Society News Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Surrey Hills National Landscape

Surrey Hills Enterprises’ 10th Anniversary celebrated in style at Fetcham Park

Posted on June 22, 2022 | by Maggie Howell | Leave a Comment

A special event was held last night (21 June) at the Grade II listed Fetcham Park, Surrey to mark the 10^th anniversary of Community Interest Company Surrey Hills Enterprises and to celebrate the outstanding successes of some of the very best local Surrey Hills’ businesses.

Surrey Hills Enterprises was founded 10 years ago this month to work with local businesses to support the rural economy and promote, protect and enhance the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and, a decade on, continues to go from strength to strength today.

Simon Whalley, Chairman of Surrey Hills Enterprises (c) Sian T. Photography

Joined by a personally-invited array of current members, corporate partners, trustees and a number of VIP invitees, guests were officially welcomed to the anniversary event held at the Queen Anne mansion by Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Michael More-Molyneux, Simon Whalley, Chairman, and Wendy Varcoe MBE, Executive Director of Surrey Hills Enterprises and Sandra and Malcolm Young, owners of Fetcham Park.

With welcome cocktails served by Binary Botanical, sustainably-made beer brewed from waste bread provided by Crumbs Brewing and espresso martinis from Chimney Fire Coffee and Silent Pool, the evening offered the chance for local business people to meet, network and celebrate, moving from the Great Hall to the Salon.

10th Anniversary — binary botanical serving Surrey Hills cocktails (c) Sian T. Photography

Commenting on the special anniversary event, Michael More-Molyneux, Lord Lieutenant of Surrey and Patron of Surrey Hills Enterprises, said:

“I applaud Surrey Hills Enterprises on reaching this pivotal milestone and for their ongoing work in supporting Surrey Hills’ businesses and the wider economy and landscape. Now, more than ever, it is essential that we recognise the commitment of Surrey’s small businesses and their key efforts in working towards a more sustainable future for the region.”

The theme of delicious Surrey Hills’ refreshments provided by local producers and businesses continued with a selection of canapes using local produce offered by Lavender Catering, Samosas from Mandira’s Kitchen, Surrey Hills sparkling wine served by Albury Organic Vineyard, coffee provided by Chimney Fire Coffee, and dessert in the form of Moooh! Ice Cream served from a vintage ice cream bicycle.

Sandra Young, director and owner of Fetcham Park congratulated Surrey Hills Enterprises saying:

“Fetcham Park has been home to many small and new businesses over the past 23 years and we are delighted to see many thrive and grow into significant national players. Several of our clients are working in leading edge technologies, both nationally and internationally. Working with Surrey Hills Enterprises complements Fetcham Park’s ethos of supporting the diverse and dynamic organisations based in our well-connected county, amplifying the message that Surrey is a vibrant place to do business.”

As part of the landmark event, Surrey Hills Enterprises presented three special businesses and individuals with the coveted Gold Trade Mark Awards 2022. Introduced and presented by Michael More-Molyneux, Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, the Gold Trade Mark Awards were bestowed in recognition of the winners particularly excelling in their dedication towards improving environmental sustainability, the inspiration they provide to others and their collaboration and connection with other Surrey Hills Enterprises members and their local community.

The first award was presented to Founder of Plant Passion, Claire Brown. Based in East Clandon, Plant Passion grows beautiful, seasonal sustainable flowers that are sold locally to florists, for events, and as bunches and bouquets. Seasonal, scented and sustainable, all blooms are of the very highest quality and grown on the flower farm at the heart of the Surrey Hills, ensuring they are the best and most sustainable English cut flowers, something that Plant Passion prides themselves on.

Mandira Sarkar at Mandira’s Kitchen received the second Gold Trade Mark Award 2022.

Producing award-winning Indian meals from a beautiful location alongside the Silent Pool in Albury, Mandira’s Kitchen dishes are handmade in small batches using fresh produce, family traditions and lots of love.

They can be purchased on site or delivered directly to customers’ homes, with meals containing no preservatives and frozen to keep the flavour and goodness intact.

