If you have any issues with reading the Bugle on a mobile device, just click the 'view this email in your browser' option at the top of the masthead.

As you might guess, the Bugle goes through several versions before the final one is sent out and we've just spotted that the wrong version was sent out earlier today. We're sending out the one we meant to send now. Apologies for our error. Please ignore the previous version and read this one instead, and please note that the tennis open day we've mentioned is on Sunday May 18 and not on May 12, and that the link to the lovely children's concerts (Peter & The Wolf etc) now goes to the right place.

Developers win Mortlake Brewery site appeal

Developers wishing to create over 1,000 homes at the old Mortlake Brewery site have been given the go ahead to build after a last and final appeal to the nationwide Planning Inspectorate.

 

Brewing company Anheuser Busch left the site in 2015 and since then some of the site has been let out to local film studio The Story Works and has been the home of productions including Disney+’s 1,000 Blows and Downton Abbey 3.

 

Plans for the site were submitted to, and approved by Richmond Council back in 2020 but then vetoed by London Mayor Sadiq Khan on the grounds of lack of sufficient provision of affordable housing.

 

Since then, the plans have gone back and forth, with amendments required by new housing regulations post Grenfell leading the developers to increase the proposed height of some of the apartment buildings of the site to accommodate two staircases.

 

The final version of plans included even fewer affordable housing units (65 out of the 1075 being planned) and blocks of up to nine stories in height.

 

At the most recent planning hearing in November, the Greater London Authority opposed the plans (again on the grounds of poor affordable housing provision) and local campaign groups argued that the development was too dense and not in keeping with the historic character of neighbouring buildings. Concerns were also expressed about the impact on local transport and health infrastructure of the influx of so many people into a small space which is already a traffic pinch point.

 

The decision was announced on May 2 just as the Bugle was going to press so we have only had the chance to skim the Planning Inspector’s adjudication. From our brief reading of the document the inspector acknowledges many of the objections, but with ample use of the word ‘nevertheless’ comes down on the side of the developers in declaring that many elements of the proposed development would not cause substantial harm. 

 

Overall, the Inspector’s job is to look at whether benefits outweigh harms and his decision references the importance of building on brownfield sites and meeting Richmond Council’s housing targets.

 

In his conclusion, the Inspector considers the ‘risky’ nature of the development. Over the past five years building costs have grown hugely and house prices have stagnated, jeopardising potential profits for the developers (the reason given for the small apportionment of affordable housing). 

 

So, what happens next? The film studio using part of the site said last year that it had a lease for the 'foreseeable future'. Additionally,  there's a question mark over the building of the proposed secondary school on the site, given that the funding for new academy schools is under review by the Department for Education. And, even though the developers have planning permission, there is no information about their immediate plans for the site after the adjudication. All will become clear in time.

 

And as for local campaigners, they haven’t yet had time to read the document in detail but say they are extremely disappointed that the Inspector found in favour of the developers. They are, however, hopeful that a change in plans over the school provision might still lead to a revision of the character and density of the proposed new development.

 

Watch this space.

And breathe

It may have taken five years and cost £48 million to get here, but there’s no denying that crossing Hammersmith Bridge is now a pleasure thanks to the resurfacing of the central span that’s been made possible after the stabilisation of the bridge’s pedestals. 

 

Peace and love have broken out, now that cyclists, pedestrians, scooterists and runners are no longer crammed together in the narrow walkways on the side of the bridge, and what’s more, journey times to Hammersmith by bike are much reduced.

 

The momentous reopening of the central span was marked not by a ribbon cutting featuring a minor member of the Royal family, but by a ceremonial traverse by DJ and cycling campaigner Jeremy Vine, who in an apt Victorian-style gesture, crossed the bridge on his penny farthing for the benefit of specially invited photographers.

 

While the Bugle wasn’t specially invited, we happened to be taking a ceremonial ride across ourselves (on the way back from the shops in Hammersmith) and took the opportunity to interview Mr Vine, craning our neck upwards to chat to the very tall DJ on his very high bike. Vine declared the reopening a ‘boon to Barnes’ and expressed his support for keeping the bridge for cyclists and pedestrians only, as opposed to re-opening it to motor traffic.

