Latest news with #WaverleyBoroughCouncil
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
New bus service launches for Farnham medical appointments
A new door-to-door transport service has been launched in Farnham, with the aim of making it easier for local residents to attend medical appointments."Hospital hoppa for Farnham" is a community transport initiative helping people get from their home to a wide range of hospitals, health centres and GP surgeries between Farnham, Frimley and service is available in many surrounding villages, including including Badshot Lea, Upper Hale and who wish to use the service will need to register on the Hoppa website for the first time they wish to travel. The service has been made possible thanks to funding from several parties, including Farnham Town Council and Waverley Borough Council. The service will run for an initial six-month added passengers can travel to Frimley Park Hospital, Farnham Hospital, the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, Local GP surgeries or any other healthcare facility between Farnham and Guildford/Frimley.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Golden beach an hour from London starred in famous film but is miles from the sea
Nestled between Farnham and Hindhead in Surrey, Frensham Great Pond is just an hour and a half drive away from London and has golden sands despite not being near the sea Just a stone's throw from London lies an idyllic sandy beach that has featured on the big screen – but interestingly, it lies nowhere near the sea. It's easy to forget that you don't need to travel all the way to the coast to enjoy a brilliant beach day – especially as the weather continues to heat up. Instead, you can make your way to Frensham Great Pond in Surrey. The Green Flag award-winning site boasts excellent water quality and soft yellow sands. Located between Farnham and Hindhead, Frensham Great Pond is just an hour and a half drive away from London. This makes it the perfect daytrip spot for anyone around the area. While the pond is a popular spot for families during bouts of warm weather, there are times when the pond quiets down and you can enjoy a much more peaceful swim. As reported by The Sun, one swimmer wrote on Facebook: "Cracking swim at the famous Frensham Ponds in Surrey. Had the whole place to ourselves, bliss!" Another described it as a "lovely place for a stroll.' They also said that the pond was 'ideal for families' going for a swim. The pond is part of the larger Frensham Common, which is about a thousand acres, and which includes Frensham Little Pond. It is owned and managed by the National Trust and Waverley Borough Council. Both ponds were built in the Middle Ages under the direction of the Bishop of Winchester William de Raleigh, in order to provide fish for his visits to Farnham Castle. Frensham Little Pond was also used as a tank training ground during World War II, after it was drained. The pond was then acquired by Mr Atherton in 1949, who had it refilled, before giving it to the National Trust 1974. It's also a hotspot for wildlife lovers. Frensham Common is one of only two sites in Surrey where you can find all six of the UK's native reptiles: the smooth snake, grass snake, adder, sand lizard, common lizard and the slow-worm. Occasionally, Blue-Green Algae can be found during summer months. In this case, a sign will go up to warn swimmers about entering the pond. Frensham Pond also has an extensive star-studded legacy. One of its most notable appearances was in the 1999 film, The Mummy, for a Nile scene. The pond also stole the limelight in Snow White and the Huntsman when it was used to depict a fishing village. The cast included Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth. It's also been used as a backdrop in several TV series, including the 1960s Carry On Jack. The popular series, The Witcher, starring Henry Caville, also includes Frensham. Meanwhile, Frensham Little Pond made an appearance in the Netflix series, Cursed. There, it was used to portray Nimue's home village.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Waverley parks and open spaces honoured in Green Flag Awards
A total of 11 council-managed parks and green spaces in an area of Surrey have been honoured by an international award scheme. The sites in the Waverley area have received Green Flag Awards, marking them as some of the finest in the Park has, once again, also received Green Heritage Site Accreditation, recognizing its "exceptional management of historic features".Steve Williams, Waverley Borough Council's portfolio holder for environment and sustainability, said the awards were "a testament to our dedicated parks and countryside team". Parks on the award list in addition to Farnham are Broadwater Park and Phillips Memorial Park in spaces honoured were Badshot Lea Pond and Orchard, Bealeswood Common in Dockenfield, Blackheath Common near Albury, Frensham Common, Lammas Lands in Godalming, Mare Hill near Witley, Summerlands Estate in Cranleigh and Weybourne Nature Green Flag Award Scheme is managed by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local sets the benchmark for the management of green spaces across the UK and Williams said: "I do hope our residents get out and enjoy some of our beautiful greenspaces this summer."
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Waverley Council approves £650k Cranleigh skate park plans
A "much-needed" new skate park is to be built in a Surrey after a local authority backed spending nearly £650,000 in developer money on the Borough Council unanimously approved the plans to replace the current out-dated facility in Cranleigh Leisure Centre at a meeting on new funding will be used to purchase land for the skate park as well as its Borough Council portfolio holder for planning Liz Townsend said the skate park had been "long anticipated and will be a much-needed and necessary upgrade". She added the park would be an "important addition to recreational facilities in Cranleigh and the surrounding villages which have experienced significant development over the past few years".Planning permission was given in March 2025 to replace the leisure centre, including tearing down the old skate details surrounding the project are still being kept confidential – including where it will be built, according to the Local Democracy Reporting project will be fully funded by contributions from developers through Section 106 funding and money from the Community Infrastructure Townsend added: "There is a huge amount of interest in the project already and its design."There are some extremely enthusiastic future users of this facility."The new skate park represents a fantastic opportunity to build a new and existing community space on a new site."Leader of the opposition Jane Austin added the new skate park was "really great for Cranleigh".
ITV News
13-07-2025
- Climate
- ITV News
Firefighters tackle large blaze at Surrey nature reserve
The fire was captured by Laura Watts. Firefighters have been tackling a large blaze at a nature reserve in Surrey, as temperatures remain high across the south. Surrey Fire & Rescue Service reported 16 fire engines at the scene on Hankley Common, in Thursley, in a post on X on Saturday evening, July 12th. The heathland, part of a SSSI nature reserve, is home to rare lizards and ground-nesting birds. In a Facebook post on Sunday, Cllr Phoebe Sullivan from Waverley Borough Council said the fire had now been contained, but crews were still monitoring the situation. The fire service said about eight hectares (20 acres) of woodland and heathland was affected and advised local people to avoid the area and to close windows and doors. In 2022 a devastating fire in the area prompted a major incident and the evacuation of more than 20 homes. The Common is used as an army training area, and has been used as a film set, including for the James Bond film Skyfall. The latest heatwave has led to hosepipe bans being brought in across parts of the country, with temperatures set to remain high on Sunday. Temperatures are forecast to dip marginally compared to yesterday with possible highs of 31C, before Monday brings some relief from the baking heat. South East Water said demand for drinking water had reached "record levels since May" and announced impending restrictions which will mean customers in Kent and Sussex are banned from using a hosepipe to water gardens and plants, clean vehicles, fill swimming pools or ponds or clean paths, walls or windows from July 18. Met Office meteorologist Kathryn Chalk said: "While we've seen the peak of the heat in this heatwave through today it's still going to be very warm on Sunday before turning cooler for many of us on Monday.
