73: The next ‘act’ in The Harlequin’s drama, local plant-based cooking courses… and moreFor Saturday 1st February 2025This is how we’re reflecting and celebrating our love of life around here this week:TIMECODE - 00:00 - What’s in this episode. 10:22 - Planet Reigate area news part 1. Including the latest about the Harlequin - and the latest A&E, ambulance and cancer stats from the hospital. 30:45 - Planet Reigate area travel news. Road and train disruption this coming week. 35:00 – GUEST: Plant-based Robyn tells us how speedy, easy and budget-friendly eating more plant-rich meals can be. We joined her in a recent village hall session in Nutfield. https://www.plantbasedrobyn.co.uk/ 49:15 - Planet Reigate area news part 2. 57:50 - Planet Reigate area sport 59:40 - The Good Time Guide: things to do and places to go this week 1:02:00 – Planet Reigate Stars: thanking local heroes. This week, praise for a local student on a 100 bus 1:03:25 - The Sixty-second Soundscape. This week, from Brockham. 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. A list of ‘the best of the guests’, and a link to hear each one, is on this Facebook post: https://tinyurl.com/prpbest *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: 136304431GUITAR - Frogard Item ID: 114324148 Listen: https://linktr.ee/PlanetReigatePodcast Web: www.ThePlanetReigatePodcast.com Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ThePlanetReigatePodcast Insta: theplanetreigatepodcast Email: [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, your Planet Reigate Podcast. And this is how we're reflecting and celebrating our love of life around here this week in Episode 73. And a big decision was made on the Harlequin last night, Thursday the 30th.
We have news of an allocation of a big spend on a refurbished or rebuilt theatre, a half as big temporary space that'll help local arts in the meantime, and financial help for local groups which are currently homeless. And we've got news of two more reports as well. More on this breaking news later in the show. Well, the start of a new year, spring just around the corner. Can't wait, can you?
And you may have decided to give your body a bit of a detox. The other week we had Olivia on, a Reigate-based fitness instructor. This week we hear from Robin, who runs vegetarian cookery courses across the area. Hear what she encourages you to rustle up in the kitchen and from some of those on a recent village hall session that I went along to.
In the news, how well is East Surrey Hospital doing compared with the national average? Well, new stats have come out this week. I'll tell you what they say regarding things like trolley waits, A&E, ambulances, backlogs and cancer care locally. The promise that high tech will mean that local potholes will be repaired faster. That's the claim anyway.
I'll tell you who's making that and how it could help your drive. The meeting this week to help you save money on your energy bills this winter. What the future is for the old HSBC bank on Reigate High Street. Well, whatever it is, I'll explain what the hold-up seems to be. Another Reigate shop has had its lease extended, but staff there say they're pleading with you to use it.
I'll tell you what that shop is, what they sell and where they are. And there's a new business over at Buckland Park Lake. I'll give you the hot and the cold details on it. Bit of a clue. The local roundabout, which is being taken over by local residents and wildflowers. How you or someone you know could take part in the Miss Surrey competition, which is happening soon.
The local snowdrop days, which are all set to start. Free trees are up for grabs. I'll tell you where you can collect them, but you'll have to be fast. We've got an update from Reigate Heath Golf Club on their greens and bunkers over the winter. Big local roadworks coming up this week, I'll tell you where. And also the local rail route, which is closing for 16 days from this weekend.
Plus, Planet Rygate Stars this week features praise for local school pupils on a bus. And our 60-second soundscape before we go at the end of the show, natural sounds from a place you know. This week, a great tit on a January afternoon at Old Park Wood near Brockham.
MUSIC PLAYS
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.
Planet Reigate podcast. I'm Peter Stewart. Recently, we posted on social media both about what you would like to see in Reigate and also what you'd like to see in Red Hill town centres. And I got a bit of an update because I had a whole load of response. People posting, as you would expect on social media, their comments underneath my post, my original post.
but a couple of people contacted me directly, so I thought I'd pay particular attention to what they'd sent.
Lois said, I think Redhill Town Centre itself needs a full-time estates manager or facilities manager to focus on upkeep and cleanliness, continuous improvements, coordinate with police, re-security, also to regularly speak to landlords, retail tenants and so on, to understand how they're doing and the issues they're facing.
Focus on work with landlords and agents to actively let their empty shops. Possibly it's covered by a state's team already, but I'm assuming it's not full time. Just my thoughts. Now, is this what very often they're called town centre managers? And I don't believe either Reigate or Redhill. or indeed Hawley, has a town centre manager. I've never heard of them, they've never been in touch with me.
I know some areas do, I'm pretty sure Epsom does, and I'm pretty sure that Dorking has a business improvement district, again, which neither Redhill or Reigate or Hawley does. So there seems to be a really big opportunity there missing to either appoint a town centre manager,
obviously that would have to be paid for in some way, shape or form, or to apply to have it become a business improvement district. And then I think that's probably paid for via a contribution by lots of local businesses, which obviously is a bit of a problem if there aren't many local businesses to begin with, or indeed if some local businesses contribute and others don't.
Anyway, there's a fantastic idea there from Lois, and hopefully someone from the Redhill Business Guild is listening to this. I know they do, so perhaps someone can give an official answer, or maybe someone from Rygate and Banstead Borough Council, maybe someone from their business development team would be able to advise on that. And also there's a message from Sue as well.
She said, just listen to Podcast 71 in connection with suggestions for shops in Rygate. Yes, we're obviously covering Rygate, Redhill, Merston, Buckland, Betchworth and Brockham, down to Hookwood, over to Charlewood and Outwood as well. I'm only not including Hawley in that list because it doesn't rhyme. It doesn't have a wood in it, but obviously we do Hawley as well.