Martin Bamford, CEO of Bear Content, a content production agency working with small businesses in the Surrey Hills and beyond to create video, blog and podcast content marketing, was the third and final awardee. The first time that a Gold Trade Mark has been bestowed on an individual, Martin received the award in recognition of his commitment and the time he gives to Surrey Hills and the local community in Cranleigh, as well as his inspiration to others.

Simon Whalley, Chairman of Surrey Hills Enterprises congratulated the three winners on their Gold Trade Mark Awards, saying:

“The Gold Trade Mark Award was created to recognise excellence in environmental sustainability as well as support for the Surrey Hills and other local businesses and it is clear that all three of this year’s winners exemplify this and more. We are very proud to have Plant Passion, Mandira’s Kitchen and Martin Bamford as pivotal Surrey Hills Enterprises’ members and wholeheartedly congratulate them on this achievement. We wish them ongoing good fortune for the future.”

The evening culminated in a toast to Surrey Hills Enterprises and its members led by High Sheriff of Surrey, Christopher Critchlow, inviting guests to look forward in anticipation of the next 10 years of success.

For more information about membership and the work of Surrey Hills Enterprises, visit: www.surreyhillsenterprises.co.uk.

Making Space for Nature Art Exhibition

Posted on April 12, 2022 | by Caroline | Leave a Comment

The Surrey Hills National Landscape is delighted to host an exhibition of 30 illustrations of Surrey Hills indicator species at Leith Hill Place, in response to their Making Space for Nature project. These 30 original artworks were specially commissioned by Surrey Hills Society and funded by Surrey Hills Trust Fund.

These beautifully detailed and keenly observed illustrations in acrylic and ink were conceived to support visual interpretation for the Making Space for Nature project. They have all been created by an artist as part of a prisoner rehabilitation programme. We are absolutely delighted that the National Trust has offered to display the originals, which we eventually hope to sell to raise funds towards the Society’s charitable purposes of promoting the positive enjoyment and care of the Surrey Hills National Landscape.
Gordon Jackson, Chair of Surrey Hills Society and Surrey Hills Trust Fund

The 30 illustrations are directly inspired by the Surrey Hills Nature Recovery Strategy, a collaborative document with farmers and landowners designed to develop an approach to nature recovery. Seven habitats were identified, and each species is an indicator of a healthy habitat and in turn raises awareness of the essential conservation and protection of the homes of these animals, flora and fauna. Whilst some species depicted in the illustrations, such as the Water Vole and Turtle Dove, are not currently present within the Surrey Hills, it is hoped that habitat creation and enhancement, combined with targeted conservation action, may encourage these species to increase their current ranges. For those that are present, conservation projects within the Surrey Hills are critical to manage essential habitats and support both an increase in abundance and biodiversity.

The Making Space for Nature project promotes education, awareness, and a sense of purpose in the landscape. The aim is to encourage community support, connection to nature and inspire efforts towards the protection needed for these species to prosper. The Surrey Hills has helped to enhance these rich habitats through projects such as the 7.5km of native hedgerow planted over the past winter, which will create dynamic environments for species such as the Turtle Dove, Barn Owl, Brown Hairstreak Butterfly and Hazel Dormouse. These projects are made possible through collaborative farming and landowner groups funded by the Farming in Protected Landscapes grant and fantastic volunteer efforts delivered by Surrey Hills Society.

The opportunity to exhibit these illustrations at Leith Hill Place will powerfully enhance and impact the experience of viewing these artworks for those who visit. This evocative National Trust property was the childhood home of Ralph Vaughan Williams, composer of the pastoral masterpiece The Lark Ascending, which pays homage to our Skylark illustration, one of the species exhibited. Vaughan Williams’ great uncle, the famous naturalist Charles Darwin, visited Leith Hill Place frequently and conducted experiments in the grounds.

We are so pleased to host this exhibition for so many reasons. We at the National Trust are always looking at ways to engage new audiences and potential supporters of our natural and built heritage. It is after all being protected for everyone to enjoy. Our strategic ambitions of restoring a healthy and beautiful natural environment can only be achieved if we work across landscapes and with partner organisations, landowners, farmers and leisure users to come together under shared goals. The Making Space for Nature project is a wonderful example of these shared ambitions.
Stephanie Fudge, General Manager of the Surrey Hills for the National Trust

The exhibition is open to the public now and is included with the purchase of an entry ticket to Leith Hill Place, free for National Trust Members. It will continue to be on display at Leith Hill Place until the autumn. Leith Hill Place is open Friday to Sunday 11am – 16.30pm.

