To get in touch with the BCA: Contact the secretary on secretary@burphamca.org.uk call 07513 366072 or visit the website at www.burphamca.org.uk

Flood Forum date change

The meeting scheduled for the 21st January had to be postponed due to concerns over the rise in Omicron infections. It will now take place on Friday March 25th at 1pm in the Village Hall. If you wish to attend, or raise a specific issue, please email secretary@burphamca.org.uk

For any new residents, the Flood Forum came about because of the 2013/2014 floods. The BCA established a flood action group of local residents to try and identify the problems of local surface water management and propose solutions. Together with the various agencies responsible for these issues this led to the formation of a Forum chaired by our MP which meets normally biannually.

The main areas of concern are:

• Issues along the Merrow Common Stream which flows from Merrow Lane through Great Oaks Park and Weybrook Park to its outlet into the Wey Navigation
• the erosion of the banks along the Wey Navigation.

The latter problem was the focus of a walkabout on a miserable January afternoon. Two members of the BCA Committee, accompanied by Angela Richardson MP and representatives from GBC and the National Trust took a close up look at some of the issues we have raised. Erosion is one of the main concerns; it is happening on both sides of the river and much of the tow path has been lost.

Another worry is the number of mature trees lost. There were 207 reported blockages between Godalming and the Thames in the last 10 years; with other trees falling away from the river that could be up to 300 lost trees, including quite a few along Burpham’s stretch. There is also concern over the Nature Reserve and the rest of the flood plain not draining properly; this could lead to unwanted flooding in other places.

It was agreed that these issues need to be addressed and we look forward to what the agencies involved have to say at the Flood Forum this month. The committee would like to thank Angela and the representatives for giving their time and enduring a cold, wet and muddy walk.

Defibrillator fundraising… progress report

As you know, we’re busy fund-raising for two community public access defibrillators (cPAD). At the time of writing we are over 60% of the way to our £6,000 target.

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated – it really is appreciated. Special thanks to George Potter, our local County Councillor, for the £1,000 from Surrey County Council Members’ Community Allocation Funding. Thank you also to our fantastic local pub, the Anchor & Horseshoes, for donating the funds from their recent Quiz Night. Our plan is to provide two high specification Zoll 3 defibrillators, carry cases, outdoor heated cabinets, installation, training and ongoing support and maintenance. They’ll be installed outside Aldi and the Sutherland Memorial Park Hall. If you’d like to donate, please go to our JustGiving page or scan our QR code.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/burpham-community-association

If you’d prefer to write a cheque then please send it to our Treasurer (details in the joining section) with a note that it’s for the cPAD project. Thank you!

Bird recognition

Many thanks to the birdwatchers of Burpham who responded to our request in the last edition of Burpham Pages – all agreed that this bird in Jim’s garden is a common buzzard. Lucky Jim indeed, as it is very unusual for them to visit gardens. One respondent noted that red kites, sparrowhawks, kestrels, peregrine falcons, barn owls, tawny owls, little owls and hobbies (summer migrants) have all been seen locally.

Address Correction

The new address for the BCA given in the January edition should have been 6 Darfield Road, Burpham GU4 7YY. Apologies for the incorrect postcode.

Help by joining the Burpham Community Association today!

Subscriptions are £8 per household or £4 per single occupancy and run from January to December. Join now or renew your membership for 2022.

You can pay by:
Direct Debit – visit our website at www.burphamca.org.uk which has a link to this system – an email to treasurer@burphamca.org.uk giving your details would be helpful.

Online:
Account name: Burpham Community Association.
Sort Code: 40-22-26.
Account Number: 41049194

To help the Treasurer please identify yourself using initials, surname and the first line of your address.

Please contact Liz Turner, our Membership Secretary, if you have any queries. Her email address is membership@burphamca.org.uk

BCA on Facebook & Twitter!
Join the conversation! Open to members and non-members, it’s a great way to stay up-to-date with everything that’s happening in our community.
twitter.com/burpham_c_a
facebook.com/burphamCA/

Guildford Community Lottery
A way for everyone to support local causes and be in with a chance to win prizes of up to £25,000. 50% of all tickets sold from our page go to the BCA!