Egham Royal Show - a great success

After a week of near-torrential rain and blowing winds, the sun finally came out over during the course of the weekend for the Egham Royal Show!  Congratulations - and thank you - to everyone involved in making the show such a success. 

Despite the show being effected by the livestock movement ban imposed after the Foot and Mouth outbreak, the event was still extremely well attended by local businesses and families.  The exhibits ranged from arts and crafts to junior Hell’s Angels, base-jumping pyromaniacs to an excellent beer tent laid on by the Monkey’s Forehead.

I was delighted, along with many other councillors including my colleagues from Englefield Green Marisa Heath and Hugh Meares (the Mayor of Runnymede) and our MEP Nirj Deva, to be a guest at the President’s lunch this afternoon. 

Thank you also to all the businesses - especially Procter & Gamble - whose generous contributions helped the show go ahead.  If you’re interested in sponsorship opportunities or taking a pitch next year’s show - the 150th anniversary - please get in touch with Nick Wood-Dow at nwd@chelgate.com or on 01784 464533.

Egham Royal Show - this weekend

The 149th Egham Royal Show will be taking place this weekend at Mrs Caddy’s Field, Whitehall Lane.  Adult tickets are priced at £6 per ticket, children under 14 are £3 and those under the age of five are free.

For more information about the show, please visit http://www.eghamroyalshow.org.uk/.

New Waitrose store on the way!

I have just returned home from a special meeting of the Economic Development committee at which a resolution was passed to initiate the process of bringing a new Waitrose store and fifty-six bed hotel to Egham on the site of the Precinct Car Park. 

I am proud to say that, along with every other councillor from both the Conservative and Independent groups, I voted in favour of the proposal.

Whilst there will be a temporary reduction in the number of available parking spaces in Egham during the eighteen month period in which construction is taking place, the development will include an underground car park with 160 spaces, an increase on the present 93 spaces in the Precinct.  New public toilets will also be available at the front of the development as well as a new bus stop and pedestrian link to the High Street.

Not only will the Waitrose store and hotel bring scores of new jobs to the local area, it will also regenerate what is at present an extremely visually-unappealing part of Egham and be extremely convenient facility for the residents of Englefield Green who at present have to travel miles to the nearest quality supermarket.

The proposal will now go forward to the Planning Committee for approval.

Welcome to my blog

I’ve decided to follow the example of many other councillors around the country and start a blog to keep the people of Englefield Green East up-to-date with my work on the Council. 

I aim to update these pages regularly with information about news and developments of interest to the village and the Borough in general. 

In the weeks ahead, please do let me know if you have any comments/questions about this blog.