And she says, found it very sad because over the years, many of the suggestions that people have made for shops...
were provided there was a pet shop and hardware a fresh green grocery needle workshop a record shop bookshop toy shop in the form of our price the ancient bookshop pet shop up bell street nights timothy white's latrobes i don't remember latrobes um and and others she said i can't remember all the names of them just at the moment but she says i wish they were all still trading and then she goes on so thanks very much indeed we're thoroughly enjoying listening to the podcast
Pete, please keep up the good work. So I will do my best. What are we? We're episode 73. So my next target is 100 episodes in a row. So hopefully you'll continue to support me in that. Nina wrote in. Hi, Peter. I'm now a keen listener to the podcast. I particularly like your soundscapes. You know what? I've said this a couple of times to people over recent weeks, but
somebody approached me it was at the run reigate so a few months ago now um i won't tell you who it was but you probably know him big guy i think i don't know but i think maybe he plays rugby he's uh you know he's he's a he's kind of a man's man and um he came over to me and said peter love you're
love the podcast I've spoken to him several times you know previously over over the months and a couple of years and he said you know what I particularly love I said what's what's that and he said the soundscapes he said you played a soundscape recently he told me which one it was but I can't remember now he said you played a soundscape recently it almost reduced me to tears
That was quite a moment for me to have that kind of admission. And it was great. It was really touching. It was touching for me to hear it. It was obviously touching for him to have heard that soundscape originally. So you know who you are, and I really appreciate you listening, and I really appreciate you coming up with that comment. And Nina, the same to you as well.
I really appreciate your kind words, and hopefully you'll be able to spread the words to your friends, your neighbours, your colleagues, and so on. And on episode 71, we went down to the Gatwick Gaming Group.
Yes, if you're into board games and so on, or dice games, card games, I don't mean cards as in playing cards, but games that have cards that you deal out that maybe give you different qualities or you have to turn them over in a certain way as part of a larger game. And you can get down there to Gatwick Grid Serve, which is only a hop, skip and a jump, isn't it, from Horny, let's face it.
And there's free parking. I was going to say free parking right next door. Actually, with Gatwick Grid Serve, the free parking is underneath. So if you want to know more about that, episode 71. And I'm reminded that Merstham Library, they have a board games afternoon. It's going to run every Monday from February the 3rd. So this coming week from 3.45 to 4.45.
And the invitation is drop in for some relaxing fun after school. So that's great to know, and thanks for letting me know about that so I can pass it on to other people as well. It's what the Planet Rygate podcast is all about.
So, after all of that, we've got the news coming up in a few moments' time, but I should also say, after mentioning the soundscape a few moments ago a couple of times, remind you that this week's soundscape comes from near Brockham, an old park wood, and a particularly full-throated great tit on a January afternoon. Plus...
In sport, we've got an update from Rygate Heath Golf Club on the state of their bunkers over the winter and the various repairs and so on that they've been making, ready for the new season full on. And also, if you use the A25 and you're expecting to do so this coming week, you need to listen out for our travel report because there's going to be yet more road closures. Thank you very much.
That meeting of councillors went on for, well, several hours. Certainly the Harlequin bit of it went on for two hours discussing various recommendations made by the council staff. So this is what they voted through to... Support groups that previously hired the Harlequin with alternative rehearsal performance spaces through small grants. To expand arts opportunities in Redhill and borough-wide.
To keep the Harlequin services net revenue budget for 25-26 at £360,000. To agree to allocate up to £10 million for what they call the Harlequin Theatre and Cultural Offering in the borough. to get another report, yeah, I know, another one, on the future of the Harlequin in June.
So that one will be around getting approval for the budget and then getting authority to appoint a design team for those new Harlequin plans and to agree costs and responsibilities with the head leaseholder of the Warwick Quadrant and sort out a timeframe for all of that to happen. Also in June, the council will get another report on the detailed costed feasibility and potential...
for a 200-seater performance venue in Redhill while the Harlequin is being rebuilt. So that would cater for commercial and community hirers. So that is likely to be in the Rise building, which is the one right next door to the Light building. Would only be around about 200 people could get in there,
Obviously, the seating wouldn't actually be on a slant yet, so it would be kind of flat seating, but obviously the stage may be going up instead. So it's not actually perfect, but what the councillors were talking about in that meeting was the kind of dichotomy. It's two sides of a coin, isn't it?
Are you going to be spending all of your time and resources and money and all the rest of it, the expertise that you've got,
looking to rebuild the Harlequin and put something in its place, potentially in the Rise, which is already a building, and essentially all you've got to put in, I say all, but you know what I mean, some seats, some sound, some lights, and that's kind of done and dusted, and then spend all your time rebuilding the Harlequin.
Or will you put the Harlequin rebuild on pause while you build a new temporary structure, perhaps on the Gloucester Road car park, come to that in a second, But then your Harlequin build is going to be further down the line because you've spent much more money on a much bigger temporary build somewhere else with all of that entails.
Now, they can't actually build on the Gloucester Road car park site. I know that was one of the options because of an agreement they've got, a contract they've got with other people and works and offices, including the light, which are already in the borough. So they've already got contracts that they can't actually put anything on that site. That has got to remain as a car park.
So that was what they were talking about in that council meeting. And as I say, they've decided to go for a temporary site in the Rise building next door to the light instead. I wonder what you think about all that.
Now, obviously, it was a really big commitment to sit through it all, whether you watched it all online or whether you were one of the hardy few who actually turned up to the town hall on Thursday night. Now, you could watch that whole two hours back via the Reigate and Banstead Borough Council website. But you know what? You don't have to, because I did it for you.
We will have the edited highlights from that council meeting, what you need to know, without the boring bits, in the next dramatic act of the beleaguered theatre, and that'll appear in a special edition of the Planet Reigate podcast. It'll be available in the usual places.
And as this is episode 73, that one will be called episode 73A, and it should be up and available for you to listen in the next few days, the first few days of February. Well, the Harlequin has appeared on the National Theatres at Risk list for the very first time. Now, that risk list is run by the Theatre Trust.
It's a way of highlighting and supporting the theatre buildings under threat and at greatest risk across the UK. They say a working theatre plays an important role for its local community, both in terms of creating identity and also as an economic driver for creating employment and for the night-time economy as well.
This is something we've heard recently, isn't it, as far as Redhill Town Centre goes. Lots of people saying, if you have the theatre back, and we know the reasons behind that, very much largely anyway, it will help encourage the pubs, the restaurants and other activities in Redhill Town Centre as well.
