Raynes Park and West Barnes Residents' Association
Serving the community since 1928
"And so, as we contemplate the star on the top of our tree, let us ask ourselves what dream it is we are pursuing at this point in our lives, what star we are following and whether it will take us directly to Raynes Park" - Barbara Toner in the Mail on Sunday's "You" magazine, 24 December 2000
But why on earth would anyone want to even visit Raynes Park or West Barnes, let alone live there, with all the problems reported in the monthly notes or the local issues and campaigns pages of this website ?
(In fact, even Barbara's article wasn't really describing Raynes Park as the Promised Land, but recounting how she got lost there while attempting to drive to Cheam. Still, it looks good out of context !)
Well, it's not all bad. Obviously the Residents' Association has to spend most of its time discussing things which its members don't like about the area, or unpopular proposals for change, but that doesn't mean to say that there aren't many good points. Garry Hunt, the Association's chairman, was contacted in December 2000 by someone who was planning to rent a house in the area. He had been surprised to find that rents were lower than he had expected, and was therefore worried that perhaps it wouldn't such a good place to live as he had first thought, so he asked Garry for his view of the area covered by the Association. Here are the good points about the area which Garry was able to list - obviously some of these are in danger, and other residents' opinions might differ, but it's good to be able to add some positive views to the website !