Tandridge Independent

On Wednesday 4th December, de Stafford School in Caterham celebrated a year of exam success in front of students, teachers and a Paralympic gold medallist.
Anne Usher MBE, who won a gold medal in canoeing at the Rio Olympics in 2016, delivered an inspiring Guest Speaker’s address to the audience. Head teacher, Jeremy Garner, then gave his speech, followed by the presentation of the subject achievement awards.

A homeless man living in Caterham has been given a Christmas present with a difference, after money was raised to pay for him to stay at a hotel.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, and welcome to the second edition of your new-look Caterham and District Independent.
The amount of work that goes into producing a newspaper is enormous. There are articles to be commissioned, layouts to plan, and advertising to schedule: there’s always something to do and barely enough time to do it in! I’ll be honest: in the run-up to December’s launch there were moments when the workload seemed overwhelming but I was supported throughout by an incredible team of designers, writers and social media experts.
Each one of them worked their socks off and I’d never have made the deadline without their help, expertise and inspiration.
And thank you for your amazing response to our first edition: your positive feedback made all the hard work worth it and has given us motivation to produce a newspaper filled with more news and local interest stories.

With a sense of exasperation, I surveyed the room. Thirty wriggling, giggling, sniggering seven-year olds, fresh from break time - cheeks flushed and hair wild. By this point, I was ready to try anything to calm this high- spirited, boy heavy group of Year 2s – herding cats would have been a far simpler task.

The Salvation Army in Caterham has just celebrated its 112 anniversary.

Former BBC investigative journalist John Sweeney tells us why he loves local newspapers.

Editor Louise D'Costa attended the 9th Asian Curry Awards as a guest of The Curry Leaf, Old Coulsdon.

Adele Brand is an ecologist who was born and raised in Chaldon. Her new book, The Hidden Life of the Fox, explores how they survive both in the wild, and in areas imposed upon by humans.

Elaine Bateson brings us the first of her blogs from her life by the sea, in Weymouth.