And the Theatre Trust goes on, we raise awareness of theatres at risk to ensure these incredible buildings are kept safe. We launch our register annually to bring their stories to a national audience. So there are 43 theatres across the country on the list this year. Each one is rated as to its importance, community value and overall risk factor.
So out of 43, the Harlequin comes in at number 22 on that factor scale. So that's lower than the Brighton Hippodrome. Just mentioning that because you may have been there in the past and you know it. It's higher than Clare Hall in Haywards Heath, which is even closer, which you may have been to as well, been to both of those. So you may know those.
So the Harlequin is listed at 43 on that at-risk register. Now, you can listen to more about the Harlequin and its trials and tribulations. In episode 48, we've got a breakdown of the reasons for the Harlequin closure. It's a kind of Q&A style. In episode 49, audio highlights of a council meeting decision on what was going to happen next.
Episode 53, reaction from the Harlequin support group's Ali Bond. Episode 57, the reaction of people leaving the first arts and culture consultation event run by Rygate and Banstead Borough Council, which of course focused on the Harlequin.
And in a special additional episode, which we called Episode 64B, you can hear part of the council meeting from November 2024, in which the public and councillors questioned the council leader about the harlequin. In Episode 64C, hear the questions posed to Council Leader Richard Biggs at a public event run by Reigate and Redhill Society on December 4th last year.
So, all sorts of episodes there, 48, 49, 50. 53, 57, 64B, 64C as well. It is all there. All our archive episodes are available for you to listen to. And you can do that via, well, various ways you can listen. You can listen to the Planet Reigate podcast via theplanetreigatepodcast.com. And our previous five episodes are listed on that front page.
And also there's a link so you can listen to all of the other episodes as well. Also, you can download and listen via your favorite podcast app. And we're also available via your smart speaker. You can ask Alexa or Google to play the Planet Reigate podcast. And it's also available via Spotify as well. You can't escape us. We're everywhere.
Short of posting a cassette on a TDK C90 through your letterbox, I'm not sure there's much more I can do to help you listen to every possible episode of the Planet Reigate podcast. Also on the way, local snowdrop days are about to start. So stay listening for details on that. And also free trees are up for grabs as well. That's happening this weekend.
So have to be quick sticks to get sorted in that department. OK, let's tell you about East Surrey Hospital. It ranks. Well, there are 118 hospitals in the country. Where do you reckon East Surrey Hospital comes from? Near the top, near the bottom, round about the middle. Yeah, it's not bad, actually. It's round about the middle. It's 65 out of 118.
That's according to an interactive feature in this week's Daily Telegraph. All data for their tracker was sourced from NHS England and NHS Digital. So they number crunched and they put it all into a computer or an Excel spreadsheet or something of that nature. What you can do is you can go onto the... at the Daily Telegraph website, and you can put in your postcode.
It tells you what your local hospital is. In our case, of course, it's East Surrey, and it comes up with all the different stats depending on different features. So trolley waits, A&E, ambulances, backlogs, and cancer. So let's look at some of those key metrics listed for what is officially known as Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. So first of all, trolley waits.
13.1% of patients at eSURRY wait for more than 12 hours between the decision for an emergency admission and actually being admitted to an appropriate ward. That is worse than the national average of 9.8%. As far as A&E goes, 39% of patients wait for more than four hours in accident and emergency. That's worse than the national average of 27.9%.
28 minutes is the average waiting time for an emergency Category 2 ambulance. That's 10 minutes longer than the target, but it's better than the national average of 42 minutes. 40% of appointments at East Surrey have been in the backlog for more than 18 weeks. That's better than the national average of 41%, but only just. And 4% of patients wait more than 31 days to start their cancer treatment.
Being referred via East Surrey Hospital, that's better than the national average of 8.5%. As I say, if you want to see those stats for yourself, you actually have to be a Daily Telegraph subscriber. It's behind a paywall. But if you want the link, as I say, get in touch with me and I'll send it over to you. Surrey is the first county council to just use AI technology to spot and report potholes.
They say it'll speed up road repairs. We'll wait and see. We'll be the judge of that, Surrey County Council. Computer vision cameras will be fitted to dashboards inside highways vehicles and they'll spot and photograph potholes which will then be automatically recorded for repair.
And in the future, they'll also see other problems like missing road signs, trees and bushes, overgrown, obscuring things like pavements or signs, and will program those for repair or cut back as well. Highways inspectors will no longer need to step onto the roads to manually carry out inspections. which they say will make the process safer and more efficient.
Potholes that don't need immediate attention will also be regularly tracked to ensure they're dealt with when and where needed. I am so pleased that the potholes... Potholes? It wasn't really potholes per se, but it must have been...
Must have been about, what, four or five square metres of really rough, uneven tarmac just to the bottom of Ray Lane, just by the roundabout there before you go shoot off to the, well, either down to Reigate or over to Red Hill, you know, that junction just there. That fortunately has been repaired in the last few weeks, hasn't it?
But that has become a bit of a regular route for me, a bit of a cut-through, as you know. And that bit of rough ground must have been like that for a year or 18 months. Do you know a pothole which needs to be repaired that you have tried and tried and tried to get sorted out by Surrey County Council? Road Repair is a Surrey County Council, not Rygate and Banstead.
So wherever you are, maybe you're just over the border in Tandridge, you're just over the border in Mole Valley, or if you're in the thick of it in Reigate and Banstead, where is your pothole, your pet pothole? Yeah, go on pothole patrol for us. Let us know.
And we'll try and save those cameras from going out in the first place by letting Surrey County Council know where the problems are right now. In last week's show, we heard from Rygate's boxing, horse riding, wannabe stuntwoman and fitness expert, Olivia. That's in episode 72. And this time last year, it was episode 20. Oh, it was kind of baby Planet Rygate podcast.
