Hosted by Nicholas Owen, the Mayor was in attendance at one of her last public engagements, MP Vince Cable also dropped in to join 12,000 other visitors that helped raise approx £10,000 for two local charities. It shouldn’t be forgotten of course that the bus garage was open as usual and the fleet of 120 buses still managed to run on time for the whole day!

Photo: Peter Denton.

A wide selection of historic buses and support vehicles were on show for families and children to happily clamber over and look around – the first time for some young visitors and bringing back memories for the older crowd. Some historic buses looked out-of-place in Bushy Park at Chestnut Sunday but as local resident Alan points out, buses used to run through the park on their routes during the 1940′s/50′s – quite the scenic bus route.

The weather always has a strong bearing on how well attended Chestnut Sunday is and the relentless rain in the run-up to this year’s festival was casting a shadow over the weekend. Fortunately this stopped before the weekend with enough time to dry out the ground and the sun shone strongly on the day.

Over 10,000 people (and slightly more than last year) lined the route of the parade and joined in the fair and displays afterwards in the park. The usual suspects paraded along the historic Chestnut Avenue (designed by Sir Christopher Wren) including classic cars, military vehicles, police horses, historical actors and marching bands.

A huge queue showed how popular Park Lane Stable’s pony rides are and riders from the Horse Rangers Association performed choreographed formations to music.

There are plenty of Jubilee & Olympic events coming up for the area (news to follow soon) but in the meantime put this in your diary for next weekend. On June 8th-10th, Friday to Sunday, The Teddington Society and local businesses are hosting a Charity Celebration Weekend to help raise money for local charities.

Various goodies will be available in and outside shops on stalls and there will be live music, bubbles & balloons, quizes & games, raffles, 1940s tea party, design a tiara, cupcake competition and more!

Also on June 10th is this year’s Teddington In Flower where private gardens are open to the public to also raise money for local charities and not forgetting the first charity Vet4Life Dog Olympics – even if you are not entering any events, please register your interest if you are planning on attending.

Even dogs on the lead are at risk and sadly this week, one puppy was kicked and another was crushed & killed by a deer that believed it was defending its young. If all the reports are relating to the same animal, it has been acting in this aggressive fashion in a triangle between Teddington Gate, Sandy Lane and also spotted by Hampton Court gate.

Each year the deer give birth in the shaded areas above before the bracken growth is high – this cover is important to the deer that they use it to hide their young. The lack of shelter will mean an anxious period for the mothers. Even if you haven’t experienced problems with your dog being near the deer previously, the deer tend to react badly to dogs during the birthing season.

The club won the Student Championships in March for the second year in a row and now have a Commonwealth champion and many British champions amongst its numbers – it is becoming a breeding ground for weightlifting talent.

They have also recently won the London Regional Universities Competition and in June will be sending its under 20 & 23 teams to the Fulda Youth Cup in Austria. Along with other world-class athletes that train at the University, the world-class facilities are fast becoming synonymous for producing and refining sporting talent.

Our hugely successful Rugby team is looking for men and women players for next season – check out their site for details and you too could be part of the success story whilst playing in the beautiful setting of Bushy Park.

Teddington Antler James Lightfoot-Brown has recently been handed an England 7s deal! The club have congratulated him on this huge achievement and wished him well on his way.

Teddington Athletic are also on the lookout for new members for their football teams of various age groups. The Under 10′s in particular (Under 11 next season) are on the lookout for new members so get in touch and you could soon be cheering on your kids in the park regularly.

The club play on Saturday mornings and train on Thursday evenings in Bushy Park. There is an additional trial on the 26th May in Bushy Park near the main Teddington gate for those interested. You can read about other club news, opportunities for volunteering and sponsoring on their website newsletter.

As you might have heard, the London Olympic games are nearly upon us! To mark 50 days until the opening of the games, LBRUT have organised various celebration sporting open days across the borough.

