Most villages and towns in this country have a town square or similar central area around which the community sits and events take place. Our Village Green is some distance away from the shops and public transport access and so this project (which was proposed in the Neighbourhood Plan) entailed refurbishing the area on the North side of St Jude's Road in between Victoria St and Alexandra Road to create just such a space. The trees and hedges had become very overgrown, blocking light from the homes behind and the space was redesigned to allow for a safer and more suitable environment and generally creates a more useable area in the centre of our Village - we now have a Village Square!

Creating A Village Square

To undertake the work, we received grants from Surrey County Council (thanks to County Councillor, Marisa Heath and others) and from Runnymede Borough Council (thanks to Borough Councillors Berardi and Gates). Work started on Monday 12th January through our not-for-profit company, EG Community Projects CIC and completed on 27th February 2026 with the two new trees planted in early March.

You'll notice the two original benches have been re-instated and there are two new additional benches on the way as residents asked for more seating in the area. We have a lovely new village sign mounted on an oak post which depicts St Judes Church at the top and cricket being played on the Green at the bottom. There's also an information board which will show local walks and places of interest - ideal for the many visitors we get to our village. Bike racks have also been installed at the Victoria Street end, again these were requested by residents as there is no where secure to leave a bike if you're just popping to the shops. There is power for our Christmas Tree which will be a much more accessible (and less muddy) location for it come December and lastly the two planned new trees have arrived!

In the second phase, we have a number of additional facilities on the way, so watch this space! In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our new Village Square and we're excited to have this great communal space for events and activities in the future!