Yeah, episode 20 featured the Unison Choir and also a special report on the career and curious death of local astronomical scientist Richard Carrington. And if you're thinking Carrington, Any link with the school? Yeah, absolutely a link with the school and also a link with a pub in Redhill as well.
he worked locally, he made discoveries locally, which are still used today, but he didn't die locally. And when he did, what a story. So you can listen to Olivia in episode 72, listen about Richard and also Nina from the Unison Choir in episode 20 of the Planet Reigate podcast, available via... theplanetrygatepodcast.com. It's all on the first front page.
Scroll down a bit there and you'll see a link to all of our episodes right there. Another Nina now, she's been in touch about the Rygate and Banstead Energy Showcase for local people to find out more about the help that's available to make their home more comfortable and energy efficient.
There'll be a marketplace running all evening with support agencies and suppliers available for an individual chat and and also a programme of short talks to choose from as well. This is happening this coming Wednesday, 6 till 8pm at Reigate Town Hall, and it's all free of charge. earr.co.uk for more information. Energy Action, Redhill and Reigate.
Talking about Reigate, just around the corner from the Town Hall, and ongoing discussions about the future of the old HSBC Bank on the High Street. And it's what the website reigate.uk has called a continuing contest between conservation and commerce, which is a terrific line. I love that, David. Thanks for writing that. We've stolen that from you. Owners want to change the design of the windows.
on the old HSBC. It's just near the old town hall, isn't it? So you can understand this. So it's easier for passers-by to look in and see what's up for sale, yeah? The old cash machine spaces would be replaced with brickwork that matches the rest of the wall there. But the council's conservation officer says the building is in a conservation area. And...
Any change would make it look different from the Georgian style of the rest of the building. However, it's not actually a listed building itself and the building has been empty since August 2023. So what do you reckon to that?
Should they be allowed to make those changes, to change the brickwork and so on, to take out obviously that area where the cash machines were and to infill with sympathetic brickwork, but also perhaps slightly change the style and the layout and the design of those windows to make it more attractive to passers-by? Is it going to be a shop?
Is it going to be a display room for something, like a kitchen showroom? Is it going to be a restaurant? Who knows? More information on this with a few ideas on what it could be, Still with shops and the Rygate pop-up. So that's just up Church Street, isn't it? Just there on the left-hand side of the road with the old town hall behind you.
Well, they say over the last six months they've been negotiating with the landlord regarding the renewal of their lease. And the negotiations have been done and they will now continue leasing the shop until March 2027. However, they say, that's a bit of a hard swallow moment, wasn't it?
March 2027, they say the challenges of the past six years have been really hard because they signed the initial lease in March 2020. And then, of course, there was the pandemic. They were closed for seven months, not the best start. And then they had six floods over the last five years. And then there's been a couple of other shops as well.
Oliver Bonas has suddenly rocked up as well, selling similar stuff. And they say, we've tried our hardest, but we're going to go on. They say, quote, we're not out of the woods yet. We now have two years to make our shop successful enough to stay in Reigate. And they say, this is where you come in, lovely customers. We need your support desperately.
From cards to gifts to homeware, we need you to buy from us, please. Each and every sale matters to our 28 small businesses within the shop. Each and every sale will stop our shop being taken over by a chain. Who wants a chain-filled, homogenous High Street? Not us, we hear you cry.
And indeed, the social media post that we had a couple of weeks ago about what you want in Reigate High Street was outlining different small independent shops. You've got your opportunity here, guys. I'm sure you're as thrilled as we are for us to be staying for the next two years and hopefully longer. We'd love to thank all of our fabulous and loyal customers for continued support.
Love from Natasha and the Rygate pop-up team. Yeah, you'll find Natasha and co. 1B Church Street, Rygate. That's the Old Town Hall end of Church Street. We always like to support the independent stores in the area. So we'd love you if you could do the same for Natasha and co. at the Reigate pop-up team there.
So what it is, is various other local independents, individual people, probably loan traders, sell different things, as Natasha has outlined there, with all sorts of things going on, homeware, cards, gifts, and so on, such, like, and so forth. And they just have a table. They've got a display. They've got a cabinet. They've got a bookshelf or so on.
And they do pitch in to cover the rent and so on. So can you pitch in and help them stay a little bit longer? Hopefully you can. The details there. If you didn't catch it already, it's the Rygate pop-up and it's there on 1B Church Street. It's one of those places you perhaps went to a few months ago or maybe a year or so ago, but maybe you've forgotten to go there recently.
So, yeah, I've just kind of sown that little seed for you in your mind. Talking about seeds, a roundabout is being taken over by local residents who want to sow some wildflower seeds. Maybe you can help. Maybe you want to go past and give them your support or just take a view in the spring and see what pops up. I'll tell you where it is a little bit later on in the show.
A big thank you to all of the Reigate community that have visited the brand new traditional wood-burning sauna. Where is the new sauna in the area? Have you heard about this? Do you want to go along? Are you like me thinking, I didn't know that was there? I'll tell you where that is a little bit later on as the Planet Rygate podcast continues. Got a bit of travel news for you.
Let's start off with some roadworks. Temporary traffic lights on the A25 are coming up. What, again, Peter? Yes, again. So from February 3rd for five weeks, five weeks, ladies and gentlemen, from Monday, there'll be highways works on the stretch of Buckland Road from Collie Manor Drive to Buckland Corner.
Temporary traffic lights will be in place, and I understand this will be between 9.30 and 4 o'clock, so hopefully... It's outside peak times and you should be aware of that just so you can try and avoid travelling along that section of road if you possibly can between those hours. From roads to trains and a local rail route is closing for 16 days so critical upgrades can be carried out.
I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago but it's about to start soon. properly in earnest and it's actually happening tomorrow Saturday at time of recording on 1st of February through until the 16th when no trains will run between Gatwick and Guildford so during the closure engineers will be laying new wheel timbers they're the blocks that carry tracks over bridges and
And they'll be laying the new ones on the railway bridge over the River Way, which is south of Guildford. And the new wheel timbers, which are made out of a synthetic alternative rather than wood, will last 30 years longer than the old wooden versions. And so will mean fewer closures are needed in the future. So that's kind of good news, isn't it?
