The weather couldn’t have been more glorious on the big day – illuminating the teams on the hallowed turf after progressing through local and regional finals to the famous ground – becoming the cream of the crop from 1,800 schools and 15,400 pupils that took part.

Parents, teachers families and friends turned up to cheer on their teams and those who travelled from Teddington weren’t disappointed after Brentford went 1-0 up just before half-time with a goal from Hal Busfield. Various close shots failed to change the score-line and the Collis year 6 players proudly lifted the cup after a presentation in the Royal Box.

Both teams also were honoured to be flag bearers for the following nPower League 1 play-off final between Huddersdield Town and Sheffield United. Brentford captain Matt O’Riley also won Man of the Tournament for Brentford and also plays for Fulham’s academy.

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

BBC newscaster Nicholas Owen will be in Teddington Waterstones signing copies of his new memoirs ‘Days Like This’ from 9:30-11:30am. Afterwards he will be heading over to Fulwell Bus Garage with many others for the Trolleybus 50 day to compere during the proceedings that will mark the 50th Anniversary of the last trolleybuses to run in London.

The monthly antiques and collectibles market will be visiting Teddington at Elleray Hall on Saturday 9:30am-4pm.

The Teddington Society Environment Group will be carrying out one of their many litter picks, this time at the station from 10-12am. The Society are keen for the station to give a good impression to visitors to the town and to be welcoming for all that use it. If you see the team on the litter pick, say hi and you can even join in if you wish!

Finally wrapping up Saturday St Mary With St Alban will have arranged a Sports Quiz starting at 7:30pm to kick-off a series of community Olympics events. £12 per person will let you join a team for Olympic-themed trivia and includes curry provided by Teddington Tandoori.

Historic TFL Chestnut Sunday poster

First thing on Sunday there is a car boot sale at Sacred Heart Primary School 7:30-11:30am. Next up Bushy Park will be the destination for thousands of visitors for the historic Chestnut Sunday celebration. There hasn’t been much sun lately but the bloom has none-the-less appeared on Chestnut Avenue’s trees, let’s hope the at least that the rain stays away!

The parade Starts at 12:30pm on Chestnut Avenue at Teddington Gate leading towards the fountain and the grass area by the children’s playground.

On offer year will be:
• Traditional Fairground ‘Galloper’ Carousel plus other rides & stalls
• Arena displays, showing historical re-enactments and riding displays
• 50′s-60′s band
• Pony rides from Park Lane Stables
• Historical re-enactment groups from the Ancient Greeks & Vikings, English Civil War, WW1 through to the Gulf War
• Military Vehicle camp & stationary vehicle display reflecting Bushy Park’s wartime history
• Classic cars, motorcycles and cycles (including the Teddington Squadron)
• St John Ambulance & Police information and advice
• Displays about Bushy’s wildlife & history, lift up a tree, The Friends of Bushy & Home Parks, The Horse Rangers Association, Sports Clubs, NPL & more
• A number of local charities information stands and fund-raising activities
• Refreshment kiosks

Chestnut Avenue itself and access to car parks will be closed to traffic around the parade (12:15-1:30pm). After the parade the main fairground, vehicles and stalls event will take place all afternoon until 4.30pm. PS you can always get the Trolleybus there!

Four local watersports clubs are joining together on Sunday for a joint open day so that everyone can enjoy the fun on the Thames. Visitors will be able to learn how to canoe, dragon boat, outrig, row or skiff from 2-4:30pm at the end of Trawlock Way, next to Teddington School.

Iwan gave an inspiring talk to the school children and afterwards held a track and field masterclass covering the principles of running, jumping and throwing.

Watson said of the day: “Meeting Iwan was a fantastic experience that our pupils will never forget. He delivered a captivating and inspirational assembly as well as a very honest and insightful Q&A session.. It was a wonderful opportunity for the school to work with the Aviva Athletics Academy and showcase how brilliant and inclusive their scheme of work is and how it is developing our very talented athletes.

Proposals for a new free school in Twickenham have now progressed to the next stage of the Free School application process. On May 15th the group of parents behind this proposal will be interviewed by DfE officials.

As well as bagging many trophies this year, the year 6 boys team from Collis Primary School have trounced opposition in The Southern NPower Kids Cup regional final, scoring 33 goals and conceding just one and are now thrilled that they will play at Wembley for the League 1 playoff final on 26th May.