 

Meanwhile, the stabilisation process of the bridge isn’t entirely complete, as the next step in the engineering schedule of works is the re-enforcement of the old and overstressed hangers. These poles that connect the bridge deck to its suspension chains run along both sides of the bridge and connect to bearing joints which allow the bridge's deck to flex and move.

 

Steel rods have been temporarily installed to alleviate the pressure on the hangers, prior to the permanent repair work which will see the deck-end bearings replaced. 

 

Engineers are also regularly greasing the joints to support the movement of the suspension bridge.

As one path opens another one closes

While cyclists and pedestrians are having a much happier time crossing Hammersmith Bridge, the news isn’t so good on the Fulham side of Putney Bridge where the underpass linking Fulham Palace to Putney Bridge Station has been closed.

 

The closure, which will last until 2027, appears to be due to work going on to repair/maintain flood walls on the riverbank. While these works are in progress, local residents say that the underpass will be used as a place for engineering firm Balfour Beatty to place their welfare unit for the site’s workers.

 

Those opposed to the closure say that it is putting both pedestrians and cyclists in danger as they now must use crowded pedestrian crossings to get to Putney Bridge Station. As you can see from the image above, some unknown person is encouraging anyone who has concerns about this situation to contact Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

The famous five

Hurrah! After last month’s Barnes Green drama in which a dog chasing our swans was plucked out of the water by a Mr Darcy style hero, we now have five new hatchlings fluffily making their way around the pond accompanied by their proud parents.

Common Keeper, Russell Greaves, was concerned that the hour-long drama in which the female swan left her nest to defend her partner might have jeopardised the incubation of her six eggs. 

 

“Incubation is a stressful time for both the swans” he says “The male spends his time on patrol and the female starves as she stops looking for food in order to protect her eggs from predators and of course keep them warm.”

 

He told the Bugle that he was worried that the stress of the incident might have prevented the female swan from continuing the incubation. 

 

It was only through luck that the dog didn’t come into contact with the swan. Swan experts say that even the smallest nip from a dog can be fatal to a swan as the bacteria in the dog’s saliva can cause blood poisoning.

 

However, all’s well that ends well, and it’s lovely to welcome a whole new generation of cygnets to the pond.

Richmond Park politely appeals to speedy cyclists

Meanwhile, cyclists using Richmond Park are being asked to follow a new Royal Parks Code of Conduct. Recently, the Royal Parks have made many changes to discourage car use and to make Richmond Park a more pleasant place to explore on foot or by bike. However, there is a long-running controversy about the potential dangers posed by the speed of some cyclists, whose athletic prowess and high-performance bikes allow them to exceed the 20mph limit applied to cars. Legally, cyclists do not have to adhere to the limit, but the Royal Parks body has been lobbying government to change the law to apply one rule to all.

 

The new code of conduct has been issued at the same time as the Royal Parks released the results of a survey carried out by Mustard Research which questioned over 2,000 pedestrians across London about their interactions with cyclists. The survey showed that 72% of those who responded said they had had witnessed or experienced a near miss or collision with a cyclist. A similar number said that people 'cycling without due care and attention' was their main concern as a pedestrian. Additionally, 82% of those questioned felt that 20mph speed limits should apply to cyclists.

 

The new code asks cyclists to: respect the park environment and other visitors, control their speed, comply with the Highway Code and Park Regulations and to be seen and heard.

 

Along with this code of conduct, The Royal Parks says new signage will be installed across its green spaces in high-traffic areas, while a new online hub has been set up on the charity’s website featuring more information about cycling in the parks.

 

The code appears to amount to asking cyclists to play nice and politely pointing out current laws regarding cycling.  Additionally, the enforcement of penalties for transgressing the law is the responsibility of the police. However, exactly who will enforce prosecution for any transgression of existing cycling laws is uncertain, as in a separate development the Parks Police will stop patrolling the park in November this year.

