Ride Capital to Coast for charity with Colets18 April 2013

For the second year running, Damian Wood, Colet’s Deputy Gym Manager is is organising a group of cyclists to ride the 60 mile Capital to Coast route under Colets' aegis, raising funds for two charities, Norwood and the Down’s Syndrome Association. The ride takes place on Sunday 30th June starting from Colets to finish in Brighton.

The event is being launched with a fancy dress charity fundraising evening – Cycling Through the Ages- hosted at Colets on Friday 24 May. Competition Trixter cycling, broadcast on a big screen in the Sports Bar, happy hour all evening until 10pm, dancing till 1am, an auction and a Hog Roast, courtesy of one of the events sponsors, Morgans BBQ.

The fancy dress theme is Cycling Through the Ages. Vintage bikes from Burts Cycles in Hampton Hill. Every penny of the £20 ticket fee will go to the chosen charities, Norwood and Down’s Syndrome Association – both of which provide support to families who have children with learning difficulties.

Last year 60 people rode 60 miles and raised over £15,000 for Norwood (photo). Damian stresses that it’s open to all ages, abilities and levels of fitness. You don’t have to be a Colets member to join in - visit the website and download a registration form. It is more about sociable exercise than hard competition. Other events being organised around the Capital to Coast event include; a 30 mile practice ride and BBQ lunch on Saturday 22 June, a Carb Feast the night before the event on Saturday 29th June and a Black Tie celebratory evening on Friday 5th July.

Contact damianw@coletshealthclub.co.uk to find out more or visit www.coletshealthclub.co.uk/news/capital-coast-2013

Keep Smiling3 March 2013

A smiling welcome to our local business index database for Walpole – The Orthodontic Specialists. They have entirely refurbished the former HSBC premises on St Leonards Rd and formally opened there on 28 February. The inside of the building has been transformed to include a comfortable patient lounge (photo), four clinics, a sterilising suite and x-ray room. Outside, gone is the weed-strewn patch and broken fence on the Kings Drive side, replaced with a small but nicely landscaped garden - open to patients when the weather improves.

The long established business has been moved from its former Surbiton location to accommodate growing demand for high quality Specialist orthodontics – that is, straightening the teeth of adults and children. Co-director Chris Gibbs believes that Thames Ditton is the perfect location – a community sympathetic to an independently-run business and liking good quality. Some general dentists offer orthodontics but many patients want a specialist service. Sharon Orton-Gibbs, a consultant-trained Specialist Orthodontist (with an excellent reputation for delivering great results with early treatment of children) provides the clinical direction. Early diagnosis of certain problems, perhaps as early as eight or nine years old, can dramatically reduce the amount of treatment needed, and Sharon encourages parents to take the initiative to refer children themselves.

Walpole – The Orthodontic Specialists: 15 St Leonards Rd, Thames Ditton, KT7 0RL
Tel: 020 8390 1839
email: reception@myorthodontist.co.uk
Website

Go, Gaynor, for Cancer Research11 September 2012

Resident Gaynor Owen, well-known in the village for many superhuman feats, and lately a blur along Church Walk, writes:
For all those with, those who've beaten it and those who've lost their fight with Cancer, I'll be running the ING New York City Marathon 2012 to raise money for Cancer Research UK

No, you don't have the wrong Gaynor Owen - it really is me and yes, I really am going to run the ING New York City Marathon on 4th November 2012...all 26.2 glorious miles (!) of it and by doing so, I would like you to help me raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Until a few years ago, those who know me well would never have considered me athletic in any shape or form! I avoided the gym at all costs, often opting for a shower and coffee to justify my gym membership. I had NEVER run, not even as a child. However, following one too many drinks at a party last year, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and into a pair of running shoes and a fully supportive sports bra (!) with the sole purpose of running the ING New York City Marathon 2012. Brave or foolish? Well, that remains to be seen!

Why New York? It was a place I called home in my early 20s and holds a very special place in my heart. My time spent working there made me believe that if you put your mind to it, anything is possible so it's a fitting place to take on this enormous challenge. It soon became clear when I first put my running shoes on that it takes much more than fierce determination to run a Marathon...although I am relying on that to help get me through on the day! I've had to learn how to run on a treadmill, on pavements and roads, with a parachute strapped to my back (!), while breathing, while talking, while drinking, while swallowing carbohydrate gels, in the heat, in the freezing cold, in the rain, in the snow, in full sun (not often!), while hung-over, while wearing a hat and gloves, while wearing sunglasses and most importantly not at all while injured which was the hardest of them all! It's been the most hysterical journey which has taken me from a non-runner to someone who can run a sub-2 hour Half Marathon...so that's the first half taken care of then.

Now, on to the reason for all this. Over the past decade, I have lost count of how many friends and family members have been diagnosed with all forms of Cancer and sadly we have lost many of them, not all of them old. Many of my "family of friends" - people who have been influential role models in my life - have gone, leaving a void that can never be filled. We've seen friends and their families try to cope with the devastation of the diagnosis, the emotional rollercoaster ride of surgery, follow-on treatments and the constant good-news/bad-news-what-will-tomorrow-bring uncertainty of it all. Some treatments worked, some bought precious time and some failed, allowing this hideous disease to take loved ones all too soon.

Running 26.2 miles will be incredibly hard work for me - it will mean taking one mile at a time, overcoming pain barriers and forsaking the urge to give up and go home but that is nothing compared to the strength that those fighting cancer have to find each and every day so if they can do that, I can certainly do this! Cancer Research UK is funded entirely by amazing supporters like you. By sponsoring me you can help more people survive cancer so please dig deep - I promise I won't be asking again! My target is £2,620 which equates to £100 per mile. Please click on to Just Giving to sponsor me. If you are a UK taxpayer, please remember to tick the Gift Aid box when donating as this will increase your donation by at least 25% at no cost to you.

Thank you - this means a lot. I shall be running in memory of my "Uncle" Alan, a fitness fanatic his entire life who managed to play his final round of golf a week before he passed away with Cancer last year.

Gaynor Owen

Thames Nippers11 September 2012

Two Mums - local resident Helen Chowne, a mother of one, soon to be two, and her cousin - have set up a non-profit website: Thames Nippers - one place for information on all local pre school classes, playgroups, soft plays, information on the local area (playgrounds etc.) and more. The website covers Thames Ditton and the surrounding areas (Molesey, Esher, Claygate, Surbiton and Hinchley Wood). Also on Twitter and Facebook, and updated regularly with things to do and make with your small children. Includes suggestions for your children's party, and a pregnancy section which provides some basic information on local classes and shopping.

Get your local business listed

Six in every ten people search online for local information every month. Over fifty percent of local searches are for a restaurant or some other entertainment, and most of the rest are searching specifically for a business phone number or address. People searching online locally are also motivated to take action. Studies indicate that nearly forty percent of searchers then contact a business online, while just over forty percent then make contact with it offline. You can get your local business listed in our new business directory free if you have advertising in Thames Ditton Today; or for a mere £10 (payable to the RA) if you don't. The more businesses are listed there, the more it will be used.