During the closure, Network Rail will do a range of other work, including modernising the signalling in the area and the renewal of four level crossings. All four crossings will also have new signals installed and double lane barriers will replace the existing single lane barriers. So obviously that kind of is a safety issue. It cuts the chance of cars and lorries and vans and so on.
crossing the track when barriers are down. So, how does all this affect you and I? Well, during the closure, buses will replace Great Western Railway train services operating between Redhill and Guildford, stopping at all stations, and another bus service will run direct to Gatwick Airport.
Southern and Thameslink trains to and from Rygate, Redhill, London, Gatwick Airport, not affected by those works, they will continue to run as usual. When I say, as usual, Still talking about trains. Work to improve the train station steps at Salford are now due to start this coming week on the 3rd of February again. So this coming Monday. They'll last until the end of April. I know, right?
Now, most of the work will be carried out during the day with some night work on a few occasions when they put in the foundations of the stairs to Platform 1. That's got to be done when the station is closed for kind of obvious reasons sometimes.
The station will stay open during the times of the work and you'll be able to get in and out and go to the platforms via a temporary staircase to Platform 2 from the car park. And the public right-of-way will be closed during those times. No access from Monotype, Perrywood Sports and Social Club, incidentally. Got any questions? Then you can go to 0345 1141 0341-0345-114141.
Quoting Staircase Renewal at Salford Station. You'd probably do that anyway because someone at the end of the phone is probably going to say, how can I help you? Maybe it's automated. Perhaps you've actually got to use that particular phrase. In which case, I sit corrected and I'll give it to you again. 0345-114141. And quote Staircase Renewal at Salford Station.
Local school pupils can get a bit of a hard press, can't they? Well, you know what? They're not all bad. You know that, and I know that as well. And this week's Planet Rygate stars knows it too, because some local school pupils have been singled out for praise for their good work and good behaviour, and not in school. I'll tell you that story, coming up later on on the Planet Rygate podcast.
Well, it's the start of a new year. Well, I think we can just about get away with saying that, can't we? The end of Jan, early Feb. Spring just around the corner, that's for certain. Oh, I'll be telling you about local snowdrop displays before the end of the show, so stay tuned for that. Anyway, as I say, new beginnings, and you may have decided to give your body a bit of a detox.
You know, last week in episode 72, we had Olivia on, a Reigate-based fitness instructor. So that may have helped you if you thought to yourself, hmm... My body is not beach ready for this coming summer. Ate a few too many mince pies and such like. This week we hear from Robin who runs vegetarian cookery courses right across the area.
Hear what she encourages you to rustle up in the kitchen meat free. And also some of those on a village hall session that I went along to recently.
Robin Degener. So the accent is from South Africa, so it's a South African accent. We have been here in the UK for over 10 years now, but I'm married to the handsome husband who is German. His family is German, so that's where the surname comes from.
I wish one day someone would call me a handsome husband. But there you are. I'm waiting for that one. Explain where we are. What's been going on here this Saturday morning?
Right, so this morning we're at the Natfield Village Hall. And the class that have given the lovely ladies here, we've got eight ladies at the class, is called Plant Based for Beginners. The class is really to show you, regardless of what your diet is, it doesn't matter if you're a vegan, a vegetarian, or a meat eater, it's to show you how to add more plants to your diet.
Plants are so good for you. So I showed you how to have a delicious breakfast. We made a fantastic lunch. And over here on the stove, you can see I'm busy cooking a cauliflower korma, which we made. It's one of the 30-minute midweek meals that you can have on the table really, really quickly.
And I'm really impressed because we're in Nutfield Village Hall and you've set up, actually in the hall, not in the kitchen, these little workstations with portable hobs and so on. And you've got the tables laid out. What else have we got on the tables here that you've got?
Everybody gets a workstation, they get their recipe cards, they get all of their ingredients pre-measured out for them. And then they have all of the equipment that they need. So they've got their knife, they've got spoons. And we've got the peeler because we peeled potatoes for our curry. And you can see we've got all of the bowls that have got all of the ingredients in.
So really making it nice and easy. Nobody needs to faff about what needs to go in. Everything's already laid out for you.
And you provide all of the equipment and all of the food as well.
Everything gets provided. And if I can just have a little shout out to the Rygate Council. These beautiful induction hobs were because I got a new business grant from the council. And from that grant, I bought these fantastic induction hobs, which means I can do more cooking classes. Fantastic. I love the council. I really do. So can you smell that?
I can smell that and it's now steaming away.
I know. So this is what you can see in here. We've got cauliflower, potato. You can see the green peas and the little cannellini beans, which make up our cauliflower korma. There's a little bit of cream in there. What I've used today is a plant-based cream to make it nice and rich and creamy. The ladies had it for lunch and they had it with a piece of naan bread.
So really easy, delicious plant-based meal.
Shall we go over and talk to the ladies?
Let's talk to them.
Let's turn that hob off. Turn it off. Absolutely, there we go. Leave an unattended stove. We'll carry on our conversation in a few moments' time, but let's go over. Who do you reckon is going to be the best talker? Who was the loudest in your group earlier on? Alison, you've been nominated as the loudest person. No, sorry, the most confident person ever.
You've spoken to me before through Ragged Ladies Joggers as well.
Have I? Yes. I get around. You do? Yes. What did you make of today?
Oh, loved it. This is probably my fourth or fifth or sixth event with Robin. It's always good to see what you can do with different ingredients, make it easy, and it's delicious. Love it.
And are these kind of recipes that you're going to take home and use, or do you just come here for a bit of a kind of inspiration?
No, I'll take some of them home and use them as well. So we did some lovely overnight oats, some great ideas for breakfast. Makes it nice and easy for going to work the following day. Great ideas for salads for lunch. So how easy it is just to bring different ingredients together and make something really tasty.
Excellent. OK, let's move on. Hello, who are you?
I'm Katie.
Hi, Katie.
Why did you come along today?
Really, it's just to get some inspiration. So I'm vegetarian and really struggle with putting meals together, healthy meals as well. I tend to go for easy things, you know, that you just throw in the oven but aren't particularly healthy. So this has really, really helped inspire me and the way you can just throw a salad together with things you've already got in the house, which is really helpful.