To help warm up for the Olympics there will be an array of fun activities and the Teddington open weekend is open to all – you can try a range of sports, win competitions and challenges (with prizes) and reap the rewards of special membership offers.

Saturday June 9th at Teddington Sports Centre (Broom Road) 9am-2pm:
•Tennis 9am-10am (5+ years)
•Basketball 10am-12noon
•Wheelchair Basketball 10am-12noon
•Fitness Classes:
9:30am-10:30am Stretch & Tone
11:30am-12:30pm Zumba
•Gymnastics 10:30am-11:30am (5+ years)
•Table Tennis 11am-12noon (6+ years)
•Hockey 12noon-2pm
•Judo Tots 1pm-1:30pm (3-5 years)
•Judo 1:30pm-2pm (5+ years)

Sunday June 10th at Teddington Pools & Fitness Centre 12:30am to 3:30pm:
•Boxing 12:30pm-1:30pm (for adults and children 8+ years)
•Diving 1pm-1:45pm
•Swimming Races 1:45pm-2:30pm
•Water Polo 2:30pm-3:30pm

While she was at NPL to discuss TeenTech, an initiative she has developed to give teenagers hands on experience of real-world engineering and science.

Happy Potter Ceramics were featured in Woman’s Weekly this week, showing you how to make your own Jubilee commemorative teapot for your own street & Jubilee parties!

A collage of a walk in the park by Deon Scheppel – showing the many seasons in one day that we have experienced with the poor weather lately!

The wall of fame in Teddington Studios – past and present stars that have recorded TV shows here in Teddington. Photo: Ian McGraw.

Vince Cable & team campaigning & handing out balloons on Teddington High Street before the recent elections. Photo: SirSmartin.

“Swan and Statue – an hour before sunset. Altered slightly to give it a moonlit feel”. Diana Fountain is again under scaffolding for repairs. The current drought might also lead to the fountain being switched off alongside various water features in other Royal Parks. Photo (c): 4orty7even

“Romance” a moment captured at the station by gwingwyn.

First off, “Poetry in motion”: a bustling kitchen behind the scenes at Retro Bistro’s most recent Jazz Night with Goodstuff band.

A Back to the Future Delorian was spotted this week at Teddington Studios – as you might guess from the license plate, it is being used for filming Keith Lemon’s new Jim’ll-Fix-It style show LemonAid which starts airing tonight at 6:15pm. Photo: Andrew Clough.

A glimpse of the filming in action from the nearby Haymarket offices. Photo: Lynsey Row. Keith and crew have also been spotted in nearby Anglers pub for lunch and was happy to have his photo taken with fans.

Teddington Tigers Under Under 9′s team celebrate becoming champions. Photo and proud dad: Richard Keogh.

Mollie’s Easter Egg Hunt with chocolate eggs hidden by the Easter bunny amongst daffodils in full bloom – captured in Bushy Park’s Woodland Garden by photographer Jess Morgan.

One of many great sunsets we have been experiencing lately during the hot spell. Photo: Mike Pearce.

A bird has a cheeky paddle whilst the water is low at Teddington Weir.

Photo: Sunshine Soon.

Our beloved baroque Carnegie library – one of 600 built in the UK by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Photo: Jonathan Creaser.

Carluccio’s is coming! Work is well underway to refurbish the space for the new restaurant.

“The sun over bushy park” by Dan Jones.

A long camera exposure of the footbridge at night made a bit more interesting with the addition of the Met Police Helicopter overhead. Photo: John Frye.

Cook last week celebrated a year since opening it’s store in Teddington and providing “remarkable food for your freezer”.

A close-up of the wiring that is weaved within the green broadband boxes on our street corners – these are growing in number due to the local roll-out of the new high-speed BT Infinity. Peter Denton.

Spring is definitely upon us! Daffodils and crocuses have been seen peeking through the grass. Photo: DodderyIceDry.

