Welcome to the first issue of Bellfields & Slyfield Pages!
Welcome to the first issue of Bellfields & Slyfield Pages!
This is your magazine about what’s happening in our community. We hope you’ll find events and groups you’ll want to join in with and stories about the people who live here.
We Need your input and Help! Would you like to be a roving reporter?
Do you have a story that would interest others? Memories about this area as a child? We are looking for good news stories, recipes, gardening ideas, hobbies, craft ideas and makes, events, things that matter to you – this is a community magazine by our community for our community. The more we all put in the more we will all get out of it.
If there are any regular groups that you are part of, please send in when you meet and where for our What’s On section. Share news, and upcoming events.
There will be regular contributors and space for local businesses to advertise too.
Bellfields & Slyfield Pages is a bi-monthly magazine the next issue will be the August & September issue looking at things for the summer and getting ready for school – the deadline for content and advertising is 1st July 2024.
How do I contribute?
Please email the editing team with your contributions to editor@bellfieldsandslyfieldpages.co.uk
Stories can be from 250 – 500 words, but please contact us before you submit editorial to discuss available space and suitability.
We are delighted that this first issue has been funded by our county councillor Julia McShane to kick start ‘Pages’ in our community. This is a non-political magazine and is for community interest and helpful information.
We are really excited about Pages being in our community we hope you enjoy this issue please feel free to give feedback to editor@bellfieldsandslyfieldpages.co.uk
From your commissioning group Kirsten, Jo and Amanda
Slyfield Industrial Estate
Slyfield Industrial Estate and its businesses are an integral part of the community of Bellfields and Slyfield providing jobs and services to Guildford and beyond.
This magazine provides a platform for you to advertise your services, connect with neighbouring businesses, and engage with community representatives and organisations. Share information about your services and products, discuss what you need to thrive, and explore how you can support other businesses and local residents.
Or maybe you want to share what your employees have been doing both in and out of the workplace. Have they done something remarkable for charity or become a sporting champion?
Perhaps they’ve achieved technical expertise or qualifications that deserve recognition. Let us know, and we can feature their accomplishments in the magazine, highlighting both your business and your wonderful staff.
At Bellfields & Slyfield Pages, we aim to see the entire community thrive. This magazine is an opportunity for businesses to join the conversation and discuss how we can make that happen. We look forward to hearing from you.
For advertising rates and editorial opportunities, please contact editor@bellfieldsandslyfieldpages.co.uk
Your local councillors are:
Amanda Creese amanda.creese@guildford.gov.uk
James Walsh james.walsh@guildford.gov.uk
Guildford Action: Enhancing Lives
Local charity Guildford Action provide a safe, non-judgmental refuge for people who’ve fallen through the net, or out of everyday society.
Some need practical help with essentials like food, shelter, clean clothes and healthcare. We provide them; because when people have the basics, they can start to put the rest of their lives back together. And we’re also here for those who just need support to get through the day, and to remember what normal, respectful, positive relationships look like. Through physical and emotional support, we help people reconnect with society and themselves, rebuild their self-esteem and recover their identity and sense of belonging.
Fields Community Lunches
Over 25 years ago when I started working for Guildford Action I was invited to a community lunch at St Peter’s Church. The amazing ex-social worker and social researcher Elizabeth Fry who attended the church and lived locally was at the helm of starting up these lunches to encourage community cohesion and bring a group of people together to serve the community.
I have always had a huge passion for the area as it was where my Mum grew up and where my Grandparents lived for over 50 years.
Over the years these lunches have been focussed on doing rather than just talking. We set up the Fields Playscheme that ran for several years by local people for local children and funding was secured for a ‘Fields Family Worker’ which I was lucky enough to do for 4 years.
In more recent times we have looked at local data and resources and a small team of committed people continue to fight for services for the community. This year, Poyle Charities kindly funded 36 spaces for residents to become Mental Health First Aiders and we hope to introduce Mental Health Ambassadors over the coming year.