 

Richmond Council which is opposing the disbandment of the Parks Police Division says “Without the dedicated Royal Parks Police team, responsibility for policing these vast areas will fall to Safer Neighbourhood Teams and other local officers, who are already managing high demand elsewhere.”
 

New cafe plans approved for Richmond Park

Away from disputatious issues involving speed limits, exploring the park by bike is about to become even more enjoyable with the news that the café by Roehampton Gate is due to get an upgrade.

 

The current café, toilet blocks, and a bike hire facility-structures were installed in 2004 as a temporary measure after a fire.

 

The temporary replacements have lasted twenty years but are  showing their age and plans for a new café have been unanimously approved by Richmond Council.

 

The updated café will offer indoor and outdoor seating to accommodate more visitors. Toilets, including accessible and baby changing facilities, will be relocated closer to the café and the landscape will be improved with additional trees and plants. A new pedestrian gate from the Alton Estate will also be added. The Roehampton Gate car park entrance will move north for safer access, and disabled parking bays will increase from four to 14, though total car spaces will drop from 245 to 225.

 

There is no information available as to when the current buildings will be demolished or how long the building of the new structure will take. You can see the full planning details plans for the new structure here.

Everything in the garden's rosy

Gardeners across Sheen are currently titivating their lawns, pruning their shrubs and tending to their herbaceous borders in readiness for the garden event of the year - the FiSH Open Gardens - which this year will feature 20 gardens.

It is unquestionably one of the Bugle’s favourite events of the year. As keen gardeners ourselves, visiting fellow garden lovers’ plots is a fantastic way to be inspired. We also try our hardest to keep jealousy at bay when we encounter green fly free roses and hostas that have never been eaten by slugs, or indeed beautiful lawns and beds in south facing spaces not to mention the odd swimming pool.

It's the perfect Sunday afternoon out involving exercise- walking from garden to garden - and enjoying the odd slice of cake, or cup of tea, or glass of Pimm’s from the FiSH stands dotted around the route.

You can find out more and book your tickets here on the FiSH website.

Beverley Close, SW13                                                         £5,250,000

When two fairs collide

Barnes may be small but as far as festivals and events go, it definitely punches above its weight. From spring to autumn there’s a blur of extraordinary events; world class music plus literary and children’s literature festivals. Our excellent Barnes Fair and the brilliant Food Fair also draw in the crowds. The newest event on the block is the Barnes Fragrance Fair on May 17, which is an unmissable day for anyone who loves perfume and wants to find out more about the flowering of chic independent perfumiers in the UK and Europe. 

With so many events to choose from its not surprising that there has started to be cross fertilisation between different events.

The roster of authors participating in the Barnes Bookfest is yet to be announced, but we hear that author Joanne Harris will be taking part to discuss her new novel Vianne.

The novel is a prequel to the multimillion selling Chocolat, following the story of its central character Vianne Rocher before she moved to the village of Lansquenet to open a chocolate shop.

To coincide with the launch of the book, Harris has collaborated with London perfume house 4160 Tuesdays to produce a new limited edition scent. Only 500 bottles of Vianne’s Confession are being made. Perfumer Sarah McCartney says “From the novel, we took unsweetened cacao, rose, geranium, tomato leaf, oak moss, Clearwood, cypriol, smoky labdanum, attar mitti, and light and dark musks. The aroma evokes salty skin and deep woody incense, sunshine, rain and earth.” You can try Vianne’s Confession for yourself at the Barnes Fragrance Fair. 

Heaven scent

Just a quick reminder to pop along to the Barnes Fragrance Fair on May 17. You will emerge smelling lovelier than you did when you entered and learn so much about the fascination world of perfumes

 

The hub of the fair is is a fragrance showcase at the Barnes Green Centre where you can try and buy some of the wonderful new scents being produced by Britain’s up-and-coming boutique perfume houses as well as some of the most exciting independent European fragrance brands. Fanning out from the showcase are events held at the Barnes Methodist Church which let you discover more about the world of fragrance and help you explore what scents suit you best.

