to raise money for St. Michael's Church in Betworth.
07732 190706.
190706.
For more information on that, boundscomedy.co.uk. Have a comedy night. And this is at South Nutfield Village Hall with Mike Gunn, Ash Frith, Michael Fabry and Nick Ellery, they've performed at various places, both on BBC Radio 4, but also on stage shows elsewhere around the country. Celebrity Deal or No Deal, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, Harry Hill's TV Burp and so on.
It's all in aid of age concern. There's a cash bar. Comedy starts at eight, but food and drinks before that. If you want some more information, go to jumblebee.co.uk slash comedy night 2024. Our good friends at Active Prospects have got an event.
It's called Rygate Unplugged, 28th of September, 6 to 11, featuring live acoustic set from Happy Jack's Duo, plus others, Monte Forte Pizza, Sip on Pilgrim Brewery's Finest, and as I say, proceeds for that event supporting Active Prospects, a local charity,
dedicated to empowering individuals with learning disabilities and autistic people, helping them lead fulfilling and independent lives as well. Moving on to something which is happening in Lye. Yeah, let me tell you about the Lye Food Festival and Apple Press Day. Saturday 28th, 11 till 3 at the Plough Inn in Lye. So there's going to be apple pressing.
Bring your apples along to have them pressed and bottled. No windfalls, they say. Local food and community stalls, food and drink, entertainment, children's activities. Again, 11 till 3, Saturday 28th at the Plough Pub in Lye.
Planet Reigate Stars. Thanking local heroes who are out of this world.
Well, this week, unusually, the Planet Reigate Star Award comes from me. And let me tell you the story. I was in Reigate last week with the intention of going to several of those heritage open events. But when I got back to my car after the first one at the Holmesdale Natural History Club Museum, since you ask, I had a flat battery. Now, not for the first time recently. I've
simply don't drive enough miles and what i do drive kind of very short distances anyway called the aa who got it going and recommended a new one and because he didn't have one he recommended palfords in red hill and the staff were really helpful when i got there
But they're not who's getting the award this week because, listen to this, I was standing back looking on the shelves for the battery that I needed and there was a group of teenagers talking nearby and I kind of noticed them over to one side. You might even call them youths. One came over to me. I could see out of the corner of my eye, he was standing quite close to me,
hovering away from his mates, and I was starting to feel a little bit kind of self-conscious. I glanced over to him, a teenage lad in Halford, standing quite close, and he said, "'Sorry, sir, I didn't want to walk in front of you while you were looking.'" And I said, that's OK. It's not a problem. Go ahead. And he passed between me and the shelves.
So whoever you were, that young lad, his parents as well, those mates, thank you so much for your consideration and politeness. You're all getting Planet Reigate Star Awards.
The 60 Second Soundscape. Local natural sounds uninterrupted.
Before we go, at the end of the show, natural sounds from a place you know. The Castle Grounds in Reigate this week, with Wren, Blackbird, Chiff Chaff, Song Thrush, Missile Thrush and Robin.
The Planet Reigate podcast was produced and presented by Peter Stewart.