We would love more community members and residents to come to the lunches. You don’t have to commit to anything but your experiences and opinions are invaluable to us and we would love to see more of you. The next lunch is on 22nd October 2024 at 12.30 at St Peter’s Church. If you would like to come or hear more about what we do, please contact joannetester@guildfordaction.org.uk
Slyfield Allotment
Guildford Action has secured some allotment space for the coming year. What was a large patch of grass, is now looking more allotment-like! It is a space where we want local people to enjoy. Even if you don’t feel like picking up a spade, but want to come and sit and have a cup of tea and chat we would love to see you. All surplus produce will be taken to The Community Pantry. For more information, please contact emmakleboe@guildfordaction.org.uk
Guildford Action
Guildford Action is a local charity who have always been involved in The Bellfields and Slyfield Communities. We have just started a GAF group at St Peter’s Church every Friday from 9.30am to 12 noon, all are welcome to pop in for a coffee and a chat. For more information, please contact sonyasewell@guildfordaction.org.uk
Big Brothers Big Sisters
You may have heard of our mentoring programme called Big Brother Big Sister. We are matching adult mentors with children who would benefit from a consistent and stable adult to walk alongside them. We want people from all backgrounds, you don’t need experience you just need to be committed to wanting to make a difference. Training is given. If you would like more information, please contact vickycoppinger@guildfordaction.org.uk
Telephone: 01483 560 003
E-mail: info@guildfordaction.org.uk
www.guildfordaction.org.uk
Guildford Action is an independent registered charity, which has been working within the local community for over 30 years helping individuals experiencing homelessness as well as isolated families.
Our mission is to ‘Enhance the lives of all those we come into contact with’ through looking after their emotional needs, as well as their physical safety.
Support us
40% of our funding comes from our statutory partners, including Guildford Borough Council, Surrey County Council and Public Health.
For the rest, we depend on grants and public donations.
If you would like to donate to help us continue our work, please visit www.guildfordaction.org.uk
Help save a local community centre
Help us regenerate The Lockwood Centre on Slyfield Industrial Estate into a NEW Creative Community Hub for Bellfields, Slyfield and beyond.
A local community centre is under threat, but you can help save it by joining our regeneration consortium with access to great facilities for your arts and community projects.
Since the withdrawal of Adult Social Care from the Lockwood Centre in April 2023, an organisation formed from local community groups and creative businesses (including Lockwood Arts), has been trying to persuade Guildford Borough Council (GBC), to allow them to lease the building so that they can provide desperately needed services within the local community and beyond. This organisation is called The Lockwood Regeneration Consortium.
Unfortunately, GBC is asking us to pay full commercial rent for the building AND take on responsibility for the total upkeep as well. This is not viable for our vision for the building but we could generate enough rent for a workable solution if GBC consider the benefits offered to the community. The alternative is for the building to be demolished to make way for a temporary car park while GBC plan redevelopment of the site.
Lockwood Arts has been based at Lockwood since 2002. This group of diverse artists has led a vast number of innovative and exciting projects, achieving local and national recognition in supporting all disabilities (educational, mental and physical), and promoting opportunities for fun and creativity for everyone in Guildford and beyond.
We want Lockwood to be repurposed to provide a centre for creativity and wellbeing for the community at large; the cultural hub that Guildford deserves. Everyone knows that being creative benefits health and mental wellbeing but our plans will also support climate change and the environment. It’s a huge building with enough space to create a buzzing community of imaginative enterprises and innovative start-up businesses, interested in addressing sustainability and the climate challenges we face.
The centre will be run on a not-for-profit basis, relying on social investment and skills sharing; exactly what Lockwood Arts has been doing for twenty-two years! We will continue to promote and celebrate the work of disabled artists and disability arts organisations within Surrey AND remain a welcoming, inclusive and accessible location for artists ‘of all abilities’.
Help us regenerate the Lockwood Centre on Slyfield Industrial Estate into a NEW Creative Community Hub, with affordable space for local artists, creatives, start-up businesses, and so much more.
If you would like to know more about what The Lockwood Regeneration Consortium has to offer, please contact Craig Hills: info@jellytreetv.co.uk
Ireland end-to-end walk in aid of Dementia
Mark Saunders, Burpham resident, will take on a new challenge: walking the entire 589-mile length of Ireland to support two dementia charities.
Mark Saunders, a 67-year-old retired university professor, has lived in Burpham for 30 years. In the summer of 2022, he walked 1126 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats using national trails, paths, and quiet minor roads. This trek took 85 days and included 79,400 ft of ascent.
In 2023, driven by his passion for adventure and long-distance trekking, Mark undertook a 480-mile trek across Sri Lanka in 35 days. This effort raised funds for sterilization and vaccination clinics for street dogs, aiming to reduce the number of suffering homeless dogs in the region.
In June and July 2024, Mark will take on a new challenge: walking the entire 589-mile length of Ireland to support two dementia charities, the Alzheimer’s Society (covering England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. Dementia is a chronic brain disorder that affects countless lives, robbing individuals of their memories and decision-making abilities. An estimated 1 in 3 people in the UK and Ireland will be diagnosed with dementia in their lifetime, yet there is still no cure.