The Tumble cafe on The Causeway has been granted permission as has a new nursery on the high street (opposite Nova Fortuny) despite concerns from neighbours about lack of parking or dedicated dropping-off spaces.

If you have children could benefit from extra tuition on popular school subjects, Kumon should be able to help. The study centre provides maths and English programmes for students of all ages and abilities – the Teddington branch of Kumon is based at Teddington Baptist Church (Church Road).

Kumon helps your child study these subjects by working at a pace tailored to their individual needs, develop invaluable study skills and concentration establish a positive attitude to study. Kumon’s long-term focus provides children with the self-assurance and the transferable self-learning skills to realise their potential throughout school and life.

The hugely popular Theatrebugs workshops are coming to Teddington this summer. Theatrebugs hosts classes for children age 3.5-8yrs to help them improve their confidence and communication skills through drama and play, increasing the vocabulary and concentration but whilst having so much fun that they won’t notice that they’re leaning!

Theatrebugs provides extracurricular activity for your nurseries and schools as well as magical children’s birthday parties. Established in 2005 by two LAMDA graduates as a means for children to learn through play, Theatrebugs carefully designs each adventure to ignite your child’s imagination and allow their confidence to bloom.

Theatrebugs will be running our Summer course ‘The Animal Games’ at St. Mary’s Parish Hall, Langham Road from 13th – 17th August 9:30-12:30, and anyone who is interested can find out details on their website or by phoning 0800 9755290.

Also based at the Baptist Church is Messy Mittens where theme based projects are held every Thursday to encourage fun, creativity and gentle learning through play for 2-4 year olds. Their aim is to bring something fresh and fun to pre-school classes in Teddington and for your little ones to experience messy fun without you having to tidy up afterwards!

Messy Mitten’s trained Early Years teacher is a great way to introduce your child to becoming a little more independent and focused on structured activities by taking part in “splodgy, sticky fun”! Onsite is room to park your buggies.

Incidentally if your pushchair or pram gets a puncture, just a reminder that Moore’s Cycles (based in Kingston Road Teddington, Twickenham and Isleworth) can fix these and also have spare tyres for popular brands in stock if needed.

This year’s Richmond Borough In Bloom season is hotting up – the winners of the local school’s poster competition have been chosen with the overall winner Chloe Booth from Waldegrave School for girls with this colourful design.

Suggested colours for the posters as well as this year’s hanging basket and garden displays were colours of gold, purple, crimson and white to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee year.

Ebay (based in Richmond) also sponsor a schools project to engage pupils in imaginative and practical gardening projects at their schools.

As the Masters Squad clinching victory for the fourth year in a row wasn’t enough, head coach Ed Sinclair has led his swimmers to a record-breaking weekend that rounded off the year’s Middlesex County Championships with 12 gold, 7 silver and 13 bronze medals – a total of 92 medals for the whole championship.

Since this championship the club has also won 5 Gold Medals as Mollie Allen booked their places at UK National Championships and produced another medal winning weekend thanks to Gerrit Seipel and Tanya Ferguson who competed at the Guildford City Level 2 Open Meet.

Local Olympian Tim Brabants has chalked up the first of the two victories he needs to join Team GB at the London Olympics. Two more races will be held in May and the first to two victories will guarantee a rare chance to compete at home at the Olympic level.

As well as representing GB at the marathon distance this Olympic games, Scott Overall was also chosen as pace runner for the London Marathon to help the British competitors reach the Olympic qualifying time 2hrs 12mins. Unfortunately he had to retire after 9miles due to tightness in his hamstring to risk avoiding any injury.

Teddington Bowling Club was founded in 1910 and was originally played in Park Road next to The Park Hotel. In 1935 Teddington Bowling Club moved to the Grove where it flourishes today. The Club is a small mixed friendly Club and is always happy to welcome spectators and new members.

The outdoor season runs from May to the end of September. The Club is holding a “Come and Try” weekend on 12-13th May when Club members will be happy to explain the rules and how to bowl.

Teddington Rugby Club have had in coach Giselle Mather’s own words “the greatest escape” after narrowly avoiding relegation from the London 2 South West division that they only earned a place in last year.