Surrey Hills celebrates National Tree Planting Day

Posted on March 11, 2022 | by Emma

Surrey Hills thanks the hundreds of community volunteers planting 13,500 trees for the Queen’s Green Canopy in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty This winter, Surrey Hills Society have worked with 300 volunteers from a diverse range of communities to support the planting of over 2km of native hedgerow and 1000 woodland trees in the Surrey Hills. This engages with the unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, which is inviting people to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee” in aid of The Queen’s Green Canopy. This 2km of hedgerow forms part of the 7.5km being planting in the Surrey Hills through collaborative land manager groups funding by the Surrey Hills Farming in Protected Landscapes fund (FiPL). The trees that have been planted are a mixture of native species including hawthorn, field maple and hazel which create essential wildlife corridors and habitat for a wide variety of species such as the hazel dormouse, brown hairstreak butterfly and turtle dove.

“Thank you to all those who have given up their time to be involved in our tree planting efforts. Surrey Hills Society have engaged with members of the community, secondary school students, corporate staff teams and members of the Surrey Choices Growth Team, who all have the common aim of wanting to contribute positively to the environment. It has been wonderful to witness the enjoyment of volunteers, in learning more about both the environment and each other, as well as experiencing the benefit of being outside.” Gordon Jackson, Chair of Surrey Hills Society and Surrey Hills Trust Fund

The Surrey Choices Growth Team in partnership with Surrey Hills Society are funded by FiPL to work one day a week at Newlands Corner, helping to manage access for people and improve habitat for nature as part of the Surrey Hills Conservation Volunteers programme. In February, the Surrey Hills was delighted to host The Rt Hon Lord Benyon, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Rural Affairs, Access to Nature and Biosecurity) who visited the Surrey Hills Conservation Volunteers to view the excellent progress that they have made with removing invasive scrub from the chalk grassland, a habitat which is internationally important for its rarity and species richness.

Over the last few months, a huge variety of volunteer days have taken place in the Surrey Hills. This includes the first Surrey Hills Corporate Champions tree planting day with Allianz Insurance, a partnership between Surrey Hills Enterprises and Surrey Hills Society. The Allianz Tree Planting Day was held on Friday 25 February at Knowle Park in Cranleigh and saw 1,000 trees and shrubs planted. These essential efforts to help support biodiversity and conservation could not be possible without the engagement from farmers, landowners and volunteers. Angus Stovold of Lydling Farm, comments on the fantastic community work that has been undertaken to help plant trees on the farm;

I knew the local community was interested in our conservation work but we were blown away by the enthusiasm and help they gave willingly. It has made our decisions to continue at a pace much easier to fully integrate our farming with nature recovery.

The support of local Members of Parliament (MPs) has also been invaluable. On Friday 11 March, which was National Tree Planting Day, a group of Surrey MPs attended Lydling Farm, Shackleford to play their part in planting native hedgerow in the Surrey Hills.

I was delighted to be invited to Lydling Farm in the Surrey Hills to participate in some tree planting in aid of The Queen’s Green Canopy. The astonishing efforts made by the Surrey Hills, farmers, landowners and their community volunteers will create a legacy of essential habitat for rare and vulnerable species for years to come. Angela Richardson, Member of Parliament for Guildford

Earl of Wessex presents Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

Posted on November 11, 2019 | by Caroline | Leave a Comment

The Earl of Wessex KG GCVO visited the Surrey Hills last week to present The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) to the Surrey Hills Society.

The presentation took place at Albury Saxon Church where he was met by over 40 Surrey Hills Society volunteers. He spent time talking to the volunteers about the work that they do to promote and protect the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. He also heard about the Heritage Lottery funded Tales of the Tillingbourne project, which sought to encourage local communities along the valley of the River Tillingbourne to engage in the unique and beautiful landscape by researching its industries, promoting heritage trails, capturing local knowledge through oral histories, and monitoring and recording the ecology of the river. Part of the legacy of the project is a permanent display at Shere Museum that includes 7 puppets.