It's been really good.
Good. You've got some fantastic testimonials coming. And hello. It's really easy, isn't it, to kind of get stuck in a bit of a rut and have the same meals every few days or every couple of weeks. So has it been inspiring for you as well? Sorry, what's your name?
I'm another Alison. Yes, it has in answer to that. And I think what Robin's shown us, that we have a lot in our cupboards that we don't perhaps use in the right way or we don't have that inspiration. So it's to look at things from a different angle, which I think has been really good for me.
Come round. What are you getting? Hello, who are you?
Hi, I'm Liz.
Hi, Liz. What are you taking away from today? Don't say those hobs, because she's only just got... Are you sure?
I'd love to take the hobs. I'm taking home lots of nice bowls of food and just inspiration. I eat the same four things every week, and it'll be nice to eat some different bits.
So are you vegan, vegetarian, or...?
No, everything.
You just want a slightly different diet?
Try and get a bit more health in. I eat a lot of beige, so it's nice to have some colour in my food instead.
Hold on, the cannellini beans are pretty beige.
Yeah, I don't eat beans, really. The rest of it's really colourful, so all the green and the red, beautiful stuff.
I just noticed the Tupperware over here. So what's in there? This is something else you've been cooking today, is it?
Yes, we did that for our lunch, and it's going to really test me to remember what's in it. We had red rice, we've got some beans, red onions, tomatoes, rocket, parsley, pumpkin, roasted pumpkin. Pumpkin, which is that season, isn't it? Absolutely. It was autumn in a bowl, is what Robin said.
Fantastic. And hello, finally...
Hi, I'm Katrina.
What prompted you to come along today?
Just for ideas, really. I was vegetarian many years ago, for a long time, and I feel that sometimes I eat too much meat or we have too much meat, so it's nice to get ideas and use what's in the fridge rather than buy stuff all the time.
Sounds great. You did a good job here today, Robin.
I really do believe that you are what you eat...
Oh dear, really?
Yes, you are. I really do believe it. And if you're eating healthy, you will be healthy. And the good thing is that if you eat really healthy now, you'll be healthy for longer. Who doesn't want to be healthy for longer? I do.
Do you find that there's a bit of a change as people get to perhaps a certain age, middle age perhaps, laughing?
We're all laughing. We're all laughing.
Of course I'm middle-aged. I'm going to live to 120. That actually you start thinking of what you're putting in your body perhaps a bit more than you were when you were rushing around and you were working and you had kids to feed with fish fingers and so on.
Yeah, I think completely. And I think at this age, I've just said yes, I'm middle-aged, we were talking earlier about suddenly you have a teenage daughter who comes home and declares they're vegetarian. Yeah. So suddenly you might have... And they want dinner in five minutes. Exactly. And they want it to be, like, really delicious. So you suddenly have families that have multiple diets.
Or we could, at this age, have health issues that we hadn't had when we were 20. You know, when you're 20, life's just so easy. But now you start really thinking about, how healthy am I now? What am I doing? And we know that if we put good things into our tummies, then that'll be... makes our whole body healthy.
Including the brain as well.
Oh, you see our point? Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
And what is the top tip? It is lots of different colours, really, isn't it?
25?
In one day, we had 25. You can do it in a week.
It sounds an awful lot of work. It's much easier to get one of those boxes delivered to the doorstep, isn't it?
Is it a lot of work, ladies? No, definitely not.
So there are some hacks out there and some kind of cheats and tips and things that you can actually buy some stuff ready prepared, I guess. And a lot of the beans are going to come already in a tin or washed or whatever, aren't they?
Exactly. Those beans are already cooked. And everything about plant-based robin is showing you to do things quick and easy. If it's not quick and easy, it's not plant-based robin because we're all busy. We don't have time to do complicated cooking and meals. So, yep, that's everything.
And you're doing different courses, aren't you? This isn't the only one you do on a Saturday. You're doing different courses for different kind of diets and different seasons.
Exactly. So today's was plant-based for beginners, but I also do other cookery classes like an Italian cookery class, where everything you'll come to learn to make is Italian but plant-based. The other very, very popular class is my kimchi class. Always, always sells out. People love learning how to make a kimchi.
And what I do in that class is I teach you more about why fermentation is so good for our guts and how easy it is to eat every single day. I promise you it's easy.
People are kind of turned off by that idea though, aren't they? Not the eating every day, that's good. You've got to keep doing that. I'm no doctor, but I would advise. But it's the eating the fermented stuff that can kind of get people a little bit, doesn't sound very nice.
It's all good for your gut health though. It's feeding what's in your gut. And that again, the fermented food is great for that. So things like kimchi, kombucha, kefir, there's lots of different things like that which are all good to support your gut, which is supporting your immune system, just everything.
I mean, as Alison says about the kombucha, there's some delicious kombuchas that you can buy already made and drink, have a glass of that every single day. It's not hard.
So as the late Michael Mosley used to say, it's those little steps, isn't it? Little changes.
Exactly, just one thing.
Where are you doing these courses? Are they always here in Nutfield?
At the Nutfield Village Hall. I do them at the St John's Community Centre in Redhill. At the moment, those are the venues, but always looking for new venues. So if you're interested in a cookery class, have a look at Plant-Based Robin.
And I'm guessing you could also go into existing groups, could you, and businesses perhaps, to do a quick session at a lunchtime or for an evening group or something like that?
The two things that I do offer is a private cookery class. I actually had one this week. We had such fun. So a mom and her daughter, it was a birthday present. We learned how to cook a Buddha bowl, a nice seasonal Buddha bowl together. And after the cookery class, they sat down and had lunch together. So a private cookery class. I do it for groups of friends as well.
If you have all of your friends around. and you want to learn how to cook a specific meal, we can do that. And corporate workshops as well. So go into corporate companies, give a quick demonstration, and very easily I can show a big group of corporates how to batch cook a breakfast. Something easy to do. How to make a delicious lunch. Everything that's in your pantry and in your fridge.
Quick and easy.
What are your seasonal suggestions now?
