Ann Tilbury Raffle Ticket seller
Ann Cecilia Harington (nee Tilbury) 25 October 1937 – 3 August 2025: Ann, News & Mail columnist and fearsome raffle ticket seller among her many accomplishments, passed away in August (Ann Tilbury's Family)

Chobham Carnival
Camels stealing the show at Chobham Carnival (Rob Searle)

Hospice dragon boat
The Woking & Sam Beare Hospice team take to the water in their dragon boat (WSBH)

Victoria Arch, Woking.
The Victoria Arch widening project was scrapped. (Google) (Google)

The Mayor of Woking Cllr Louise Morales with Second World War veteran with Ronald Chapman
The Mayor of Woking Cllr Louise Morales with Second World War veteran with Ronald Chapman for VE Day (WBC)

Gordon's School Pipes and Drums Band with King Charles III at Windsor Castle
Students in Gordon’s School Pipes and Drums performed for King Charles III at Windsor Castle. The King spoke to all 52 members of the Pipes and Drums and joined them for a photograph (Gordon's School)

Dance Woking celebrates 25 years Woking Town Centre in 2019
Dance Woking celebrating a landmark 25 years with a typically vibrant display. Lack of funding forced its closure this year (Dance Woking)

45th Horsell Scouts and Guides May Fayre
Energy aplenty in the Maypole dances at the Horsell May Fayre (Horsell Scouts and Guides)

Welcome to the second instalment of the News & Mail’s look back over 2025.

Although this covers May to August, for most News & Mail readers, and for those of us who work here, one story overshadowed all others: the loss in August of Ann Tilbury.

Ann, our much-loved columnist, passed away at her home in Horsell surrounded by her family. She was 87.

Her column was required reading for her many followers. She was one of a kind, and is greatly missed by family, colleagues and readers alike.

There was also much to reflect upon when Woking played its part as the nation marked the the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day) in May. The Mayor of Woking, Cllr Louise Morales, met local veteran Ronald Chapman, aged 101, to honour his and a generation’s service.

The spring and summer weren’t all serious though, with the regular highlights Chobham Carnival, the Horsell Scouts and Guides May Fayre, the Woking & Sam Beare Hospice Dragon Boat Races and Family Fun Day at Goldsworth Park Lake and the Horsell Garden Safari on hand to lighten the mood and raise funds for good causes.

Weightier stories did intrude from time to time.

The failure of Woking Borough Council’s Victoria Arch widening project was complete after the authority sold its stake in the Triangle site.

The £115million project had been paused in 2022 by the new Liberal Democrat administration amid fears of spiralling costs and disruption to residents.

Liberal Democrats candidates comfortably won the two by-elections contested in Woking in July but, echoing a national trend, the results showed growing support for Reform UK, a clear second in both.

In the Woking Borough Council Hoe Valley ward Deborah Hughes was elected with 1,118 votes, clear of Reform candidate Sean Flude (379).

Louise Morales took the Surrey County Council Woking South division with 1,939 votes, Reform again the runner-up with Richard Barker (584).

The review of the year will conclude in next week’s edition.