To prove the doubters wrong, Cranleigh Civic Society is alive and well. We have a new chair, Trevor Dale and new members and supporters keen to help Cranleigh grow in a way that builds on and enhances everything we love about it.

Trevor has been resident here since 1975 and has been an active member of the redoubtable Cranleigh & District Lions Club for 37 years, twice serving as President. The club is thriving and always welcoming people keen to help serve the local community.

So why does Trevor want to help the Civic Society? Well he’s been close to it for a while and believes it is a worthwhile group and Terry Stewart, who has served as hard-working chair recently has been forced to quit due to personal health issues.

Several of the founding members have moved on, having contributed masses of research and lost quite a bit of sleep. Some, such as Liz Townsend, have gone on to tackle the local political route to try and help keep Cranleigh what it is.

The new society members have the same aims and perhaps a slightly different direction in addition. Development, we know, is inevitable so what can we achieve? Well we think that not losing sight of what is good could help? Just focussing on negativity can damage morale and raise apathy. We applaud the liaisons that Terry put in place with  Waverley Borough Council other important bodies, because standing outside just attacking people, while it can occasionally produce benefits, all too frequently closes down communication avenues. Some improvements have been made and we will always bring our very real concerns to their attention – like a dripping tap – hoping they will eventually improve things.

So may we reassure you that the Civic Society will keep up the pressure on those who have influence and control over our lives but through dialogue and not accepting bland brush-off statements.

This week we had a meeting set up with people at Waverley but they called it off at the last moment due to the changes in the councillors.  Not surprising in the wake of the drubbing they’ve  received at the recent polls.

So, what are we focused on? We continue to keep the water pressure up (pun intended) on Thames and Waverley BC. Specifically, we want testing done on the actual pipes we have in Cranleigh under burst conditions. Waverley BC are ultimately responsible for our water safety and they must seek evidence that it is safe – not the other way around – proof that it’s dangerous. After all other parts of the World (Australia and New Zealand) won’t be spending huge sums on renewing pipes on a whim.

We will continue to fight to keep the recycling centre open but we need to have a plan B. The future looks bleak for Cranleigh’s CRC.

How can we ensure that maximum recycling takes place locally? It’s amazing  how many misconceptions we carry about what could and could not be recycled – have you watched some BBC videos recently? Maybe we all need better education. We certainly should be fully aware of what happens to our current street collection material. Where does it actually go? How much is actually recycled? Do we need to be more careful about how we recycle?

Let’s get together and if our Monthly Mondays don’t suit you – please get in touch and we get meet up for a chat and action planning too!

best regards from all of Cranleigh Civic Society team to all our members

www.cranleighsociety.org

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