This Ultramarathon covers 150 miles over 6 stages (days) across the Sahara desert, southern Morocco. As if the distance and heat doesn’t make it difficult enough, each competitor has to carry all of their own kit (bedding, clothes, food, cooking equipment) in temperatures sometimes exceeding 50C. The longest stage (day 4) is 84 Km which is 2 regular marathons back to back.

Despite describing himself as “no natural athlete”, Dave is competing in this extraordinary race to raise money for St Wilfrid’s Hospice and Macmillan, 2 charities that looked after his Mum when she fell ill with lung cancer. You can help Dave smash his £8,000 target by donating online here.

His training is done mostly in Bushy and Richmond Park, so if you see someone running along Teddington High Street wearing a backpack, water bottles and as much clothing as they can physically fit in, it’s probably him on his way to a long training session!

Dave has a great team of supporters that include his family, friends but also Physio & Therapy who have helped get him back on his feet after many an injury and barman Dermot from the Adelaide pub who has been ensuring that his nutrition is kept up to speed and who is also collecting donations from a charity bucket on the bar.

Getting up early in the morning to train canoeists on the Thames definitely its benefits, like this stunning sunrise. Photo: GB canoeing coach and 3 times Olympian sprint canoer Paul Darby-Dowman
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F1 presenter Jake Humphrey celebrates reaching Teddington Lock with a Vettel ‘number one’ finger. The Lock marks the halfway point on a 10k run from his home in Richmond as part of pre-season training that isn’t limited to just the drivers!

Someone clearly likes exploring local scenes early! A still and moody morning on the Thames and early morning reflections at The Architects Gallery. Photos: sardinista

We have so far escaped the harsh winter of last year but some frosty mornings have started to creep up on us and with the plummeting temperatures, this week will see some great winter scenes in the park. Photos: Max Ellis

An un-assuming semi-detached house has produced a steady stream of world-class athletes in recent years and made locals used to the sight of the “Teddington Kenyans”. PACE Sports Management under the leadership of Ricky Simms owns “the running house” where hopefuls eat and train together in nearby Bushy and Richmond Parks as well as the track at St Mary’s University.

Olympic, Commonwealth and World Champions have all been through the training process at this “enclave of excellence” where Mo first noticed how obsessed the Kenyans were with their training regime. At certain times of the year, PACE-managed Usain Bolt also can be seen training in the area, staying at a B&B and feeding his love for Chinese food at a local takeaway.

Although travelling the world for training and competitions, Mo regularly returns home to his home nearby and his beloved training ground. This weekend he was back running in Bushy Park again, this particular time with Stars Gym.

Teddington is seen by many as a ‘base of Excellence’ for training due to nearby Bushy Park, equipment specialists Sweatshop, personal trainers such as gym-free In-Kilter Fitness and sports injury specialists such as Physio & Therapy.

Even if you’re not aiming to be a professional athlete there is plenty of encouragement and advice available nearby and you can also join in the free Bushy parkrun every Saturday at 9am.

“Blue Matrix” by Sunshine Soon – a shot of Park House after the recent blue paint-job.

The happiness-sapping weather finally broke on Wednesday and early risers were treated to a glorious orange and pink sunrise. Photo: Chris Meara.

A tree at the Hampton Wick gate to Bushy Park bows under the ever-growing weight of discarded trainers. Photo: Adrian Nabarro.

A member of forum talkphotography.co.uk got up extra early to bag this bright and colourful sunrise over a pond in Bushy Park. Photo: Martin Patten.

A curious deer stood still for long enough to grab a shot of its reflection in a stream in the park.

Another stunning set of colours from a sunrise over Bushy Park, this time at Diana Fountain. Photo: dodderyicedry.

Last Saturday Sally Willis was the 1,000 runner across the line at Bushy parkrun – a combination of mild weather, increasing popularity and the kicking off of many New Year’s resolutions saw the largest numbers at Bushy parkrun by a long margin. Exactly 1,000 runners joined the run and Sally was fittingly handed her finishing token by Paul Sinton-Hewitt, the parkrun founder. By chance there were only actually 1,000 finishing tokens available! Photo: Peter G Smith.