Reigate and Banstead Heritage Open Days continue over this weekend with plenty of talks, walks, tours and exhibitions in the local Susy area right up until Sunday evening.

On Saturday, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council throws open the doors to the fabulous Grade II listed Town Hall from 11.00am until 3.00pm. Inside the historic building you’ll have an opportunity to explore the magnificent rooms, meet the Mayor in his parlour and see his Mayoral robes, mace and other historic regalia. Displays will commemorate the 100th anniversary of WW1.
Local crafts will be on sale and displays will trace the early history of travel and transport in the Borough, including roads, toll gates, horse-drawn coaches, railways and the 120 year history of Finch Cycles in Reigate.
With a samba band, vintage police cars and other vintage vehicles outside the Town Hall, the day will have a real festival feel about it, with lots of exciting things for children, too, such as an exciting history hunt with Heritage Hatty and Heritage Henry and a Come and Make area.
To find out more visit R&B Heritage Open Day website or download the Heritage Open Days brochure.

Some highlighted events:

In Horley, the Horley Local History Society will be conducting a Horley Town Centre Walk on Saturday at either 11.00am or 2.00pm. There’s a £3 charge to cover the cost of a photographic guide to the walk which will help participants see the changes which have taken place over the last 100 years or so. The walk lasts about 1 hour and is not physically demanding.

There’s a short cello and piano recital at The Heath Church in Reigate at 2.30pm on Saturday. Light refreshments will be available all day, the church being open from 11.00am until 4.00pm. To find out more log onto stmaryreigate.org

Also on Saturday, at St John The Evangelist Church in St John, Redhill, between 10.00am and 4.30pm, and on Sunday between 2.00pm and 4.00pm, you’ll find exhibitions featuring the History of the Local Area, Stained Glass Restoration and a Francis Frith historic postcard display showing Redhill and Earlswood Commons in Edwardian Times. Find out more by visiting www.stjohnredhill.org.uk

On Sunday September 10th there are guided tours of Reigate Hill Fort between 10.00am and 2.00pm. Walk west from Wray Lane Car Park (RH2 OHX) up onto the North Downs. Reigate Hill Fort is situated just after the big TV transmitter masts. Visit the national trust website for further information.

Also on Sunday there are two-hour self-guided trails in Reigate Town, on Reigate Heath and the Reigate Treasure Trail. For more information on these visit reigatesociety.org.

The ‘Three (and a Half) Redhill Stations Walk also takes place on Sunday / today with guide, Bruce Healey. The walk starts outside Redhill Station’s ticket office at 2.00pm. Booking is required so call Suzanne Stronge on 07926 780710 in good time or email suz8lunch@yahoo.co.uk.

The Godstone based Orpheus Centre, an independent performing arts college for young disabled adults has been shortlisted in this year’s M&S Community Energy Fund and now needs votes to win the competition. The prize up for grabs, if they win is a share of a £300,000 fund set up to support renewable energy projects and technologies.

You can help by voting for the Orpheus Centre online at www.mandsenergyfund.com.

If successful the Orpheus Centre has plans to install new LED lights in their barn theatre. The theatre is mainly used for teaching drama, dance, audio recording and music but is also the place where Orpheus mounts its termly productions and weekly “Funky Fridays” where students share what they have been working on that week.

They want to remove the existing old lights and replace them with a new LED lighting system reducing power consumption, greatly reducing heat generation, reducing the need to work at height and meaning students can operate colour changes remotely.

The existing lights are in poor condition-many are broken beyond repair. Some of the lights are no longer produced making spares difficult to source. In order to change the colours, you have to climb a ladder, which makes them inaccessible for many Orpheus students who are disabled.

Student Tyler, a wheelchair user, described why the Orpheus Centre needs new lighting in their theatre: “It would be an awful lot easier when it comes to learning how to set up the lights for a show…because at the moment we have to let the sound engineering tutor set up the lights for us which isn’t very helpful when it comes to needing to develop our skills.”

Voting opens on 4 September 2017 and closes on 20 October 2017. Winners will be announced by 10 November 2017.