Peter Stewart

With a bit of planning, there should be enough cider, or juice, for those doing the pouring as well. Bring pots, pans, and sticks. We need to make as much noise as we can to scare away the evil spirits. The wassail chant will help, and of course, lots of merriment, music, and more mulled cider.

With a bit of planning, there should be enough cider, or juice, for those doing the pouring as well. Bring pots, pans, and sticks. We need to make as much noise as we can to scare away the evil spirits. The wassail chant will help, and of course, lots of merriment, music, and more mulled cider.

Dress warm and wild, top hats, funny clothes encourage, children especially welcome, no charge, more details, re-betchworth.org. I'd love to go along, but unfortunately I can't, and I said that I would when they first told me about it about six months ago, but something else has cropped up. So it's very unfortunate, but hopefully, well, I'll tell you what, let's put it in the diary for 2026.

Dress warm and wild, top hats, funny clothes encourage, children especially welcome, no charge, more details, re-betchworth.org. I'd love to go along, but unfortunately I can't, and I said that I would when they first told me about it about six months ago, but something else has cropped up. So it's very unfortunate, but hopefully, well, I'll tell you what, let's put it in the diary for 2026.

But you can put it in your diary for 2025. More specifically, the 18th of January at 4.30. And that postcode again, RH37FH. The Belfry Shopping Centre in Redhill has been given the Certificate of Appreciation from Parkmark for continually meeting standards set by their safer parking scheme. It means they've got a really safe car park.

But you can put it in your diary for 2025. More specifically, the 18th of January at 4.30. And that postcode again, RH37FH. The Belfry Shopping Centre in Redhill has been given the Certificate of Appreciation from Parkmark for continually meeting standards set by their safer parking scheme. It means they've got a really safe car park.

It means their standards for reducing crime and the fear of crime, as well as ensuring facilities, offer the very best experience. So congratulations to them. Restoration work has started on the parish pump. This is the parish pump we're talking about actually in Charlwood.

It means their standards for reducing crime and the fear of crime, as well as ensuring facilities, offer the very best experience. So congratulations to them. Restoration work has started on the parish pump. This is the parish pump we're talking about actually in Charlwood.

So I don't know whether you know where that is or maybe you've seen it, but when the experts took a look at it in late November, it was found to be in a much worse state than was previously thought. The pump spout and handle had been broken for several years, but was once the centre of village life for hundreds of years. Before that, the village had no mains water until 1897.

So I don't know whether you know where that is or maybe you've seen it, but when the experts took a look at it in late November, it was found to be in a much worse state than was previously thought. The pump spout and handle had been broken for several years, but was once the centre of village life for hundreds of years. Before that, the village had no mains water until 1897.

However, it's not proposed to make it work again, so don't go down with your pail expecting to fill it, unless we have a problem with the water company again. And according to the information I've got, the brickwork was very unstable around the parish pump. And when it was being dismantled, the bricks were numbered as they were removed so they could be put back correctly.

However, it's not proposed to make it work again, so don't go down with your pail expecting to fill it, unless we have a problem with the water company again. And according to the information I've got, the brickwork was very unstable around the parish pump. And when it was being dismantled, the bricks were numbered as they were removed so they could be put back correctly.

All of the rotten wood inside has been removed, as was the old metalwork. Once the new internal metal structure, the handle and the spout, had been made, it was secured in place with cement at the bottom of the pump to hold everything in place. The idea is that that will help keep the structure stable because the cement will seep into the bricks but won't be seen.

All of the rotten wood inside has been removed, as was the old metalwork. Once the new internal metal structure, the handle and the spout, had been made, it was secured in place with cement at the bottom of the pump to hold everything in place. The idea is that that will help keep the structure stable because the cement will seep into the bricks but won't be seen.

The pump was braced to keep it upright until the cement has set before the original brickwork was put back into place. It sounds quite a job, doesn't it? But I've seen the photographs and it looks absolutely fantastic. Replacing the bricks once the cement has been set. has been done by Phil McCollough, who was born and bred in Charlewood.

The pump was braced to keep it upright until the cement has set before the original brickwork was put back into place. It sounds quite a job, doesn't it? But I've seen the photographs and it looks absolutely fantastic. Replacing the bricks once the cement has been set. has been done by Phil McCollough, who was born and bred in Charlewood.

Phil was very pleased to be asked to do the restoration, so congratulations to Phil there. And the final touches will be on the repointing, and then once complete, we'll have the village pump looking like new. So doesn't that sound fantastic? It really does look very, very smart indeed. So why don't you get that down there?

Phil was very pleased to be asked to do the restoration, so congratulations to Phil there. And the final touches will be on the repointing, and then once complete, we'll have the village pump looking like new. So doesn't that sound fantastic? It really does look very, very smart indeed. So why don't you get that down there?

If you're in that neck of the woods of Charlewood, go and see the parish pump, and I've got that information from... the parish pump magazine appropriately enough and if you would like to get your copy of that charlwoodparishmag at gmail.com and my grateful thanks to the editors of that for letting me read out the details and encouraging you to subscribe to the charlwood parish pump magazine

If you're in that neck of the woods of Charlewood, go and see the parish pump, and I've got that information from... the parish pump magazine appropriately enough and if you would like to get your copy of that charlwoodparishmag at gmail.com and my grateful thanks to the editors of that for letting me read out the details and encouraging you to subscribe to the charlwood parish pump magazine