Guildford residents will be able to catch the best views from Newlands Corner two miles from Guildford off the A25, and at St Martha’s Hill between Guildford and Chilworth. The public can access the site by walking from the Halfpenny Lane car park.

The eclipse is due to begin in the UK at 8.45am, while the maximum eclipse (this is when the moon is nearest the middle of the sun) will be at 9.31am. Things are expected to return to normal at 10.41am.

It’s estimated that 85% of the Sun’s light over London and the South-East will be blocked by the moon.

So what’s so special about the eclipse? A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between the Sun and the Earth, and the moon fully or partially blocks the sunlight and casts a moving shadow on Earth’s surface.

These events are rare so it’s worth trying to catch tomorrow’s eclipse. If you miss it, the next partial eclipse will be 2026 and the next time the UK will see a total solar eclipse will be 2090…

How can you watch it safely? You might not have time to get special solar filter glasses now, so the next best way to view a solar eclipse would be to grab two pieces of card…All you have to do is:

1. Take both pieces of card and cut a hole in one of them (about 4mm-5mm in length should do).
2. Point the card with the hole towards the Sun and use it to project an image of the eclipse onto the other card.
3. Enjoy the show!

(Please don’t look directly at the sun as it can cause severe eye damage or even blindness!)

You can find more information the solar eclipse on the Met Office website: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/events/partial-solar-eclipse#?tab=map&map=ScreenTemperature&zoom=5&lon=-4.00&lat=55.58&fcTime=1426734000

Samina Bhatti

The post Cast Your Eyes Skyward the Solar Eclipse appeared first on Guildford.

The salute will take place in the town centre at 11.30am and local residents are being asked not to be alarmed by the sound of gunfire.

The guns will be fired to start the countdown for the military parade due to take place on the High Street for the Guildford Armed Forces Day National Event 2015 on Saturday 27th June.

People across the UK will be watching Guildford that day, as local residents and the wider community join together to thank everyone working in the Armed Forces.

There will be a big line-up of family-focussed activities on 27th June such as:

• A special service in Guildford Cathedral: starting at around 9.30am. There will be a public ballot for entry to the service.

• Military parade up Guildford High Street: starting at 11.30am. It will continue along Upper High St, along London Road and into Stoke Park.

• Spectacular show at Stoke Park: stalls and static displays from about 10.30am. There will also be a live show from about 1.30pm.

• Music and entertainment. This will go on until 7.30pm when the Stoke Park event closes.

You can find out more about the day, and what volunteering opportunities are available on their website: www.guildfordarmedforcesday.co.uk. You can even apply to have your own stall at the Stoke Park event. See the website for more details.

If you have any questions about the events or the day in general, then email the organisers at [email protected], or call them on 0330 1230088.

Samina Bhatti

The post Gun Salute to Take Place 19 March appeared first on Guildford.

The chart-topping band will be at G Live on Wednesday 13th May performing tracks from their latest album, as well as some of their biggest hits.

Naming themselves after the unemployment benefit form, UB40 formed in 1978, before releasing their debut album ‘Signing Off’ in August 1980 – considered by many to be one of the greatest reggae albums ever released by a British band.

It was the start of a career that has since seen the band have over forty UK Top 40 hit singles and achieve sales of over 100 million records, making UB40 one of the most successful British groups of all-time.

The band’s latest Top 30 album ‘Getting Over The Storm’ was awarded BBC Radio 2’s ‘Album Of The Week’ accolade and received 5-star reviews from the UK’s music press on its release in September 2013.

Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are £30-£32.50. Call the G Live box office on 0844 7701797 to book. Tickets are likely to sell out fast. Find out more here.

The post G Live: UB40 Coming to Guildford appeared first on Guildford.

The Borough wanted to reach as many local people as possible during their 12 week consultation last year and they received a wide range of responses, covering many themes and concerns. They have analysed these and done further work to help inform the iterative process of developing a sound Local Plan.

Cllr Stephen Mansbridge, Leader of the Council, says: “We want a new Local Plan that secures a successful future for our borough and work continues at each stage to involve and listen to our local community. Last year’s consultation on the first draft of the new Local Plan was a vital and necessary opportunity to engage with people and organisations as part of the ongoing progress towards a final version.