The Alzheimer’s Society and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland provide essential support to those living with dementia and work towards groundbreaking treatments. Mark’s end-to-end trek of Ireland will take about 40 days, encompassing stunning landscapes and 41,600 ft of hill climbs, from Dursey Island in southwest County Cork to Ballycastle on the north coast of County Antrim.
If you can contribute to Mark’s cause, your donation will go directly to these dementia charities, helping to ensure that no one faces dementia alone.
To donate to Mark’s JustGiving page for the Alzheimer’s Society visit www.justgiving.com/page/mark-saunders-ukalzs6111922 or for the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland visit www.justgiving.com/page/mark-saunders-irlalz3071922
Furniturelink – Recycle. Refurbish. Reuse.
Furniturelink is a small community-based charity located in Merrow, Guildford. Open to all, we sell pre-loved furniture, white goods, and small electrical appliances.
Our mission is to help the local community and reduce waste by preventing reusable furniture from going to landfill. Each week we receive pre-loved pieces, which we sell at gentle prices. We offer discounted prices to people receiving benefits to ensure everyone can furnish their home.
Apart from our physical warehouse, we have an eBay store and also offer services like reuse collections, house clearances, and bulky waste collections to our local community.
We want to welcome everyone to come to the warehouse and join our mission!
We are open Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm and on the first weekend of the month.
You can visit us at 2b Merrow Business Park, Merrow Lane, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 7WA. Get in touch today via e-mail at furniturelinkguildford@gmail.com or call us on 01483 506504.
www.furniturelinksurrey.org
Stoke Community Pantry
Bring, share, take what you need.
The Stoke Community Pantry, located at St Peter’s Shared Church on Hazel Avenue, is a common resource that anyone in the community can contribute to, take some food or help out with, if they would like. There is some Frozen food available, (meat veg and potatoes) dry goods, some toiletries and essentials.
It is open to donate and use on Tuesdays (during Oak Café) 10.00am-12.30pm and on Saturday Mornings from 10.00am-12.00pm.
It would be lovely to extend the times that this is available for everyone. To do this we need volunteer helpers. There are opportunities to volunteer to check the stocks of the food and to be there to open this up at other times.
This is your food pantry free to use for you! Its a bit like a free food shop.
If you are interested in volunteering please contact the office: office@stpetersguildford.org
Plus Size Ladies Group
We started this group following a mental health first aid training course and sharing that as plus size ladies it is intimidating and discouraging going to the gym or trying to get healthy alone.
We looked at what we would feel happy with and decided to try to create an environment where no one would feel uncomfortable or unwelcome whether they have wobbly tummy’s or need things at a slower pace, where you will always receive a smile and have people who will talk to you and give encouragement. A place that is non judgemental and you can simply be you.
Plus Size Wellbeing is a small friendly community group based at St Peter’s Church offering exercise, chat, healthy eating topics, general wellbeing support both physical and mental. Outside of the group we have a WhatsApp chat that we share things in and offer support in each others personal journeys. Be that loosing weight, getting physically fitter, accomplishing a personal goal (going on the bus alone if you suffer from anxiety, having a good day and managing to get a task done that you have struggled with). We also use it to share ideas and meet ups outside of the set group.
We aim to help and provide a secure, safe and very friendly environment for everyone. Especially aimed for those who are plus size, struggle with anxiety or simply feel they would like to join a small and more personable group for friendships and having a support network to work with.
We meet every Tuesday during term time at 10.30am. We have an hour exercise class with Surrey Sports Park providing a qualified fitness instructor who is friendly encouraging and always willing to adapt exercises to meet our varying needs. At the end of the session there is an option for those who would like to have a weigh in if that is part of your journey.
We sit for a chat and drink in the church Oak Café where we have social time together and look at possible meet ups going for a walk or such things.
Our future plans for this group are to have an extra session to make it more accessible to those that work. To have cooking days together and create a recipe book for healthy eating based on some of our own experiences on this journey.
We have in the pipe line a visit and support from a diabetic nurse, and look to have visits from other professionals, trips out, and Family days during school holidays.
Home-Start Guildford – there for parents when they need us most
Are you struggling to get out and about with young children, feeling lonely or isolated?
Did you know that Home-Start is a charity that provides support to parents with young children?
Being a parent, whatever your situation, can be very difficult at times, especially when children are young. Many parents feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the stresses of family life, particularly if they have little support from family and friends, just when they need it most. We support parents who have at least one child under 5 years and who are dealing with issues such as:
- Isolation
- Mental Health
- Sickness
- Disability
- Domestic Abuse
- Multiple Births
- Difficult Relationships
What do we offer:
You could request to attend our family group held at the Guildford Family Centre in Hazel Avenue on Thursday mornings during term time, or we can look to match you with a home visiting volunteer.
