Tandridge Independent

Tandridge Independent

  • Joined: 2 June 2023
  • Articles: 935

The Westway Centre – Integral support during the Crisis

October 1st 2019 saw ‘The Douglas Brunton Centre’ finally become ‘The Westway Community Cafe and Wellbeing Centre’ thanks to local residents who together worked to prevent it’s closure. It provides an array of activities, events, facilities and wellbeing services such as hair styling, podiatry, group exercise and art classes (within a safe and welcoming environment) to Caterham residents aged 55 and over and has proved to be an essential hub during lockdown. It also provides transport for residents of Caterham and the surrounding areas who need assistance with mobility via the Dial-a-Ride service. For some it has also become integral in helping with social isolation, loneliness and helping with both mental wellbeing and physical health.
The Four Parishes Hub assists the community in the Four Parishes of Caterham on the Hill, Caterham Valley, Chaldon and Whyteleafe and has aided the Covid-19 outbreak with the introduction of cookery and IT skills through to telephony, working closely with Tandridge Council in supplying and passing on information and directing people to links or contacts for problems or enquiries.
The centre are incredibly proud of its volunteers who through the lockdown have helped immensely by regularly contacting those who are isolating. Many local residents have needed a friendly voice to comfort any worries or issues they may have about the crisis. Volunteers have also helped those not able to leave their homes to obtain essential supplies such as prescriptions, medical supplies and shopping which often includes specialist dietary items. Some residents have had to cope with bereavement, deterioration of mental capacity and of course the closure of social clubs and societies which were previously fundamental to their daily schedule and routine. The voice at the end of a telephone talking to them has helped them cope with the immense change which the lockdown has created within their lives.
The volunteer team has to date, raised £11,000 which supports community transport for the delivery of shopping, prescriptions and visits to the GP. It also supports the provision of telephone support to people with concerns or who are feeling lonely and vulnerable and gives professional help and training to volunteers with the handling of referrals from Tandridge District Council.
Read MoreThe Westway Centre – Integral support during the Crisis

East Surrey Hospital – How have they Coped?

We recently interviewed Michael Wilson CBE, Chief Executive of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) about the impact that coronavirus has had on East Surrey Hospital. Early March saw the first case of Covid - 19 enter its doors, however Mr Wilson explained that the speed, response rate and extremely unique way the staff reacted to unprecedented circumstances created an immense sense of pride. The support and willingness to go above and beyond their roles and job titles has been fundamental to the hospital’s success in coping with the crisis. To date the hospital has cared for 950 positive cases with there being 245 mortalities following a COVID positive rest result.
Where possible and where their skills have allowed it staff have been moving in-between departments in order to be able to support staff shortages. At its peak 160 nurses moved from their usual wards to be able to support the intensive care staff, and doctors filled in where needed. He said: "Our staff are still working incredibly hard to care for people with coronavirus and on behalf of all of them I would like to say thank you to our local residents. Thank you for your support – it really does lift us in very difficult circumstances. Crucially, thank you for following the national guidance. It is vital that everyone continues to look after each other by keeping a safe distance from others."
He explained that this is the first pandemic which he has experienced in his forty year career and that it has been overwhelming to both himself and the hospital staff and that the hospital has ensured that patient care across the board has not been compromised. Both during the crisis and moving forward the hospital has put many preventative measures into place to protect and reduce the risk of a second wave of the virus returning.
Social distancing within the hospital is of course a necessity and they are ensuring that this is being maintained. There are a reduced number of beds being used in the wards so that the infection risk is eliminated.
Read MoreEast Surrey Hospital – How have they Coped?

Care Agencies Success

Care homes have been one of the worst hit communities by COVID-19 in the UK. At least 22,000 residents are reported to have died of the illness. The latest figures show that 45 per cent of deaths took place in care homes.
Meanwhile, in Caterham, at-home care appears to be offering a welcome and seemingly safer alternative to assisted living. Despite reported shortages of PPE and daily visits to societies most vulnerable, local care agency Loving Care has reported no cases of coronavirus in it’s clients or frontline employees.
This is a remarkable victory in the nation’s battle against the pandemic. Weakened by age and underlying illness, the elderly are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. A staggering one in three deaths from coronavirus in Great Britain have been people aged over 85.
Sandra Jenner, owner said “Our 17 staff members follow strict hygiene rules to keep people in the community safe and well and the agency attributes forward planning to their success in protecting all of it’s 50 clients. While gloves and aprons were easily accessible, masks were harder to get hold of. We had increased supplies delivered by local volunteers, so it’s been a joint effort with the local authority.”
During lockdown, families have been unable to visit their elderly relatives. As such, visits from carers may be the only social interaction pensioners have received in the last ten weeks. “Apart from the fact that they’re wearing masks you wouldn’t know there’s a pandemic,” says Jenny Chinnappa, whose mother receives daily calls from the agency. “Throughout all of this, they’ve never let us down. They’ve been well briefed, and it puts me at ease. They’re caring for our loved ones and keeping them safe at this strange time.”