The Earl was shown a short play by Nick White entitled “Tales of the Wey”, which the Society hopes to develop as part of a sequel to the Tales of the Tillingbourne Project.

His Royal Highness was also presented with two books. One entitled, “Our Changing Landscape”, written and researched by Society Vice President Ken Bare, tells how the Surrey Hills AONB came into being 60 years ago and how the area has changed since. The other “Walks for All Ages” was written by the Society’s other Vice President, Christine Howard and features 20 Surrey Walks ranging from 2 to 6 miles long.

The Earl then presented Society Chairman Gordon Jackson with the Queen’s Award for “encouraging people to explore and learn about the special qualities of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”. The Queen’s Award is the highest honour given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work done in their own communities and was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of HM The Queen’s coronation.

Gordon Jackson, Chairman of the Society, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to receive this Award, which recognises the huge voluntary contribution this relatively young charity has made to the Surrey Hills. It was particularly fitting that the presentation was held in Albury Old Saxon Church in the heart of the Surrey Hills and I would like to thank the Friends of Albury Saxon Church for facilitating this. I am so pleased that our volunteers have been given the recognition they deserve and we look forward to continuing to promote the iconic and distinctive landscape of the Surrey Hills and to help discover and conserve our Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.’

For further information on the Surrey Hills Society visit; www.surreyhillssociety.org

Surrey Hills Society receives The Queens Award

Posted on June 3, 2019 | by Caroline | Leave a Comment

More than 70 Surrey Hills Society volunteers have been recognised for their outstanding contributions in support of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), as a result of the Surrey Hills Society receiving The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, which is the equivalent of an MBE for volunteer groups.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work done in their own communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of The Queen’s coronation.

Surrey Hills Society volunteers promote this special protected landscape in many different ways, ranging from:
• Manning our stall at local shows across the county, handing out free walks leaflets and showcasing the special attractions of the area
• Giving talks to other groups and organisations
• Running events to educate our members and residents about the area
• Leading free walks across the county
• Supporting and promoting the work of other related charities

Our volunteers share their passion for everything to do with the Surrey Hills – from its wonderful flora and fauna and rare habitats to its unique culture and heritage, as well as its leisure opportunities. They also collaborate with other organisations across the Surrey Hills to raise funds for agreed worthwhile projects within the area, which benefits both wildlife and the residents of Surrey.

Representing all the award-winning volunteers, former Vice Chairman, Ken Bare and his wife Angela Hume, who is also a volunteer with the Surrey Hills, attended a Royal garden party at Buckingham Palace recently to celebrate the charity’s success. Along with Chris Howard, Ken is probably the most well-known volunteer with the Society, as he has been the lead at shows and fetes across Surrey for the last ten years and is also the main public speaker for the talks programme that is delivered to a variety of organisations across the south east.

Ken said: ‘It was such a privilege to be invited to Buckingham Palace. Being a representative for all the volunteers across the Surrey Hills was a great honour. It was a wonderful occasion and we were lucky enough to have a beautiful sunny day to enjoy the magnificent garden at its best.

Meanwhile all volunteers from the charity will be celebrating later this summer, when the Surrey Hills Society will be presented with the award by Michael More-Molyneux, Lord Lieutenant of Surrey

Gordon Jackson, Chairman of the Society, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to receive this award, which recognises the huge voluntary contribution this relatively young charity has made to this county. I am so pleased that our volunteers have been given the recognition that they deserve and we look forward to continuing to promote the iconic and distinctive landscape of the Surrey Hills and to help discover and conserve our Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Current Vice President, Chris Howard, who was Chairman of the Society for seven years and stood down only last year said ‘We hope our volunteers feel extremely proud of the recognition that this award represents. They have all been so wonderful to work with and many have become my dearest friends’. Chris added: ‘I would recommend volunteering with the Surrey Hills Society to anyone who shares a passion for the Surrey Hills’ unique landscape and wants to learn more about this wonderful countryside on their doorstep.’

To find out more about the work of the Surrey Hills Society click here.