We're going to start having a look at everything. We've got the delicious asparagus coming up. I mean, asparagus is one of my favourite vegetables. We've got all of the new fruits that are coming into season. There's so much we can do in the springtime. I love spring because if you think about it, we've come out of all the dark, gloomy months. We've also probably had a really good Christmas.
probably a really difficult January. But if you look at springtime, you've got all of the delicious foods that are starting to come. So you've got asparagus, you've got the berries coming, you've got delicious spinaches, sorrels, all of the new fruits and vegetables.
So new flavours, new colours as well. So opportunity for a bit of a detox.
Exactly. I mean, summer's coming as well. So almost through the foods and all the new foods makes me excited for even more deliciousness coming up in the summer months as well.
And that's another tip, isn't it? To eat seasonally.
And that's the best way to eat the rainbow. If you're eating what's in season, you'll always have the rainbow on your plate.
How can people get more information, Robin?
Please go to plantbasedrobin.co.uk.
Spell Robin for us.
Oh, it's always with a Y. R-O-B-Y-N. Because if it's with an I, it would be Batman's sidekick, and I'm not that.
Robin with a Y. From Reigate and Red Hill, Buckland, Betchworth and Brockham, great stories from places you love and people you know. This is the Planet Reigate podcast.
And amongst those stories over recent weeks, foxes which have been poisoned in Redhill in last week's episode, episode 72. In episode 71, top marks for a local car park which was deemed to be particularly safe and secure. That was in episode 71.
And if you're intrigued to know why local elections in Surrey could be postponed for a year, episode 70 is what you want to listen to for more on that story, which is a developing story. And we'll keep an eye on that one for you on the Planet Reigate podcast. Now, where's that new sauna? Yeah, second part of our news sequence also includes a little bit of sport in this one as well.
Yeah, that new sauna. It's a brand new traditional wood burning sauna. And did you know it's down at Buckland Park Lake? Yeah, James says we're blown away by your kindness and support. What a crazy couple of months since we launched. We've met so many lovely local folk. It's been a real pleasure sharing this beautiful space with you. So they're open Thursday daytime and evening.
And also on Saturday and Sunday as well. And what they do is 45 minute community sauna sessions. So if you're comfortable with that, and I know not everyone is, but 45 minute community sauna sessions, what that means is you share your space with up to six other people. I'm kind of guessing that if you and five mates went along, you'd have that to yourself.
Sometimes, of course, it's easier being with strangers in that kind of situation than people you know. Just a thought. Or you can have a private hire session for you and your group. And you also have access to cold plunges and a cold shower as well. Also access to the entire park, hot showers, free parking as well.
I guess you can also then pop over and have something hot and tasty in the restaurant there. saunawithsavu.co.uk sauna with and then S-A-V-U if you want some more details on that. So thanks to James for letting us know those details there. The Air Ambulance Charity, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, they're based over at the Aerodrome, of course, and they've got a new fundraising challenge.
It's called Wear Red in February. Wear Red in Feb works better. They invite schools, local communities, youth groups and businesses to join them in celebrating life-saving work. It's a simple and meaningful way to raise vital funds and awareness by wearing red any day in Feb. They say, we hope you and your loved ones never need us, but if you do, we'll be right here.
So you can get some more information, access free resource pack, games, facts, certificates, interactive videos, and every school that registers will get a Wear Red in Feb sticker as well. Probably not the one sticker, probably loads of them. And you can go to aakss.org.
so that stands for Air Ambulance Kent, Surrey, Sussex, .org.uk, and then search for Wear Red in Feb, and all the details will be there. I love this. A roundabout in Hawley is getting a makeover. It's the really large one. It's in a bit of an out-of-place residential area, so you may not know it, but it's at the intersection of Upfield and Cheney Walk.
I know there are different ways to pronounce C-H-E-Y-N-E. I'm going with Chaney. Some people, I think, probably say chain. I don't know, but I think it's Chaney. But anyway, you know where we're talking about. And if you don't, let me tell you. So if you go down the A23 Brighton Road from Redhill...
At that big roundabout there, you go down Victoria Road, right on Massets, and upfield is down there on the left. And if you go down, there's that big roundabout there. Confused? Let's take you the other way. Instead of Victoria Road, continue down the A23, turn left.
down massets upfield is of course up there on the right anyway there's a big roundabout it really is big it's a bit out of sorts really because it's in the middle of this kind of residential area if you've seen it and and it has to be said that that roundabout there's been a bit dull in the past I mean, I know roundabouts aren't supposed to be exciting, but this one certainly isn't.
Kind of just grass, a couple of trees, and then one blew down in a storm. So it wasn't going hugely well, was it? But since 2020, several people living nearby started planting spring bulbs in the green verges outside their homes. And then some of them asked Hawley Town Council if shrubs and trees could be put in the roundabout itself.
And then in 2023, Surrey's Highways Department planted four trees and 300 small whips that may one day grow into hedges. This is beginning to sound good, isn't it? So, to help wildlife, grass cutting on the roundabout was cut back, or reduced is a better phrase, isn't it? And the area got blue heart status, which means that it's kind of encouraging wildflowers and increasing biodiversity.
So, now, there's the Upfield and Cheney Walk Roundabout Residents Group, with volunteers planting bulbs and flowering plants. They got a £500 grant from Hawley Town Council. And, um... Now you can start seeing beautiful things like cowslips, English bluebells, autumn crocus, wild narcissi, red campion, oxeye daisy, knapweed, yarrow and the yellow rattle, which will slow down the growth process.
of overgrown grass as well and also add a whole load of biodiversity a whole load of colour and hopefully bees and other kind of insects going in there as well that's a great story isn't it our thanks to Ian Chandler who's the treasurer of the Upfield and Cheney Walk roundabout residence group for writing that up for us. That sounds absolutely delightful.
So if you're in that neck of the woods, just take a turn down Upfield and go and see that for yourself over the next several weeks. And hopefully we'll be blown away by what you can see. A message that they're now after Miss finalists aged 18 to 30 and Ms finalists aged 31 to 44 for Miss Great Britain Surrey 2025.
