Lifting the lid on "Hidden Elmbridge"

The borough made national headlines this year after being named as the best place to live in the UK for the third year running.

But its image as “the Beverly Hills of Surrey” does not ring true to many living in the area.

Renowned nationally as a haven for the super-rich and identified as the area that will be least affected by Government cuts, there is another side to the borough largely ignored by the outside world.

In the first of a series of reports, we reveal the side of Elmbridge where small communities of low income families live “hidden” nearby their more affluent neighbours.

The Hidden Surrey report of 2009, published by the Surrey Community Foundation, warned these “pockets” could potentially be cut off.

Helen Bowcock, author of the report, said: “Much of the deprivation in Surrey is hidden in a geographic, as well as statistical sense.

“In areas like Tyneside and Merseyside there are powerful reminders of hardship, with closed shipyards or mines. In Surrey the housing estates are low rise, tucked away and inconspicuous, leading to something of a prejudice that Surrey is an entirely wealthy county with little need.

“Surrey might have fewer people in difficult circumstances, but these people are experiencing the same difficulties in qualitative terms as they do in areas of more widespread deprivation, such as poor mental health, low levels of education, lower than average life expectancy.”

The Hidden Surrey Report revealed Walton Ambleside was the third worst area in the county for child poverty, with double the national average.

Walton Ambleside also came 14th in the survey's list of places with “multiple deprivation”.

The report showed poverty among the elderly in Walton North was two thirds above the national average, with Molesey South nearing this same level.

Mrs Bowcock said: “One of the key messages in the Hidden Surrey report was, where you get these low income areas side by side with affluent areas, there must be a way of people from the affluent areas giving other people support.”

She added, because of a lack of Government funding, areas of low income in Elmbridge increasingly had to rely on civil society for services.

One of these areas, Lower Green in Esher, has a thriving community centre, where activities for residents of all ages are held.

One resident, Lindsay Marshall, who grew up in the area, said: “When I was a kid growing up here, there was nothing and we had to hang out on street corners.

“This centre is a god send. It’s the heart of the community.”

The activities run by volunteers at the centre have been going since 2007, when organiser Jenny French was asked to help a group of women set up a toddler group there.

The centre in Farm Road runs classes in football, judo, languages, a mothers' group and a club for the over-60s, among other things.

The nearby skatepark has been also decorated by teenagers.

Mrs French said: "The people who live here don't neccessarily have access to other services in the borough - partly for financial reason and partly because of a lack of transport - so it important this place is here offering them these activities.

"The activities also give the young people here a focus and a sense of community."

The Esher Neighbourhood Fund has now been set up to develop the centre, after an application made on its behalf by the Surrey Community Foundation was successful in securing more funding.

Mrs French said this money would be used to start more activities chosen by the community.

Resident Becky Giles, who lives in Jospeph Locke Way and uses the centre, said: “This place in invaluable. It’s very important it’s here because we are in the middle of nowhere. It also gives the kids something to do.

“When we first moved here, I didn’t know anybody. But the centre means I can socialise with people and if I need advice about anything, Jenny French is always ready to help.”

MP for Esher and Walton, Dominic Raab, who has become a prominent supporter of the centre since he first moved to the area last year, said: “There is a high quality of life in this area, but not uniformly and not for everyone.

“The project is about saying we are one community and we look out for each other.”