The final game of the season saw Teddington beat Effingham & Leatherhead by 39 points to 15. Clambering away from relegation, instead Twickenham suffer this fate after a heavy defeat to Wimbledon. It’s no surprise that Teddington were in the relegation zone after suffering a huge number of injuries with 12 needing surgery but they fought bravely to a late comeback.

Registration is now open for Teddington’s first Dog Olympics! Organised by Vet4Life, 12-4pm on Sunday 10th June will see a smorgasbord of different breeds descend on Udney Hall Gardens (by the Landmark Arts Centre) to compete in a variety of events including: Best Trick, Marathon Down, Olympic Musical Hoops, Waggiest Tail, Doggie Limbo, Scurry Run, Temptation Alley and “Have a go, fun” Agility.

If you fancy joining in the action you can register your dog for one of more events or just come along to watch this great family day out. There will also be lots of doggie-related stalls and animal face-painting. Places are still available for stalls – call the clinic on 020 8977 3955 if you are interested, also if any experienced dog handlers can help out. A proportion of the money raised will go to our local animal charities.

On 21st and 22nd of April 2012, everyone from the local community (including non-members) are welcome to help celebrate the centenary and join in the fun during a special open weekend.

On Saturday 12-4pm there will be a mini sports tournament for teams of 6-10 players and competing in tennis, bowls, football, rounders and hockey – all followed by prize-giving BBQ and bar, all in the salubrious grounds overlooked by historic Bushy House.

On Sunday 9:30am-1:30pm there is a ‘Marathon Breakfast’ with kids activities followed by a fun-run or orienteering course. Email pavilion@nplsc.co.uk to enter your team.

Admission is free across the whole weekend and no registration is required to visit. The entrance to the club is on the corner of Queens Road and Park Lane. Dogs are not allowed on the sports ground.

The historic club was originally the Sports and Social Club of the NPL and other companies based on the site but now has open membership for all.

As well as the original team room, the clubhouse’s facilities now include Sky Sports HD on several TVs, free WiFi, several function rooms, PA system, pool table, snooker room and outside a bowling green, grass & astroturf tennis courts, table tennis courts and open grass areas for football, hockey, cricket, volley ball, rounders and archery.

A recent renovation is now being extended to include new changing rooms and any donations or sponsorship from private or corporations is welcome.

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.

The School’s children demonstrate various ways that they can support the Olympics in their community including tidying up, helping out with an Olympic Torch Relay school party, making Olympic flame-inspired cakes, hats, shakers and by planting Olympic-coloured flowers!

There will be briefings about how the games will affect residents and businesses across the borough in the days surrounding events being held here. These are being arranged by Richmond Council, the Police, TFL and The London 2012 Organising Committee.

Teddington’s meetings will be on Saturday 21st April 2-3pm at Teddington Baptist Church and Thursday 26th April 6:30-7:30pm at Teddington School.

As well as travelling through Kingston and Richmond on the 24th of July, the Olympic Torch will pass through Teddington on the Thames on the opening day of the Olympic Games – July 27th.

Sections of road along the cycle road race routes between Teddington and Twickenham have already recently resurfaced in preparation for these events.

Teddington’s main commercial streets will be a awash with flags and bunting, organised by the Teddington Business Community, to celebrate the Olympics & Paralympic and the road race events are expected to bring many visitors to the area.

If you won’t get a chance to make it to the London Olympics, there is a local version happening for dogs! Vet4Life are hosting a Dog Olympics on Sunday 10th June at Udney Park Green, with many fun-filled and skill-testing events for dogs and their owners. Local businesses are asked to join in by having stalls at the event – please get in touch with the vets if you are interested.

Richmond Council are investing the money into improving various aspects of the centre including tiles, paintwork, changing room lockers and benches.

Visitors to the centre will also benefit from improved ventilation and changes made to ceilings, walls and windows that will all help save energy and regulate temperature.

Councillor Pamela Fleming “The refurbishment is welcome news for its members and anyone interested in looking to improve their health and fitness.

I would also encourage residents with injuries to try the hydrotherapy pool. It’s a wonderful asset and one of a kind in London in that it can be accessed by the public without a referral.”

The centre offers a range of membership schemes with no minimum contract: from over 60′s swim-only discounts, gym/fitness centre only or swim-only rates (£38/£25 a month respectively) up to gold membership for £45 a month which includes unlimited access to the pool, fitness suite, as well as classes at this and other sites.

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.