“We have not stood still and a number of key projects have already started based on the emerging themes from the consultation, particularly for infrastructure improvements.”

Below are some of the issues raised and how the Council are tackling them.

• Issues on the A3 – we are working with the Highways Agency to develop interim measures to relieve current congestion and improve safety on the A3. The government’s Autumn Statement also included a provisional budget of £150-250 million for a future major scheme for the A3.
• Concern about local road network congestion – we are doing a hotspots study to help identify improvements.
• Town centre improvements and congestion – we have commissioned a Town Centre Masterplan and a Guildford Town Centre Highways Assessment (GOTCHA) study.
• Location of school sites – we are working with Surrey County Council to re-assess possible options for both primary and secondary schools.
• Land Availability Assessment (LAA) – formally the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) – we will now look at a range of uses and not just housing, with a revised methodology. We also made a further call for sites to maximise brownfield opportunities in a sustainable way.
• Flooding issues – we are finalising a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and are working closely with the Environment Agency to ensure future flood risk is minimised.
• Employment and retail needs – updating the Employment Land Needs Assessment (ELA) and Retail and Leisure Study. Consider how best to provide the space needed and where.
• Work with existing large employers to ensure that they remain a part of Guildford’s future.

Last year’s consultation was based on the emerging evidence base that was available at the time. As the Council continue to update their evidence, they will now prepare a single Draft Local Plan that contains possible development sites, strategic policies and development management policies to help guide planning applications. Their ongoing work on the LAA will consider the need for potential development sites with any constraints that might limit that development.

Cllr Mansbridge adds: “We must strike a balance between the social, economic and environmental considerations to enable prosperity for all our residents and businesses. Developing a new Local Plan is not a short-term, one-off project. It quite rightly takes time and effort and we are determined to make sure the final outcome is one that satisfies our local community needs and helps our borough thrive.”

The Council first consulted on the issues and options to help develop the new Local Plan in October and November 2013, followed by the Draft Local Plan consultation from July to September last year. They aim to publish an updated Local Plan timetable this summer once the results of the evidence base become clearer. They will then give the public another opportunity to get involved with the next round of consultation towards the end of 2015.

Cllr Mansbridge concludes: “We seek a borough in balance, which benefits our residents and protects our prosperity”.

You can find more information about the Local Plan at http://www.guildford.gov.uk/newlocalplan

The post Work to develop new Local Plan for Guildford continues appeared first on Guildford.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Stephen Mansbridge, comments:

“Our agreed budget features further investment across the borough. We want to continue to encourage prosperity, and create opportunities and choices for future generations, despite the ongoing financial pressures we face due to cuts in central government funding. This year we have seen an 8% reduction in our support from central government which, taken with the cuts we had last year, represents a 14.5% reduction in central government funding since 2013-14. We also anticipate further government funding cuts in future.”

Through financial planning and continued improvements to the efficiency of existing services, the Council have delivered a total of £6 million in savings since 2010-11 and £3.6 million in additional income. they plan to continue this by achieving a further £932,000 of savings and £1million in additional income in 2015-16.

the plans to achieve a sustainable future include additional capital investment in the borough and Council facilities of £117 million over the next five years. These schemes include:

• Guildford riverside cycle routes
• Affordable housing provision
• Disabled facilities grants
• Refurbishment and upgrade of Guildford Castle and Museum
• Clay Lane Link Road
• Improvements to Woodbridge Road sports ground
• Buying a new burial ground
• Spectrum roof replacement and steelwork repairs
• North Street development.

Plans for service delivery include an investment of £1.7 million into services, including:

• Waste and recycling
• Customer services centre
• Developing the new Local Plan
• Support for vulnerable families
• Our parks and open spaces.

The Council is also planning to spend £9 million developing new council-owned homes. The latest phase of house building will be on five brownfield sites. £6 million will be invested in improving tenants’ homes, including £1.3 million on energy efficiency improvements in the next financial year.

Adds Cllr Mansbridge: “Further cuts to our government grant and other funding reductions mean that we must increase our portion of the council tax by 1.5%. This is well below the rate of inflation and equivalent to an additional £2.24 a year, or less than five pence a week, for a band D property. This increase helps us continue to deliver high quality services for residents and reduce the risk of higher rises in the future”.