 

You can find out more about the fair and book your tickets for its special events here on the Barnes Fragrance Fair website.

Heads up for hedgehogs

You may have noticed the arrival of some charming new road signs around Barnes encouraging motorists to look out for passing hedgehogs. 

 

Nine signs were installed around Barnes last month by the council and you 

can find them at both ends of Rocks Lane and Mill Hill Road, Common Road, Gipsy Lane, Queens Ride, Lonsdale Road and Queen Elizabeth Road.

 

The sites were chosen using data from the Zoological Society of London's Hog Watch Surveys which identified local hedgehog hotspots and known road crossing areas.

 

An estimated 10–15% of Britain's hedgehog population is  killed on roads each year. This is especially critical for small, isolated populations like those in Barnes, where hedgehogs live in fragmented habitats separated by roads. The new signs are intended to encourage drivers to slow down, helping hedgehogs move safely across roads and supporting the UK's National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy.

 

Barnes has an active hedgehog population living in a network of gardens connected by alleyways and specially created holes in fences, known as the "Barnes Hedgehog Highway" and all of us are encouraged to connect their gardens to this network to further support hedgehog movement and safety.

 

You can find out how you can help hedgehogs here.

 

What have our Ponder teams been up to?

The  installation of a safer crossing towards the station at Mill Hill, flood resilience projects, special markets at Holy Trinity Church and the plans for a Men’s Shed were all discussed at a Barnes Ponder 2 update meeting this month.

The transport team revealed that they are in discussion with the council to try and get a new Mill Hill crossing built together with a crossing from the Green to Essex House surgery. The team is working closely with councillors and Richmond Council’s transport team to represent the needs of residents for improvements to bus routes and is waiting to hear how TfL plan to address the issue of the bus turning loop on Howsman Road.  This team is also pushing the Council to identify dedicated bays for Lime bikes to stop them littering the pavements.

The Green Barnes team reported on the work of the Community Bluescapes Project to improve Barnes’ flood resilience including the installation of the first raingarden in Barnes, and the planned improvements to Beverley Brook and Barnes Green.  There’s one last drop-in session on May 10 where you can  find out about plans for the future of the green.  
 

Meanwhile, the High Streets Barnes team has been involved in the organisation of a series of markets at Holy Trinity Church by Hammersmith Bridge to support local businesses by driving footfall to the parade.  This team is also working with the Police and local businesses on the delivery of a Safe Havens in Barnes to provide support for people who are feeling vulnerable in Barnes for whatever reason.  Staff at these businesses are being trained, and the businesses will be clearly identified and promoted as part of the scheme.
 

One Barnes is making plans for a Men’s Shed in Barnes and expect to have more news soon.  Meanwhile, the Men’s Shed team is delivering some local projects while they wait for a home. They plan to repurpose the phone box by Hammersmith Bridge and one of the sentry boxes that have been removed from the bridge will be given a new home and transformed into a local lending library.
 

To market, to market

As we have mentioned above, the success of the monthly Barnes Pond markets is being replicated closer to Hammersmith Bridge near Castelnau with the inception of quarterly markets held at Holy Trinity Church.

 

The next one will be held on Saturday May 10 between 10am and 3pm so do pp along for a rummage round soume brilliant stalls selling antiques, collectables, crafts and unique design.

Rector says 'I do'

When St Mary’s new Rector Calum Zuckert arrived earlier this year it was a major life move as Calum and his new fiancée Anna had to uproot from their previous jobs, working in St Albans Cathedral, and set up a new family home with Anna’s two small children.

It’s been a whirlwind of unpacking cases, looking for new schools and settling in, whilst the couple got to know Barnes and most importantly the St Mary’s Church parishioners.

The whirlwind is continuing, as only five months after getting engaged, the couple are getting married, and while they could have opted for a swanky cathedral wedding in St Albans they are marrying in Barnes, in a new community that they have grown to love.

