Welcome to the June edition of the Caterham and District Independent.
It’s been a wet and windy May, and as we go to print just before half-term I’m keeping my fingers crossed the weather will improve enough to let us get out and explore when the kids are off school. At least pubs, cafes and restaurants are now allowed to seat us inside, so no more huddling under umbrellas in the rain!
My team and I had the pleasure of attending the relaunch of Warlingham’s Chez Vouz restaurant recently, and sampling a few tasters from their new menu. Have a look in the paper this month for a few local reviews including Naz Dining. Live entertainment has also been key in recent weeks and in this month’s paper we have featured both The Fox, Caterham on the Hill (Vintage Inns) and Hever Castle. Do read our features about both places and I am extremely excited about collaborating with Hever Castle’s, The Festival Theatre, this summer. We have a fantastic competition, which will be launching later this month, so do stay tuned to our socials.
It’s not just food places which have let people inside again, other Tandridge businesses have been opening up too. Beach cafe and soft play in Caterham was finally able to celebrate its refurb, after having to reschedule it several times since March of last year. East Surrey Museum welcomed visitors again on 19 May, with its fantastic exhibition celebrating 150 years of St Lawrence’s Hospital.
As far as days out go: Godstone Farm has just unveiled its new dinosaur trail, ‘The World of Dinosaur Roar!’, which features seven life size models for children to discover along the route. My youngest can’t wait to try it out! You can find out more on the Farm’s website.
I also need to tell you about our new ‘Meet the Caterham Independent Team’ initiative. On Friday 2 July we want to get to know our readers, and hopefully introduce a few new people to the paper as well. We’ll be out in the streets of Caterham and Oxted, with copies of that month’s paper hot off the press. We’ll put the times we’ll be there on our social media soon – so if you’re out in either of the towns on that day, and you see us in our CI t-shirts, please pop over and say hello. We’ll have some CI goodies to give away, as well, and a competition you can enter, with a fab prize from a local company too!
(We’re planning similar events in lots of other Tandridge areas soon, so keep an eye out for them.)
1-7 June is Volunteers’ Week. Reporter Rosalind Brookman has been speaking to organisations in Tandridge who rely on the kind heartedness of local residents to help others. Many people said that volunteering had also helped them through tough times, as well as helping the people they had enlisted to help. The article includes contact details for all of the organisations mentioned, in case you have some time to spare!
It’s been such a topsy-turvy year, and so many people’s lives have changed in ways we could never have predicted. As we head into what will hopefully be a warm and happy summer (can you believe that we are already nearly at the year’s longest day, on Monday 21 June?!).
I’ll leave you with a quote from American author Leigh Hershkovich, about appreciating what we have, while we have it:
“In the rush of life, it is quite easy to forget what's important. As cliché as this is, it's easy to take life for granted when you don't have time to focus properly. It is only when life diverts from the 'plan' that we suddenly take time to see what is really important.”
Have a great month and don’t forget our running summer competition! Send us your photos. Where do you read yours?