Our dedicated and experienced home visiting volunteers provide regular visits at your home, offering emotional and practical support through difficult times. This parent to parent support is a simple yet effective way of giving hope and enabling families to get back on track.
How to request support:
To access our services you will need to complete a simple referral form which is available from our website www.hsguildford.org.uk or you can contact our office by calling 01483 511181 or emailing office@hsguildford.org.uk.
Interested in Volunteering?
We are always on the lookout for new volunteers, there is no age limit, and we welcome anyone who might be interested in volunteering. All of our home visiting volunteers have parenting experience or have worked with children, but there are also other volunteering opportunities available. Please contact the office for more information.
Update from our local councillors
In this issue of Bellfields & Slyfield Pages we include the first of our bi-monthly updates from local councillors Amanda Creese and James Walsh. Their goal is to keep the Bellfields & Slyfield community informed about their actions as representatives of the Bellfields & Slyfield ward and how the Guildford Borough Council is supporting our local area.
Amanda Creese
Hello there! I have been a councillor in your ward for nearly a year and I have enjoyed myself getting out and about and meeting people who are working very hard to deliver services to people in the area.
At the beginning of my time as councillor I sat down with Kirsten, Vicar at St Peter’s, and Jo Tester from Guildford Action and we asked ’what does Bellfields and Slyfield need?’
I have been associated in one way or another with Guildford most of my life, attending Guildford Tech (allegedly) as it was then in the 1970s and then working on the sewage works as a lab technician. I moved to Guildford about 15 years ago. I have worked most of my adult life in benefits provision and housing advice and most recently for Citizens Advice where I delivered advice sessions at Stoughton Road and other doctors’ surgeries.
So, I have my ideas about what Bellfields and Slyfield need. But that isn’t necessarily what you, the residents want. So, this newsletter is the start of a conversation for you to tell us what you are doing in the Bellfields and Slyfield ward and what you think the area needs.
I’d like to see the communities across the Woking Road more integrated with a community space akin to the Hive in Park Barn providing a place to have a chat and a coffee with friends. A place where community groups can meet. Exciting play facilities across the ward for children of all ages. The new Weyside Urban Village being an exciting place, integrated with the Bellfields and Slyfield communities. I have many more ideas, but we want to hear yours.
We will be arranging sessions soon where you can come and talk to us about any issues you may be having with GBC related matters and to listen to you, about your community and what you want from it and how you might be able to serve it. We want to hear your voices!
Cllr Amanda Creese
E: amanda.creese@guildford.gov.uk
T: 07814 441243
James Walsh
Hello! I have been your councillor since I was first elected to represent you in 2016, first with my former colleague Angela Gunning and now with Amanda Creese. Amanda has only been on the council for a year, but she’s already making a huge difference and together we hope to be able to help you whenever our help is required.
Amanda has talked about some of the ongoing projects that we are involved in and, for both of us, getting more services into the heart of Bellfields and using our facilities in a way that more people can enjoy and participate is at the heart of it. We have a great community here and this newsletter – which is strictly non-political – is a fantastic start to providing a forum and information for everyone who lives in Bellfields and Slyfield.
There is a lot going on in the neighbourhood and perhaps the most obvious are the changes around the water-works and allotments in Slyfield. Once completed, the waterworks will be thoroughly modernised and moved north of where they currently are; this will free up land to build 1,500 new homes and facilities, as well as provide new links to a revitalised canal area. It will also reduce the odours that plague the estate on hot days thanks to new water treatment technology.
This is a huge development and we have asked the council team leading on the project to provide regular updates in the pages of this newsletter so that you are kept up-to-date. There are likely to be a lot of positive outcomes, including a lot more affordable housing that Amanda and I are pushing for so that young people do not have to move away from Guildford when they leave home, but there will also be issues from time to time that you may want to raise with us. Please do email or call us if you have a concern or question and we will respond.
Being a councillor is a privilege and an honour and we never take our residents for granted.
During the past year, for example, I have helped several families get mould in their homes cleared and repairs fixed. You will be aware that there have been issues around housing repairs during the past year and some things have taken far too long to resolve – please do let us know if you have any similar problems and we will do what we can to help. In Bellfields and Slyfield, we have had roads patched up, holes left by workmen fixed and even bees relocated – there’s never a dull moment as your councillor!
There is a lot coming up in the year ahead and none of it would be possible without you and local organisations like St Peter’s Church playing key role in the great Bellfields and Slyfield community. I hope you enjoy the new magazine and that it’s useful to you.
Cllr James Walsh
E: james.walsh@guildford.gov.uk
T: 07533 767227