St Margarets Community Website Forum…

And if you wander who is this Jerry - that's the guy who's lived on your doorstep in St Margarets for the past 45 years! He's not unhappy to remain incognito but if some of you would like to look at some parts of the world through his eyes, then you are invited to visit www.retracinghistory.com

or better still visit www.ourrootstrust.org

And you don't necessarily have to keep your opinions to yourself; you could leave them on the blog or in the guest book.

04/01/2011 - Did you know that much of St. Margarets sits in DEFRA defined areas at medium probability and high probability of flooding? No? Neither did !

I've been trying to sort out insurance for at least two weeks - most companies would not even give me a quote - but it wasn't until today that I finally tackled a company who had insured my property in the past, were reluctant to quote and then wound up offering me cover at five times the annual amount previously paid. When I pushed for an explanation I received the following.

Dear Ms Rooke,

Your case has been passed to our senior underwriters to review the points that you have put to us.

The senior underwriters advise that your postcode area is now declined due to the risk of flooding in the surrounding area. Whilst we have made an exception in offering a quote for insurance in your case, regrettably we are unable to reduce the quoted premium, as this premium reflects the currently perceived risk of loss....

Do have a look at the map referenced below to see whether this could be a problem for you.

www2.richmond.gov.uk/docs/sfra_figure05_twicks_stmargarets_2010.pdf

and at www.richmond.gov.uk/flood_risk to see more on this issue.

Gail Rooke

hello, everybody,

i am an interior design student from Canterbury School of Architecture and we have a project to redesign the old school and turn it into a space for culture/art activities for the residents and the visitors of the town. I have couple of ideas, but i would really would like to design something that the residents would like to have themselves.

please share any ideas of what would you like to have in town..

Interested in netball?

Teddington Swans Netball Club is looking for new players to join the club.

We are a friendly, sociable club that play a good level of netball.

We train Thursday nights at Richmond College, Twickenham from 7.45 to 9.45pm. Matches are on alternate Saturdays. We have 3 adult teams and cater for all standards. We have an excellent coach and training nights are a mix of fitness, skills and matches. We also have regular socials.

For more information, email teddingtonswans@hotmail.com or pop along to one of our training sessions. Our first session in the New Year is 6^th January 2011.

Neal's Yard Galleries have opened another temporary art gallery in Chiswick (10-15 minutes from St Margarets). As always, its in empty, otherwise unused office space, giving a great sized area displaying sculptures, ceramics and paintings; some mainstream, some different! A lot of the work is going on to the Affordable Art Fair if it doesn't sell in Chiswick.

www.nealsyardgalleries.com

There's still some places in our Thu morning (10.30-11.15am) Cookie Tots class at Winchester Hall.

They are full of fun, singing, dancing, playing games and learning about healthy food...as well as cooking a delicious meal to take home.

We also do a tasting session at the end.

For more information please contact

Veronika, Kiddy Cook Twickenham

twickenham@kiddycook.co.uk, www.kiddycook.co.uk

07799747175

does anyone know what is going to happen to the shop vacated by the Village Cafe, opposite the station?

This is just a line for everyone who has admired Dini as he has trotted around St Margarets over the past seven years.

For the past three years he has been living in Southampton but he has been a frequent visitor and I know a lot of people look out for him.

He returned here last month but he was quite old by then. Last week he became unable to walk properly. The vet said that he was coming to the end of his life and that there was nothing we could do. He died, peacefully in his sleep, on Friday night.

He is much missed.

If you were in Crown Road on a recent Sunday, you might have wondered why a couple were dancing the tango down the pavement. Well, they were putting together two minutes of film for the 'I Love St Margarets' competition. They didn't win: but their efforts do now appear on the 'My St Margarets' website. Check it out. (You'll need to scroll to the bottom of the page.)

Tom and Tammy have been trying to get a tango group running in St Margarets for over a year but although there are plenty of women wanting to dance, there's not enough men to make a group viable. They hope that the video will show that tango is fun for everyone. Meanwhile, until there are enough men to run group classes, Tom is still teaching privately to people who want to get started in the dance.

If you want to know more about tango, feel free to contact Tom here or on TWTPR@aol.com.

Marble Hill Playcentres are having their AGM at 7.00pm on Thursday 18 March. It will be held at the One O'Clock Club in Marble Hill Park. We would welcome all parents to come to the One O'Clock Club to see what we can offer there and hear our plans for the year ahead.

There will be biscuits.

Marble Hill Placentres are also looking for VOLUNTEERS to serve on the COMMITTEE. We are hoping to find people with an enthusiasm for organisation and a willingness to get involved with staff in developing the facilities and strengthening our funding.

You will need to attend one or two committee meetings a month (at Marble Hill in summer and nearby in winter) but, more importantly, to contribute to developments between meetings. Marble Hill Playcentres is not just a place for children to play: it is a £100,000 business, employing up to 20 people. Committee members need to be able to take responsibility for key decisions affecting the One O'Clock Club and Adventure Playground. You will be offered training and help to build your skills as well as the support of our paid staff.

The position is voluntary but expenses (including babysitting) are payable.

Your initial commitment would be for just one year but we would hope that people will want to continue their involvement beyond that.

If you are interested, please contact the Chair, Sarah Liquorish by phone (88926732) or email ( sarahliquorish@onetel.com).