Open Where?

We are coming up to that period of early September when places not normally open to the public throw open their doors in welcoming fashion. So I searched for Heritage Open Days Woking 2024. First up was an invitation to visit, and to celebrate, 200 years of Ushers Brewery - in Wiltshire!

Do I blame my search, or Woking Borough Council, for not having a large and obvious list of places I’d like to visit – in the Woking area? Or am I to blame for not looking in the right place?

So I went to Celebrate Woking and got: “Celebrate Woking – be proud... be part of it. Celebrate Woking is a programme run by WBC to highlight the borough's best cultural attractions and bring communities together.”

That sounded more like it. There was even a piece headed “Woking's Heritage” but that turned out to be a potted history of the town mentioning the waterways, railway and famous residents. No mention of Heritage Open Days.

When my frustration on this became obvious a friend tried to help and found a list of Heritage Open Days Surrey on Google “but it is presented most unhelpfully alphabetically rather than under towns or areas. There are pages of entries so unless the searcher knows precisely the place name they are looking for they are in for a long search”.

I remember, in days long ago, when every household would get a flyer abut the Heritage Day sites which would be open to visit.

All I want is a list of the places which I may visit during the open days, which last from 6 to 15 September.

I recently picked up a well-illustrated booklet put out by Mole Valley which, over 30 pages, lists all the relevant information on places participating in Heritage Open Days in that area.

Do I have to go into town to find such information relevant to Woking? I have complained in the past that there is no longer an information centre in the town. Perhaps the library has something useful? Or The Lightbox? But why can't I find it online so that I can easily pass the information to my readers?

DIY Allotment Plot

The Allotment Plot is a play by Emma Northcott, to be presented by the Pyrford Little Theatre on 6 and 7 September. You will not need your gardening boots: the play will take place at Pyrford Village Hall, but the audience has to work out whodunnit.

With a cast of several keen gardeners vying for gold I think Pyrford is an ideal setting for this play as the village is well known for its annual flower show. The next such show will be next year on 12 July – I hope entrants will not have picked up any nefarious ideas from the play.

For further information go to www.pyrfordlittletheatre.org.uk

I was reading The Garden, the RHS magazine, and found that this month the National Allotment Society is celebrating biodiversity during its National Allotments Week – 12-18 August. Sorry, I'm a tad behind with my reading but that does not prevent us from thinking what an entirely good thing is an allotment.

The article praises these pieces of land, and community gardens in general, and how it brings a community together. Unlike in the play where jealousy and rivalry grow faster than weeds.

Back on Track

I know there will be some interesting events at Brookwood Cemetery during the Heritage Open Days – on Saturday 7 September from 11am to 3pm. And I know because they bothered to send me information.

The beautiful grounds are open to the public between 8am and 5pm every day, but on this day there will be special events and a chance to view the inside of some mausoleums; visit the military cemeteries; an exhibition at St Edwards Brotherhood, and The Trench Experience – the object of which is to further the education of the public in relation to the sacrifice of soldiers in The Great War.

The Brookwood Cemetery Society will be leading two walks, from the chapel on the North side (which will be signposted on the day) at noon and 2pm, no booking required.

There will be a photographic competition – remember the cemetery is home to a great variety of flora and fauna, from the giant redwood trees, to the shy deer and some fascinating fungi. Perhaps you may capture on your camera one of the birds of prey which will be on display at 1pm.

There are two innovative events which I must mention: in the early days of the cemetery, which is currently celebrating its 170th anniversary, there was a dedicated railway line from London into the cemetery itself. This carried coffins and mourners from London. During the Second World War bombing of London the railhead for the Necropolis Railway was hit.

In May 1941 the station was officially closed. But on 7 September this year there will be trains back on track. Not on the exact original track, but as near as possible. Mizens Railway, usually sited in Barrs Lane, Knaphill, will be at Brookwood carrying passengers – but no coffins.

The second innovation for 7 September will be the official opening of Letters To Heaven. We are not surprised when children send letters to Father Christmas and newspapers publish in memoriam announcements which are addressed to the dear departed, so why should we be surprised at this initiative which allows people to post letters to loved ones in a dedicated white box near the chapel?

In this special postbox you can put letters, birthday or important anniversary cards for a loved one who is no longer with us. Young and old, and all faiths and none – as is the way at Brookwood Cemetery. No address nor stamp required – this is nothing do with Royal Mail or Post Office.

The letters will be collected with the utmost respect and, unread and unopened, will be buried.

There must be so many occasions when we remember a loved one with the words “I wish I'd told them...” This way you can do just that.

Bad Sports

I was somewhat horrified to read, in last week’s issue, that parents are cheating at school sports day.

When I first read the piece I took it that parents were coaching their children to run fast but steadily so as not to dislodge the egg from the spoon. But having re-read the article I see it is the parents themselves doing the cheating with over half admitting to cutting across another’s lane in the parents’ races.

This is very bad. Cheating in any form is not to be encouraged, but cheating in front of children – and other parents – is most certainly a Very Bad Idea. Both children and parents will notice.

The children, being children, will ridicule the children of the cheats. And the cheats themselves will be forced to supply double the amount of cakes for the next school fete than they would normally expect to get away with.

Of course, being cheats, they will employ Betty Crocker to make the cakes for them, or even buy them from the shop. That doesn’t matter – the cakes will still taste good – it’s the cheating which leaves such a bad taste.

Examination Results

My eldest grand-daughter will soon be getting the results of her GCSE exams. I have seen television coverage of excited – and sometimes disappointed – youngsters getting the results of their long-time endeavours. I have also learnt that today’s students are tending to lay-off university degrees – they are expensive and with no guarantee of a well-paid job at the end.

There has been publicity over some so-called Mickey Mouse degrees, such as that in Star Wars Philosophy, offered at the University of Glasgow. Yes, really – I checked.

Many more students are now opting for T Levels. These are billed as an alternative to A levels, apprenticeships and other courses, and are designed in collaboration with employers, including classroom-based learning and industry placements. In other words, earn as you learn.

Thank goodness apprenticeship seems to be coming back into fashion.

If you go to university you may get a 2/2, commonly known as a Desmond, for obvious reasons. This I reckon to be a sort of bronze-level degree – definitely on the podium, but not a gold.

I did not go to university, it was never mentioned at my school – the same school which now reckons to send a very large percentage of its pupils to uni, boasting that currently 93% of the grades achieved by its students were were A*- C grades.

But examination results have shown that I have a T2. That is the type of cancer with which I have been diagnosed.

St Peter’s has been unfailingly good in its attention to me and if a day passes without my receiving some sort of message from them, then I worry.

I have known about this for a few weeks and wondered whether or not to share the news with you but with my presenting my copy to the editor at later times than usual I need some excuse for my tardiness.

And I have even received messages from readers who, having read between the lines on this page of late, have been enquiring as to my health.

Thank you for that – and please continue to sent me copy for this page.