Nuggets 12/11/25

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This weeks welcome gets straight to it, local families in hardship need our community more than ever, and this week we are supporting an Elmbridge charity with a massive heart. Lets get behind this campaign and bring a smile this Christmas.

What started with one act of kindness in a Molesey park has grown into a local lifeline for families who need a little lift. Founded by Clare Bell, Smiles2Smiles began in 2012 after Clare met a mum who was heartbroken she couldn’t give her child a proper Christmas. Clare rallied her friends — and within hours, that family had Christmas after all. As with all these wonderful acts of kindness, it grew and grew, from a few hampers put together in Clare’s living room, to a registered charity in 2022.

This year, the need is greater than ever. Referrals have poured in from schools, churches, GP surgeries, children’s services, and community professionals — with over 300 local families now nominated for support. That means the team needs to find more than 1,000 gifts to make sure everyone has something to smile about this Christmas.

If you can help, it’s an easy one — you don’t even need to move off your seat! Just visit the Smiles2Smiles Amazon wishlist here and buy a gift, which will be delivered directly to them. 🎁
Alternatively, you can drop off new (not second-hand) items at the local collection addresses listed below. Find the list on Facebook, Every donation, no matter how small, helps bring a little light and joy to a local family this Christmas. 🎁 Items on the list start from under £1, so every single person really can make a difference.

I’ll be keeping you updated on how the appeal is going — let’s help Clare and her amazing team spread smiles across Elmbridge this Christmas. 💫If you are interested in volunteering visit the website here

After much speculation, the Pavilion Club has confirmed its sale — and there’s good news for the community. The site has been sold to another leisure operator, who plans to carry out a major refurbishment of the entire facility. The new owners intend to continue the Pavilion as a leisure destination, not housing.

In a letter to members, management said they were proposing to close the Pavilion Club and Little Crickets Nursery at the end of December 2025, subject to consultation with staff. Renovations are expected to take six to twelve months, during which it wouldn’t be possible to keep the site open.

The announcement acknowledged the sadness felt by members and staff after 32 years of shared memories, but also expressed gratitude for their loyalty and support.

While change is never easy, this news brings hope that the Pavilion’s next chapter will keep its community spirit alive.

The Nugget is here to help other businesses to spread the word — and to celebrate when the Pavilion Club reopens its doors, refreshed and ready to serve Molesey once again. In the meantime how about someone turns the old Poundland on East Molesey High street into a gym!

Surrey social enterprise Waste to Plate, best known for its buzzing community shop set within Vital Village community hub in Thames Ditton, has set its sights on taking over the running of the Molesey Community Centre. They are one of a number of groups who are in the process of making a bid to run the centre. It’s an exciting time for Molesey, —and let’s be honest, most locals will agree it’s hard to imagine anyone doing a worse job than the council has managed in recent years.

Set up by Vicky Zadeh, who was moved by the need for community-led action during the Covid pandemic, Waste to Plate began when she started collecting surplus food and rallying neighbours to help distribute it to those in need.

What began as a grassroots effort has grown into a thriving social enterprise that turns surplus food into community value — feeding people, reducing waste and creating a welcoming place to connect. Their Thames Ditton hub now has over 2,000 registered users and is powered by around 80 volunteers, many of them local Duke of Edinburgh students learning skills and giving back to the community

Now they’re asking Molesey residents what they’d like to see from the community centre — from food sharing and sustainability projects to social events and workshops. It’s important they hear from the whole community: if you’ve never used the centre because it hasn’t offered anything for you, now’s your chance to shape its future. Families, teenagers, and of course elderly and vulnerable residents all need a voice in what comes next.

👉 Have your say: fill in their short Google Form survey to share your ideas and help shape the future of the centre.
Click here for the form

You can also follow them on Facebook or Instagram for updates, and visit the website here

Thanks again for all your kind and supportive messages about The Molesey Nugget, keep spreading the word, and If you feel generous, fuel my writing with a donation! buymeacoffee.com/TheMoleseyNugget

Jules

Founder & Editor ( all the mistakes are mine!)