News in Godalming

Shoppers on the High Street in Friday's sunny weather made a beeline for a stall selling face masks.

The stall, set up by Sewing4Good under the Rotary Club banner, almost sold out of the home-made coverings. The wearing of face coverings, of course, becomes mandatory in shops from next Friday (July 24th).

The sad end of a Godalming institution: the heart is being ripped out of the Barclays Bank building in Godalming High Street this week as workmen dismantle the interior.

The bank closed its doors on May 15th, blaming declining footfall as customers moved online.

A drive-in testing centre will be open to people with Coronavirus symptoms this weekend.

The site, at the Wharf car park in Woolsack Way, will be open on Saturday, July 18th, Sunday, July 19th and Monday, July 20th.

Fees for services at Guildford Crematorium have increased during the Coronavirus pandemic at the second highest rate in the country.

As the outbreak continues and families struggle to cover the cost of providing funeral services for loved ones, local councils are pressing ahead with prices rises, despite reduced services.

Godalming Leisure Centre is set to open its doors again next week, although there will be some changes.

The gym and pool will be open, although the pool will be for lane swimmers only, there will be limited equipment available in the gym, and exercise classes will be smaller.

Police are trying to reunite these items with their owners following the arrest of a man on suspicion of burglary.

Officers seized them in Witley and Godalming on May 3rd as part of a burglary investigation.

Waverley councillors are set to make a decision tomorrow (Wednesday) on a scheme to install a phone mast and four dishes on the roof of a retirement apartment building near the town centre.

If permitted, the plan will see a 5.5m telecoms pole, four dishes and four equipment cabinets built on the roof of Caesars Place in Ockford Road. The 31-unit retirement complex was built in 2017 on the site of the former Christian Science church.

CCTV cameras have been installed at Bowring House in Farncombe following complaints about anti-social behaviour by young people in the area.

The four cameras have been put in by Waverley Borough Council: two are internal cameras, and the others are trained on the car park and the footpath where it runs uderneath the building.

Following the announcement that face coverings are to be mandatory in all shops from July 24th, you might want to add this date to your diary: Friday, 17th July.

Godalming Bramley and Chiddingfold Scrubs will be running a stall in the town centre selling hand-made masks.

The Plastic Free Godalming Campaign has received a boost from Godalming Town Council, which has agreed to throw its weight behind the campaign.

It has also resolved to take several positive actions, including no longer buying any single-use plastic items for use at its meetings or in its offices, and where possible using non-plastic products.