Calum says they didn’t think of marrying anywhere else. “St Mary’s is a stunning church” he says “and Barnes is such a beautiful place to live with such a cohesive and warm-hearted community.”

It is the sense of people pulling together to make things happen that has impressed Calum the most about Barnes.

“I joined St Mary’s at the start of the Music Festival, and it was fantastic to see St Mary’s being used as a hub of the community and so impressive to see how such a brilliant event could be laid on by volunteers, many of them St Mary’s parishioners. I’m a music lover and to see so many extraordinary performers coming to Barnes was incredibly striking too.”

For now, Calum is looking forward to his wedding (parishioners are invited to join him and Anna for a glass of bubbly afterwards), a week’s honeymoon, and then to getting back to immerse himself in the very vibrant life of the church.

Or pay by cash or contactless on the door

Discover 'The Flaneurs' at Olympic Records

The tiny shop that is Olympic Records may look like a straightforward emporium for collectable albums, but behind that respectable façade lurks a subversive artistic sensibility. Proprietor Roger Miles is a conceptual artist, and so is long-time volunteer Steve Mathews.
 
This month, Steve has curated a special exhibition at the shop related to a band that may-or may not-have existed: The Flaneurs. Rather like the artist Nat Tate, who was invented by novelist William Boyd, the Flaneurs, as imagined by Mathews, feel as though they ought to have an album gathering dust at the back of the shop. The exhibition is dedicated not to the eponymous indie band of early noughties fame, but to a fantastical creation with band members including the artists Asger Jorn and Marcel Duchamp.
 
The fictional band is linked to a quite frankly bonkers art movement born in the 1950s - Situationists International - members of whom believed they could bring down capitalism by subverting cultural artefacts like films and advertisements, or by creating ‘situations’ that would shake people out of their everyday complacency. Needless to say, the art movement spectacularly failed to achieve its goals and disbanded in the early 1970s.
 
Nevertheless, the movement’s avant-garde sensibility is being celebrated in Steve’s small exhibition, which features a range of Flaneurs promotional merchandise. Is it deadly serious, a satirical exercise, or a bit of both? You can find out for yourself by popping into Olympic Records between May 21 and May 25 (noon to 5pm each day).

Farmhouse with 5 acres

for sale near BATH

River House has 5-bedrooms plus

1-bed Coach House 

Near Freshford Station

in the South Cotswold AONB

5 acres, a large barn, swimming pool

and field school

£2,650,000 Freehold

info@riverhousebath.com

01225 722252

Contact: Penny (former Barnes resident)

Fit for a Queen

One of Barnes’ most indefatigable event organisers Anne Mullins (she co-founded the Bookfest and helped start the Fragrance Fair too) has just received a personal letter from Queen Camilla.

For many years Anne has been organising an event that aims to nurture a love of writing in primary and secondary school age children. Her Screen Your Story competition gives entrants the chance for their short stories to be published in a book and made into a short film.

Queen Camilla is known for her love of literature and for her interest in encouraging children to read more, so Anne thought she might be interested in receiving the book of winning entries. While she thought she might receive an acknowledgment from a Lady in Waiting, Anne was delighted to get a personal letter from the Queen herself.

Check out some very famous names at The OSO this month

There’s quite the line-up of famous comedians trying out their Edinburgh shows at the OSO this month.

 

Over two nights May award winning comics including Ania Magliano, Ahir Shah, Matt Forde and Pierre Novellie will be performing their sets in front of guinea pigs in the form of the OSO audience.

 

As the OSO’s blurb goes “Some bits will debut comedy genius, the kind of moment that will let you say to your grandchildren ‘I was there! I was there when it was first performed! It was brilliant and beautiful and changed me as a person!’

 

And some bits will be… less good. It’s a preview. We will pretend to the grandchildren that these bits didn’t happen.”

 

You can find out more here.
 

What's new in Barnes?

