Girlguiding Liphook District celebrated the 100th World Thinking Day by choosing a theme of ‘Friendship’ this year.

Members from Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers came together to try different Guiding activities from countries around the world from Croatia to Peru.

A new women’s networking initiative is bringing inspiration and connection to professionals across Surrey.

The She Speaks Supper Club, founded by former University for the Creative Arts student and Surrey-based public relations expert Jessie Wales, provides intimate events where women can share experiences, hear relatable stories and build supportive networks.

After 25 years in fashion public relations, Jessie founded her own agency in 2021. Despite its success, she felt something was missing from her professional life - the opportunity for authentic, inspiring social connections.

This led her to create the She Speaks Supper Club - designed as an alternative to traditional networking, where conversation and community take centre stage.

The supper club, which was launched in September 2022, hosts 25 to 30 women per event and features curated guest speakers with diverse and relatable backgrounds.

Because of high demand, Jessie introduced She Speaks After Hours, a larger mingle-style event accommodating up to 70 women while maintaining the same welcoming ethos.

The March supper club has already sold out, with 15 women on the waiting list. Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the non-transactional nature of the events and the supportive environment created.

The initiative also includes the Wins Before Dins programme, where small groups share weekly personal and professional achievements, helping members connect and collaborate outside the events.

Jessie emphasises the importance of maintaining an organic, community-focused approach and has plans to expand across Surrey, particularly in Farnham, Guildford and Epsom.

Longer-term ambitions include retreats in locations such as Chamonix and the potential to franchise the business model.

Jessie said: “Our goal is to create spaces where women feel seen, heard and supported. It’s about showing up as you are and leaving feeling uplifted, inspired and connected.”

For more information on upcoming events, visit www.shespeakssupperclub.com or follow @SheSpeakssupperclub on Instagram.

Take a note, Sir Alan Sugar: If you’re still scouting for apprentices then the 1st Petersfield Cub Pack mean business.

Sixers - older Cubs encouraged to take on leadership roles within the pack - were asked to come up with fundraising ideas for a charity fair.

And there were no failures in this task, with £73.50 being raised for Children in Need in a triumph of organisation, creativity and teamwork.

Petersfield Cub leader Melanie Robinson said: “The Sixers were given a slot in the weekly programme to run an event for their chosen charity.

“They came up with events in which all the Cubs could take part. Each came up with a stall for a fair as well as other fundraising ideas that the leaders could run.”

The Sixers rose to the challenge, making posters and to-do lists, and organising themselves on the day.

Stalls at the Sixers Charity Fair included a human fruit machine, pin the tail on the donkey, dizzy goal-scoring, a treasure map and getting table tennis balls into jars.

Fair-goers were charged 10p a go on every activity, with friends and relatives of the Cubs joining in with the fun. While the leader-run cake stall and book raffle were popular, every Cub played their part.

Melanie added: “Part of being a Cub is helping others. As well as giving young people new opportunities and challenges, taking part in fun activities which help others is also important.”

The Cubs have also been collecting used postage stamps, as the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance can convert them into funds. The whole pack encouraged family and friends to cut used stamps off envelopes over the festive period.

The 1st Petersfield Beavers and Scouts also took part, along with the local Guide company, with Cubs also using the stamps as part of their International Challenge.

At the Haslemere Morning WI meeting held on February 17 at the Haslemere Hall, the members were reminded of the lunch in March and of an outing in May to Stansted House.

The recently held beetle drive was great fun, produced a lot of noise and featured a super afternoon tea. Courses covering absolutely everything can be reached on the web using the WI’s VIA digital learning hub, and members were reminded to read their magazine WI Life for more details.

Haslemere Morning WI members were fascinated and amused by Jackie Dimmock’s presentation of tales from her 30 years as a Hampshire police officer.

She had brought a banner which gave the title to her talk and, as a non-aficionado of PowerPoint presentations, she hung her embroidered and appliquéd panels which illustrated hilarious moments during her police life.

Among the 12 mini-quilts was one showing her climbing over a wall by a supposedly locked gate in stockings and suspenders - back-up arrived and just opened the gate.

Another verified that the noises heard on night patrol were not necessarily passion or murder, but foxes, while a third depicted drunk youths using a wall as a urinal. The commentary was very descriptive and funny. Paddie Field gave the vote of thanks.

Jenny Hill

The year 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the setting up of the Farnham Theatre Association.

The association was set up to fight for the reopening of the Redgrave Theatre, and subsequently to promote the cause of a suitable replacement and the provision of theatre in Farnham.

Attending the launch were Anne Cooper, Farnham mayor Michael Clark, Abigail McKern, John Price, Susan Jameson, James Bolam, Ellis Nicholls, Marie King-Hele, Joe Marks, Brenda Longman, Mike Mitchell and John Levitt, of the Save London’s Theatres Campaign.

Following Anne Cooper’s decision to step down as chairman of the Farnham Theatre Association, the members of the committee presented her with a selection of theatre books and a particularly splendid cake.

Anne will remain an active member of the association’s committee, ready to pass on a wealth of ideas and enthusiasm.

After a gap of almost 39 years, the wit and cleverness of Tom Stoppard will once again be available to the people of Farnham - for one performance only.

The Farnham Theatre Association and Farnham Rep are jointly presenting a rehearsed reading of Tom Stoppard’s radio play Albert’s Bridge in the Brightwells Creative Space as part of the Farnham Literary Festival on March 15 at 6pm.

Tickets, priced £10, are available at farnhamliteraryfestival.co.uk or on the door

Members of the Petersfield South Downs Probus Club will enjoy a talk by Peter Gill, entitled Songs of the Great War, followed by lunch, when they meet at The Half Moon in Sheet on March 31 at 11am.

This will be Peter’s fourth visit to the club, following his very successful previous talks on Tom Lehrer, Noel Coward and 20th-century satirical songs.

He performs across the country - including Petersfield - to the delight of his audiences, and has been writing and producing different shows for the stage for more than 20 years.

Non-members are welcome to the talk and lunch (£22) or the talk only (£5). To book, or for more information, call the secretary on 07967 015596.

For more details of the club visit www.psdpc.wordpress.com

Alton Lions Club has donated 15 blood pressure monitors to Chawton Park Surgery.

The monitors, which cost £288, will be loaned to patients so they can monitor their blood pressure at home.

Monitoring blood pressure at home is highly recommended by the NHS and the British Heart Foundation.

According to NHS England and the BP@Home initiative, regular home monitoring offers significant clinical and personal benefits.

A big benefit is more accurate readings. Many people experience ‘white coat hypertension’, with their blood pressure spiking in a clinical environment because of the stress of being in a surgery or hospital. Home monitoring provides a more realistic day-to-day picture of heart health in a relaxed environment.

The NHS emphasises that home monitoring helps patients feel in control of their health. Seeing the immediate impact of lifestyle changes - such as better diet or exercise - on their numbers can keep them motivated, and patients who home monitor are more likely to stick to prescribed medication schedules.

Regular readings give GPs a diary of data rather than a single snapshot, helping healthcare professionals to confirm whether a high surgery reading was a one-off or a persistent issue, fine-tune medication doses more accurately based on response throughout the week, and identify ‘masked hypertension’, when blood pressure is normal in the clinic but high at home.

Presenting the monitors, Lions president Paul Taroni said: “I am proud to present these blood pressure monitors to Chawton Park Surgery, empowering patients by providing easy access to the tools they need right at home.

“We are helping individuals take an active role in monitoring their own health, allowing for more accurate readings and a clearer path on their long-term health journey."