Yeah, you or someone you know could be a Miss or a Ms Surrey, which I think sounds great, doesn't it? Come on, let's have Miss or Miss Surrey from the Planet Reigate area. So Miss Surrey is taking place on Sunday the 15th of June, so that's for ages 18 to 30. And Ms Surrey, it's a bit awkward to say all that, isn't it? On the 6th of July, that's for ages 31 to 44.
No previous experience is required. No height, size, marital or parental restrictions. The prize package is pretty great too, includes a cash prize. And lucky ladies were crowned Miss or Ms Surrey. We'll go on to represent Surrey at the national finals of Miss Great Britain in October 2025 with all expenses paid. I'm loving this. MissGreatBritainSurrey at gmail.com to get an application form.
Let us know how you get on. Now, do you want one-off or limited social media help, maybe for a campaign or just an occasional top-up, perhaps creating some templates that you can use in the future? Maybe you want a few basic videos done or an audit of what you're doing at the moment on your social media accounts. It could be Facebook. It could be Insta.
Could be Twitter X, could be something else. Well, the Red Hill Business Guild had a meeting last week and Nick Ems introduced himself to me. He's got experience doing socials for places like the Mail and the Sun newspapers, but also Surrey County Council and more as well. And he's just set himself up to help local businesses with their digital content and social strategy. So if you think
OK.
Sport comes next on the Planet Reigate podcast. And before we go, at the end of the show, natural sounds from a place you know. This week, we've got the sound of a great tit, which was in full voice when I recorded him, or her, them, I should be saying. when I recorded them. And on a January afternoon in the Planet Reigate area, our Planet Reigate stars are on the way as well.
Plus next, we will be hearing about what's been going on at Reigate Golf Club and how they're preparing for the new summer season there and the changes they've been making to make sure your play is as good as, well, as good as they can help you make it be. You've got to put in the practice, haven't you?
Planet Reigate is... Bowling balls in Reigate and bowling balls in Red Hill. And this is the Planet Reigate podcast.
And we've got a few items from the Good Time Guide on the way as well on this week's edition of the Planet Reigate podcast. Don't forget to follow us on social media. We're on Facebook and TwitterX and Instagram as well. And also don't forget to listen to our past shows too. All of the details on the front page of theplanetreigatepodcast.com. And do us a favour, spread the word.
Tell your friends and your family, your acquaintances, the man next door... and also the woman the next door as well, people who you bump into in the shop. Frankly, shout it from the rooftops about the Planet Reigate podcast. OK, here's that update from Reigate Heath Golf Club.
They say the greens are performing well and remain firm despite the recent weather challenges, while the cold snap, they say, has paused grass growth temporarily. The surfaces are holding up. They say to maintain their quality and encourage recovery as soon as milder weather conditions arrive. They've adjusted mowing and rolling to prioritise their health.
And they go on to say winter projects have been turfing around the bunker tops. They hired a digger to clear and reshape bunkers, upgrade drainage and add sand where needed. The left bunker on the 7th will also be reshaped and enlarged. and plans are underway to build up the bank to the right of the 8th Green. You probably know that well.
And the 14th Tee irrigation, with new drains to manage water runoff, is also something they've been getting on with as well.
The Good Time Guide. Things to do and places to go on the Planet Reigate podcast.
So if you would like some items mentioned in the Good Time Guide, then drop me a line. Hello at theplanetreigatepodcast.com. Gatton Park says their park and gardens are shaping up nicely for the start of the snowdrop season in a couple of weeks. They're open every Sunday in February to view a lovely show of snowdrops, winter aconites... Is that right, Aconites?
Crocus, I know, and other early flowers. Gattenhall Tea Room will be open for refreshments as well. And in mythology, I've done a little bit of research into this, about what snowdrops kind of signify. In mythology, the snowdrop is viewed as a symbol of hope. For better times ahead. And frankly, I think we could all do with that, couldn't we?
You'll find them nestled among the flowering hellebores. I know that one. And other winter plants to create a lovely show. So snowdrops and the open days there. Our friends at Gatton Park. 260 acres of stunning parkland and gardens. You can walk among the snowdrops and other early flowers. They've got guided tours. They've got the tea rooms as well.
Every Sunday afternoon in February between 12 and 5. Make sure you wrap up warm though, wouldn't you? And also I can tell you about... Collect a free tree from Hawley Library. It wasn't supposed to rhyme, but it kind of worked out doing that.
In support of Surrey County Council's 1.2 million tree strategy to plant one tree for every Surrey resident by 2030, Surrey Libraries are pleased to be giving away free trees on Saturday the 8th of February. I think earlier on I said that it was this weekend. It's not. It's next weekend, isn't it? Hawley Library, 9.30 till 12, Saturday the 8th of February.
The trees are native, broad-leaved species and come with a stake and a tie, ready for garden planting. And they'll also give you a leaflet with all the information about how to plant and care for your tree to give it the very best start in its new home, wherever that will be. Available on a first-come, first-served basis. Hawley Library, Saturday the 8th, 9.30 to 12.
Woodlands Lettings. Connecting landlords with tenants for over 20 years. If you have a property to let, pop into our office on Station Road by the Belfry Main entrance for a coffee and a chat. Or call 01737 372797. Planet Rygate Stars. Thanking local heroes who are out of this world.
And don't forget, if you need any audio produced for your group or business, from a podcast to an on-hold message, from a video voiceover to someone to host an awards ceremony, get in touch with me, Peter Stewart. Hello at theplanetreigatepodcast.com. This week's Planet Reigate Star Award goes to someone from a local school. This from Marianne.
A big shout out to the young Carrington child on a bus 100 after school who got off at Salford's. He kindly offered to give up his seat to a dad holding a young child who was having a meltdown. Marion, thanks for the tip off. This Planet Reigate Star Award goes to that young lad on the 100 bus.
The 60 Second Soundscape. Local natural sounds uninterrupted.
Before we go, at the end of the show, natural sounds from a place you know. This week, Great Tit. At Old Park Wood near Brockham on a January afternoon.
The Planet Reigate podcast was produced and presented by Peter Stewart.