Barnes has already recently welcomed two new restaurants, Omm in White Hart Lane specialising in Lebanese food, and The Orange Thai in Church Road, and sometime in May or early June they will be joined by a brand new café on the site of the old Starbucks in Castelnau. Brekky, as the name suggests, will specialise in breakfast and brunch, and in a retro twist, its menu won’t be heavy on chia seed smoothies. Instead look out for full English breakfasts cooked to hearty perfection.

Meanwhile the Boat House café site on the High Street is up for rent again. The Swedish bakery and café chain Söderberg had expressed an interest in opening a new branch on the site, but we understand they no longer want to pursue this option.

There’s some changing of the guard with shops in Barnes too this month. Iris the clothes shop on Church Road appears is currently empty but this may just be for redecoration (we'll share information on the shop when we find out more). Across the road the finishing touches seem to be being put in place on a new shop called Carmel. We haven't been in touch with the owners so we can't confirm what they will be selling. Watch out for more news in the next issue.

And we can be heroes

Richmond Council announced the winners of its annual Community Heroes awards last week and, very deservingly, the Vine Road Community Growing Project was named as the Community Project of the Year.

The project is a true community affair. It’s a space where people of all ages and abilities come together to grow food, and by growing, sowing and learning together, the team of volunteers at Vine Road aim to reduce social isolation, build wellbeing and strengthen community cohesion.  The team at Vine Road say everyone is welcome; from young or old and from experienced gardeners or complete beginners. You can find out more about the project here.

Can you dig it?

 

Beyond the Vine Road project, there’s another fantastic team of volunteers who work on gardening projects across Barnes. Since launching in 2022, the Barnes Community Gardeners have contributed over a thousand volunteer hours to local community projects, including work at Walsingham Lodge, Essex House, Barnes Green Centre, Lowther School, and various Housing Association sites.

 

Their aim is to help those who cannot garden for themselves, to encourage children and young people to garden and to brighten up public and private spaces around Barnes. It’s a great project to volunteer for, and if you can spare a few hours on a Monday or a Tuesday they would love to hear from you. There’s no need to help out  every week so it’s not too big a commitment for anyone. Email Susie on susiebcg@gmail.com if you are interested in helping.

Summer walks and talks on the Common

The team at Barnes Common have announced a series of free summer walks, talks and workshops at their Community Growing project. All of them have a common thread or theme of resilience which refers to the ability of environments and communities to react to change in a way that enables them to thrive.

There will be workshops on growing, making scents, a walk in which you will be encouraged to appreciate weeds, poet Edward Adoteng will be talking about spirituality and gardens and Connor Butler a specialist in Queer Ecology will be celebrating diversity.

You can find out more here.

A very big thank you from the Bugle

When we asked last month whether readers would consider contributing to the cost of producing the Bugle, which is free for all to read, we were worried that we would end up with the equivalent of a few old buttons on a church collection plate.

 

That couldn’t have been further from the case, and we had many lovely messages from Bugle readers and lots of people buying us a metaphorical cup of coffee. Gifts ranged from £5 to an extraordinary £100 donation from one lovely person and we raised nearly £1,500 which is represents about 3 months in advertising revenue for us.

We want to say thank you so much to everyone who contributed to our appeal, it’s made a world of difference. We won’t ask again for another year but here’s a cheeky link to the donation page if you meant to donate last month and didn’t get around to it!

Could you be a Trustee for the Barnes Literary Society?

Every month when we mention the speakers for events at the Barnes Literary Society we’re amazed at the quality and diversity of the authors who come to meet prospective readers and discuss their books with an avidly interested audience. The charity’s 400 plus members have this year enjoyed talks from Andrew O’Hagan, Kate Mosse, Matt Chorley and JoJo Moyes among others. 

 

As a registered charity, the BLS gives grants to a number of local organisations including  Barnes and Lowther Primary Schools, the Castelnau Community Centre, Mortlake Community Association, the OSO and the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival.
 
There’s a board of volunteer trustees who are responsible for governance, strategy, financial and legal probity, grant giving activities and delivering the programme of events.  
 
