Members of the weekly Thursday Sunflower Café identified tunes from the 1950s to the 1970s as they played musical bingo at the Methodist Church Hall in Farnham’s South Street.

The café is one of the initiatives run by care agency Right at Home in Farnham, Bordon and Alton. People with dementia can go with their partners or carers to relax for a morning and take part in activities designed to stimulate people cognitively and physically.

Community co-ordinator Hayley Thaysen said it was all inspired by a belief that people with dementia could still be active members of the community.

She added: “When people are living with dementia their social lives can become restricted, but here they can chat to others as well as take part in activities. We find couples look out for each other and it’s very companiable. It gives them a support network.”

There are four regular volunteers at the café, two of whom used to attend with their wives but who now come to help run it. Right at Home also organises events and is currently planning a Musical Memories dementia-friendly concert at the Farnham Maltings on October 25 from 2pm to 4pm, and a craft exhibition at The White Barn in Runfold on October 23 from 1pm to 3pm.

Other initiatives are Singing for the Mind on Mondays in Bordon and Farnham, Love to Move in Farnham on Tuesdays, Time Together on the second Thursday of each month in Alton, and Sunflower Café on the second and fourth Thursday in Bordon. To find out more visit www.rightathomegf.co.uk or call 01252 783426.

On November 6 The Harting Society will welcome award-winning photographer and West Sussex resident Henry Dallal, who will present his adventures from around the world under the title Nature, Horses and Royalty.

His work has been exhibited worldwide and featured in publications internationally, and his royal commissions include the iconic final portrait of the Queen at 96.

Combining his love of travel, adventure and the world of horses, Henry journeys to remote areas to portray the splendour of rarely-seen landscapes and to capture the beauty of unity between man and horse through his camera lens. His diverse subjects range from the nomadic tribes of the Turkaman Steppes to the Household Cavalry in Knightsbridge.

The talk in Harting Village Hall begins at 7.30pm and the bar opens at 7pm. Non-members and guests are welcome, and are invited to make a contribution of £5. To join email Sarah Wilcox at [email protected]

This year Catherington WI is raising funds for the Rowans Hospice through sales, competitions and donations under the guidance of members Linda Piggott and Lynne Driver.

Rowans Hospice fundraiser Lilly Griffiths received a cheque for £1,276.45 from Linda and Lynne during the Catherington WI meeting at All Saints Church Hall on October 8.

This was the second cheque handed over this year. Fundraising will continue with a sale of goods and a tombola at the Christmas fair in Clanfield Community Centre on November 7.

The Rowans Hospice provides free dedicated palliative and end of life care to people from all over south-east Hampshire. It costs £7.8 million per year to provide its services and it relies on voluntary donations to cover as much as 78 per cent of its costs. For more information visit www.rowanshospice.co.uk

Surrey Border Movie Makers were delighted to welcome back local film maker, editor and scriptwriter David Fairhead to talk about his dramatised documentary film The Long Journey Home.

David has more than 40 years of experience in film making. Members were also pleased to give a warm welcome to Iain Philpott, the film’s cameraman, who also attended the evening with David.

David explained that the The Long Journey Home was a true story about two families who were united in marriage and divided by war, and how the families dealt with this.

The story was inspired by the house in Farnham in which David lives. After moving into his house in 2002, David became inquisitive about the previous owners. He made enquiries with his neighbours and was given the name of a previous owner, Betty Adams.

In 1938 Betty left the house in Farnham to marry a German called Rudolf Jebens. Rudolf died, and in 1946 a struggling Betty, together with her daughter Jutta, returned from Germany to live in the house in which she had grown up.

Many years later Jutta made an emotional return visit to her former home in Farnham, and she began to unfurl the story of her life. This, together with information from Jutta’s brother Dieter and David’s neighbours, enabled the story to evolve. The documentary followed Jutta’s emotional return to Germany, where she visited places she remembered as a young child.

The film started out as a short trailer in 2011, and was then developed into the start of a longer film in 2014. The lengthy and complicated procedure of editing was completed in 2025, after the extra scenes filmed in Germany were added. This all produced a 50-minute long and emotionally absorbing film. Several members of Surrey Border Movie Makers were involved in filming some local scenes for the film.

The next meeting on November 7 will be the Inter-Club Competition evening, and Surrey Border Movie Makers will be joined via Zoom by clubs across the country which have submitted entries into this year’s competition.

Surrey Border Movie Makers welcomes anyone interested in any aspect of film-making, including the use of artificial intelligence. The club meets on the first Friday of each month at St Joan’s Centre, 19 Tilford Road, Farnham. There is plenty of parking and the first visit is free.

For more information visit www.surreyborder.org.uk, email [email protected] or visit the club’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SurreyBorderMovieMakers/timeline

On October 13 Farnham Quilters held their annual general meeting and displayed quilts made by members for the 2025 challenge.

Each quilt had to incorporate ‘30’ in some way - blocks, fabrics etcetera - in honour of the group’s anniversary next year.

The challenge plate was won by Vera Hearn and the quilts will be displayed at the Farnham Maltings Quilt Show in January.

The group meets on the second Monday of the month at 7.30pm at the Spire Church in South Street, Farnham. Entry to the hall is via the double doors at the end of the path down the right-hand side of the church.

At their next meeting on November 10, members and guests - who are welcome for a fee of £5 - will be making a choice of four Christmas ornaments. For more information email Margie at [email protected]

The most recent donation to the charity Dementia Friendly Alton came from the coffee morning held every Tuesday at Alton Methodist Church.

Joan Longhurst and Angie Briggs presented the cheque to chair of trustees Karen Murrell, who confirmed that every penny will be put towards funding the comprehensive Monday to Friday programme at the Alton Assembly Rooms. She urged everyone to pop in between 10am and 4pm to find out more.

Alton Camera Club’s 2025-26 season began with a talk by Caroline Preece entitled Tools not Rules.

Caroline introduced members to a different way of thinking about photography and composition, challenging old beliefs and putting the emphasis on creating an impact with pictures while not sticking to traditional rules of photography.

Throughout September the club welcomed new members, who entered the first competition of the season on the theme Song Title.

A total of 52 pictures were entered. Judge Keith Newton awarded third place to Renee Smith for Miss You, second place to Paul Booker for My Eyes Adored You and first place to Andrew Sorrell for Pictures of Lily.

Members went to the Alresford Show at the beginning of September and later in the month took a trip into the New Forest, visiting Lymington and Hurst Castle. They walked the spit from Keyhaven to Hurst Castle, then caught the ferry back. Encouraged by blue skies and sunshine, they had ice-cream in Lymington before heading towards Brockenhurst in search of ponies.

They car-shared and combed locations in Hampshire and Surrey looking for clues and taking photos in the annual Safari Competition. They braved rain and sought out fishermen at Kingsley Pond, bicycles in Liphook, flags in Haslemere and things that float in Frensham, returning to Holybourne’s White Hart pub by the 4.30pm deadline. Lots of fun was had by all and the winners will be announced at the Christmas Social.

Upcoming field trips include a visit to the New Forest for a guided fungi walk and to London to visit Comic Con and sail down the Thames.

The club meets at Holybourne Village Hall in London Road every Wednesday at 7.30pm. All levels of photographer are welcome. For more information visit www.altoncameraclub.org.uk