Read MoreCare Agencies Success

Local Agency, ‘Models of Diversity’ sends a smile

Models of Diversity is a registered charity based in Old Coulsdon which has been established by ex model and campaigner Angel Sinclair to challenge the fashion, beauty and media industry to be more inclusive and show greater diversity. The agency has been extremely successful over the past decade and has fought for people of minority, ethnic origin, older people, larger and smaller people, people with a disability, and non- binary gender people, who are often underrepresented, to be seen.
Previous years has seen the agency place models in Fashion weeks around the world including New York, Milan, Russia and London. Last year they held a successful catwalk for Diversity during London Fashion Week. Their nationally run workshops for models with disabilities also contributed towards launching the modelling careers of Kelly Knox (Primark) and Jack Eyres (Scope, NY Fashion Week etc) and continue to play a key part in building confidence and inspiring others.
The agency have launched their 'MOD Send a Smile' initiative. ‘MOD Send a Smile’ is a weekly giveaway and raffle which includes care packages comprising of clothing items from their Ebay store (new clothing donated from high street brands), Easter Eggs, sweets, flowers and other goodies. The packages are given to nominated individuals who are either key workers or working on the front line (and live within the community) and who have been nominated to receive a reason to smile!
Read MoreLocal Agency, ‘Models of Diversity’ sends a smile

Aurora – Special Needs School

The Aurora Group is a provider of education, care and support for children, young people and adults with special education needs and disabilities. In September 2017, they opened Redehall School in Smallfield, a day school for children with communication challenges. The popularity of Redehall made it apparent there was a high demand for this type of establishment in Tandridge.
This led to a search for new premises, ending up with the renovation and refit of a former church in Francis Road, Caterham. The Aurora Caterham Education Centre opened in March 2020, providing places for children, aged 11-19, with communication difficulties typically associated with Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism.
When the UK entered lockdown a week later a decision was reluctantly made to close the Caterham site. Students who needed to remain at school were able to move to Redehall, continuing their education alongside the children staying on site there. The teaching staff stay in regular communication with those being home-schooled, and use online resources to set them work.
The school is looking forward to re-opening when it is safe to do so, and being able to strengthen its links with the community, including finding suitable businesses to support work experience placements.
Aurora Performance Director Mark Costello said: “Before we opened in Caterham we held several meetings at the school to show people what we were doing. We talked about work experience, and invited local residents to share their skills and experience with our students. Community links are extremely important to the school.

Read MoreAurora – Special Needs School

Window to the World

As we raised a glass to toast 2020, it would have taken a brave man to predict that Gary Lineker would be teaching our children Spanish just a few months later. Yet Gary has signed up on BBC’s Supply Teacher to teach the language he learned after his transfer to Barcelona in 1986. Not your average footballer, he also spent eight months learning Japanese before his move to the country at the end of his career. The rationale being that footballers, who embraced living in a foreign country, were far more likely to succeed than those who stayed at home.
From earning more, to improved exam results, the social and scientific benefits of learning a language are undeniable. Who wouldn’t want to stride into a French boulangerie and come out with more than ‘une baguette’ just because it’s all you could remember from school? Well, the answer to why so few British people learn a foreign language is, of course we do not have to. Slowly but surely, English has become the language of global commerce and learning it is big business; in China alone, the English language learning market is worth $4.5bn USD.
Therefore, we must not rest on our laurels, and as the global job market becomes even more competitive, we should give our children the best opportunities to compete internationally.
Read MoreWindow to the World

Finance Advice

I am Chantal Baker, Director and founder of Champ Consultants. We are accountants and tax consultants based in Caterham. We are looking forward to providing you with business and finance tips as well as answering your questions.


Question:
Do I need to pay tax on the Self Employment Income Support Scheme Grant?

Read MoreFinance Advice

Ridge Radio – Presenter of the Month – June 2020

Local radio station Ridge Radio broadcasts from Soper Hall in Caterham Valley, with 45 volunteer presenters it broadcasts 24/7 over the internet.
If you don’t already listen, here are a few easy ways to start. Go to the www.ridgeradio.co.uk and click ‘Listen Live’ or download the free App for either Apple or Android Mobile devices, this allows you to hear us anywhere in the country. At home, if you have an Alexa enabled device you can listen to us by asking it to ‘Install Ridge Radio’.
On the website is the Schedule Page with all of our shows and their broadcast time, with the current Covid-19 restrictions this may not be up to date but make a note of our Business, Sports and Chat Show times, or simply pick the type of music you prefer and tune in each week.
If you are a local Charity, have an interesting story to tell, or a Local Band or Artist, then please contact us to come in and share your music and interesting stories.
E-mail: info@ridgeradio.co.uk
This month we would like to introduce you to our May presenter in the spotlight, Lisa Hagger one half of the 80’s Revived Show on Saturdays 1:00pm to 3:00pm, we asked her the following questions.

Read MoreRidge Radio – Presenter of the Month – June 2020

Controversy continues over Church Walk development

Our April feature on the proposed development of Church Walk Shopping Centre in Caterham Valley provoked a strong response from our readers.
We covered concerns arising from the revised planning application that developer Ropemaker submitted earlier this year. These included parking issues, flooding worries, unease over changes to the overall look of the area and apprehension for the survival of some smaller businesses if in competition with new, larger companies.


Nick Keable, a spokesperson for Ropemaker, responded to the points raised, and we also included comments from The Caterham Business Improvement District and Tandridge Council’s Interim Chief Planning Officer, Charlotte Parker.

Read MoreControversy continues over Church Walk development