The BLS is now looking for three new trustees to extend the board. If you have a love of literature and some expertise in the fields of social media and website management, or legal experience they would love to hear from you. Links to the publishing world would be an added bonus. Trustees need to be able to attend as many of the seven author events as possible plus the trustee meetings that take place the week before each event.
 
If this sounds interesting, all you need to do is contact the BLS Chair Sue Pandit to arrange a discussion. Just email info@barnesliterarysociety.org.uk .
 

Have you got space to support the arts?

The Barnes Community Players have sadly had to leave the premises that they have been in for 35 years. The space was used both for performing and storing their vast costume store, which is used not only for their shows, but is offered to schools. The volunteers behind the non-profit local amateur dramatic society give all the money they make from performances to local charities.

 

However, they will find it difficult to continue with this charity work without there being a permanent space available for costumes. The Community Players are hoping that a Bugle reader who may have some spare space will come to their rescue. If you think you can help just email barnescommunityplayers@gmail.com

Calling all young athletes

The Barnes Flyers, the junior branch of Barnes Runners, offers fun and inclusive athletics sessions for local children aged 6 to 16.  

 

Founded by four dedicated local parents - Elisabeth Chapple, Nick Paulson-Ellis, Mike McBrinn, and Vassos Alexander - the club has grown from a small group to over 100 young athletes over the years.

 

The 2025 season kicked off on Sunday, April 27, and young athletes are now enjoying  weekly sessions every Sunday from 10 to 11:30 AM on the brand-new athletics track at Barn Elms. 

 

Whether your child is a budding sprinter, jumper, javelin-thrower, or just wants to get ready for sports day, their sessions are designed to accommodate athletes of every skill level. 

 

The volunteers at Barnes Flyers promise to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for all abilities, expert training to build skills and confidence and an active and healthy way to spend Sunday mornings.

Sessions cost just £5 per child - no pre-booking is necessary.  To find out more interested kids and parents are invited to come along and see the action for themselves. Alternatively you can get in touch with the flyers by emailing them at
barnesflyers@gmail.com. 
 

Roadwork news

There are more roadworks planned for Barnes in the coming week or so. You can get full details by signing up for the regular council email, but here's a brief summary below:

Castelnau: Multi-way temporary traffic signals Junction with Baronsmead Road for Thames Water utility works on 08/05/2025. Contact: Thames Water 0800 316 9800.

Church Road: Two-way temporary traffic signals outside number 81 for Thames Water utility works on 09/05/2025. Contact: Thames Water 0800 316 9800.

Vine Road will be closed at the level crossing for Network Rail utility works, on 17/05/2025. NIGHT WORKS. Contact: Network Rail 07920 856 274

About the Bugle

The Barnes Village Bugle is an independent publication. People often think it's produced by the Barnes Community Association, but no, they have their own excellent email Prospect Plus. 

At the Bugle we endeavour to simply report what's going on in Barnes in as comprehensive and entertaining a way as possible. We have no agenda apart from spreading the word about the huge number of genuinely interesting things happening in and around Barnes and sharing information about local campaigns and news events.

If you have a story you would like to see featured in the Bugle do email us by clicking here.

We can't guarantee that we'll run it, but if we think it's going to be interesting to our readers then we'll publish your information.

If on the other hand you want to publicise a commercial venture then it's easy to advertise with us. Our mailing list has over 5,500 subscribers so you'll reach lots of people in Barnes very inexpensively.

The Bugle is a labour of love, not a profit-making venture. We pay to send it out and our mailing costs are covered by the fantastic support we get from Winkworth and our other advertisers. We'd love to get more advertising as that would at least go some way into covering the costs of our time, so if you advertise with us you'll not only be reaching a large audience you'll be keeping a local resource going.

At the Bugle we endeavour to check information for accuracy to the best of our abilities. However we are reliant on information provided to us by third parties. On occasion, dates and times of events may be subject to change and we would urge Bugle readers wishing to attend events, or use a service mentioned to verify information in advance. Where possible we provide links to websites to allow readers to double check the most recent information available, as details can be subject to change.

 

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