“We want to prepare positively for the future by improving the borough and our services, making our investments work harder and help support those in need. We continue to transform the way we operate, and by using our assets more effectively we will meet the financial challenges that we face due to further funding reductions.”

The post Council tax set and Budget approved for 2015/16 appeared first on Guildford.

1. Glutton & Glee

This is one of the most popular spots for breakfast and brunch in Guildford. They offer wide range of tasty foods including the famous Eggs Benedict which some claim to be best in Guildford! Their boiled eggs and soldiers is also a favourite with customers of all ages and their Artisan sourdough toast with butter and England Preserves also goes down a treat. You can view their full menu here.

2. Bill’s

Another popular spot is Bill’s. It offers a tasty breakfast menu as well as a quirky, rustic atmosphere. Everyone can enjoy a good brunch at Bill’s which offers everything from a full English breakfast to Bill’s granola and yoghurt. Their highlights include blueberry and buttermilk pancakes with an optional side of crispy bacon, and Cumberland sausage or streaky bacon in a toasted brioche roll. The full menu can be found here.

3. Tillings Café

Tillings Café in Gomshall is a great place for people to get together and enjoy food! They do a spectacular vegetarian breakfast as well as the regular full English and specials such as creamy mushrooms on toast with an option of bacon or poached egg. Checkout their full menu.

4. Cote

Inspired by the famous bistros of Paris, the Cote gives a modern twist to classic brasserie dishes. You can enjoy a varied and delicious brunch at the Cote and absorb its friendly and informal atmosphere. Some of the highlights in the menu include delicious French toast with fruit salad and maple syrup, and the famous Croque Monsieur/Madame – a classic ham and Gruyère cheese sandwich/with a fried egg. See what else they have to offer.

5. The Richard Onslow 

If you want a classic English breakfast or brunch, then The Richard Onslow has just what you need! You’ll find home-made black pudding created by head chef Thomas Robertson; sausages from local family butchers, and free-range bacon and eggs. For all you bargain lovers, they even offer free toast with all hot drinks from 11am! Check out their menu here.

Happy eating!

Samina Bhatti

Images by N Chadwick

The post Top Places in Guildford for Brunch appeared first on Guildford.

To enter, visit the This is Our Town Guildford Facebook page by following this link, SHARE and COMMENT on the competition post with the name of somebody you might like to take with you.

Best of luck!

The post Win a £50 Voucher for Jamie’s Italian! appeared first on Guildford.

It follows the eagerly anticipated release of her landmark new classical album Home Sweet Home which sees her return to her classical roots and marks a milestone in her career. It’s been ten years since the release of her debut album Premiere; one of the fastest selling classical albums of all time.  Produced by Patrick Hamilton and recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, Home Sweet Home sees key collaborations including international star and violin virtuoso David Garrett (Ode To Joy) and Britain’s best loved tenor, Alfie Boe (Barcelona).

Katherine has achieved meteoric success as one of the world’s most prolific classical crossover artists with nine studio albums selling in excess of eight million copies. She’s received various accolades for her music, including two Classical BRITs for the coveted Album of the Year award.  In 2013, Katherine headlined the Queen’s Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace, and was awarded an OBE at the 2014 New Year’s Honours List for her services to music and charity.

Supporting her at the G Live will be award-winning West End and Broadway performer John Owen-Jones. John has enjoyed critical acclaim for his award-winning performances in the lead role of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, and the title role in The Phantom of the Opera. John will perform much loved songs such as Bring Him Home (Les Miserables) and Music of the Night (The Phantom of the Opera).

Katherine’s date at G Live will see her perform tracks from the new album, as well as favourites featured throughout her astonishing career.

The performance starts at 7:30pm and tickets cost £29.50*, £39.50*, £55*

*A £3.00 per ticket booking fee applies, capped at six per order. Fee-free booking for Friends of G Live; Groups of 8+ please call 0844 7701 797 to buy fee-free. You can find out more at http://glive.co.uk or call 0844 7701 797 (10am-6pm, Mon-Sat)

Samina Bhatti

The post Katherine Jenkins to Perform at G Live appeared first on Guildford.