What's On

A talk on the gardens of Japan will take place at the next meeting of the Thames Valley Horticultural Society.

Speaker Bob Calder will give the talk at Christ Church Hall, in Kenilworth Gardens at 7.45pm.

Visitors admission cost is £1.

Laleham Golf Club is inviting couples to attend its first ever wedding fair this weekend.

The club will open its doors to on February 21 to advise couples thinking of tying the knot on how to plan their big day.

Staines Town Chairman Alan Boon said he will pay for coaches to the second round of the FA Cup against Millwall if fans turn up to a league game against Basingstoke Town on Saturday December 5.

The gesture comes after Staines drew with the League One side Millwall on Saturday November 28 in Wheatsheaf Park, which saw around 3000 people turn up to see the teams draw 1-1.

Pupils from schools in the borough will mark the start of the Spelthorne Christmas in a carol concert with the Salvation Army brass band.

Around 150 kids will sing to late night shoppers on Thursday December 3 in Two Rivers Shopping Centre.

The event starts at 6.30pm and carol sheets will be given out.

The annual Santa Sprint will take place on Sunday December 6.

Shoppers will get to see more than 100 people dressed as Father Christmas running through the High Street.

The 1.5 mile race costs £8 to enter for adults, and £5 for children, and all proceeds go to the mayor's charity.

Spelthorne Choral Society will be singing a well-known classical piece on Satruday December 5.

The choir will sing The Gloria by Francis Poulanc, which they describe as exciting and challenging.

Peter Beaven will conduct, with Lindsey Bridgewater on the organ and West Forest Symphonia Brass playing other instruments.

The concert will take place in St Peter's Church, in Laleham Road.

Tickets are £10 which can be booked on the door.

Staines got into the Christmas cheer early over the weekend when real reindeer visited the High Street.

The annual Christmas parade took place in the High Street on Saturday (22) at the same time that St Peter's Nursery hosted a party in St Peter's Church, in Laleham Road.

Homeowners will be hiding cars and barricading houses when Millwall come to play Staines Town in the second round of the FA Cup.

In a meeting with the club, the FA, and Surrey Police on Friday November 13, it was decided the game is set to take place in Wheatsheaf Park, on Saturday November 28, instead of in Brentford.

The RAF President's band will be entertaining people at a Staines Rotary Club event later on Saturday November 21.

The club are holding a charity concert to raise money for Daybreak, who support people suffering from long-term illnesses and health problems.

An extremely rare brown shrike was spotted on Staines Moor prompting thousands of birdwatchers to drop everything and flock to the beauty spot over the last ten days to catch a view of the small brown spectacle. Herald & News reporter Russell Butt donned his wellies and grabbed his binoculars to see what all the fuss was about.

There's not many things more frustrating than when your holiday plans go awry.
So imagine the surprise of one small, brown bird who should be heading from Siberia to South East Asia for the winter, but has found himself perched atop a hawthorn bush in Staines.

Imagine its further surprise to instantly achieve celebrity status on arrival, with more camera lenses being pointed at it than Kate Moss gets stumbling out of a Soho nightclub.