On Saturday 3rd October, ’09 Crawley Happy Times had the privilege of attending the Celebration evening for the start of Crawley Black History Month.
In the foyer we were greeted by a couple of stands depicting various causes. On the first, we were greeted by Steve Innes of Crawley Fair Trade Group who are encouraging Crawley to be a fair trade town. You can see more on this here…
Steve Innes at The Black History Month event
Secondly, we met a couple displaying Senegal pieces from West Africa which consisted of hand crafted wooden objects which are ethically traded. You can read more on this here…
With an array of colourful outfits and smiling excited faces, the performers patiently waited backstage practising their acts. We decided to spend most of our visit behind the scenes, getting a insight into the perfomers and relishing in the excited anticipation. All performers, whether individual or as a group, were very professional and always happy to speak to us.
Firstly we spoke to Kelly Etchells who invited Crawley Happy Times to follow her on this wonderful journey. Kelly was accompanied by two beautiful backing singers, Angelina Treva Riley and Becka Jae and a team of amazing dancers. Kelly has a voice that is strong and powerful, lending itself well to any performance or style of music.
Next we met Amy. Amy is well known in Crawley for her brilliant renditions, mixing a strong singing voice with rap. This mixture of singing styles has catapulted Amy’s reputation as a well known artist, which we have no doubt will take her places in the future. Amy was accompanied by David on accoustics and a support rap artist Zeth.
Rishi was our next port of call. Rishi is a modest 13 year old local lad who has so much talent, I think it will take a few years for the full extent of Rishi’s talent to be seen in it’s glory. We first met Rishi at the Connect ’09 event in Langley Green. You can watch a video of Rishi on the Connect ’09 CHT write up, also on our Youtube account, The Crawley Happy Times. Rishi was sitting quietly waiting his turn to perform. We asked Rishi if he was nervous to which he replied “no”
Sharing a room with Amy, we met Aiesha who looked stunning in a beautiful white dress. Aiesha is a spoke word poet. Aiesha told us she teaches hairdressing at Crawley College but has been a spken word poet for a while but not in public or on stage. We wished Aiesha luck in her first performance, which she didn’t really need
Following the loud, atmospheric, ambient noise coming from one of the rooms, we popped our heads in to be greeted (in a very warm and inviting fashion) by the Diego Garcia Dancers. The colourful energy that exuded from this amazing group of individuals was electrofying. All beaming from ear to ear they told us they were very excited about performing. Later in the evening we snatched five minutes with Carolyn Murphy, Arts Development Officer, who along with her colleague Joanne Joseph form the Community Arts Team. Carolyn told us how much respect and admiration she had for this group of individuals after they had suffered such loss and how they had grown fruitfully in the face of diversity. Now that might be something worth looking into some more…
Finally we visited the last room which housed the local company, Stages Performing Arts led by Carol Black. All dressed up in some extremely gruesome outfits, the dance company were about to perform a rendition of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. We left quite rapidly as it really was quite scary to be amongst them. They looked amazingly real.
We were very honoured to be able to speak to the performers from behind the scenes and hope we have given you an insight into the evening which was not portrayed by other media’s. We will let the videos tell you the rest, enjoy :-)
Crawley Happy Times would like to extend a special thank you to Kelly for inviting us to come along for the ride, and to Craig Sanderson who worked very hard on putting the videos together, and what a great job Craig did Craig is available for photography and video shoots, so please contact us for further details.
On Tuesday 27th October, ’09 Sussex Bootcamp trainers Ben, Gemma, Katie and Steve escorted twelve Bootcamp members to Tulleys Farm.
The Sussex Bootcamp - It wa svery dark and scary!! Ooooo!
Tulleys Farm has set a reputation that is second to none as far as Halloween extravaganzas are concerned. And this year is no exception. The scenes were set and the scream factors were put in place. Let the fun begin!
We hear Tulley’s staff were sent to drama school, learning how to become more realistic. And how it has paid off! All the staff were warm, helpful and welcoming at every stage. Although there were some very scary looking members of staff in most areas (the dressed up ones of course). The remaining staff are constantly looking after your health and safety. On arrival we headed for ‘It’s Curtains Maze’ and how scary was that! As we walked through the maze we came across various sheltered sections which all held something different to make you laugh, cry or scream. We dare anyone to go through this particular theme without being scared at some point. Next it was to the ‘The Cellar’, then onto ‘The Field of Scream’, ‘Creepy Cottage’ and last but not least ‘The Haunted Hayride’. The effort and detail which has gone into producing such amazing and realistic event is tremendous. Shelley and the other Sussex Bootcamp members had a brilliant time and came away feeling quite exhausted, fulfilled and definitey eager to visit again next year.
Along with such great themed attractions, there is also plenty for the young ones to keep themselves occupied. The amenities are well placed with plenty of hot food including a hg roast, and of course candiflous for desert. Spacious seating areas and various other seating areas are dotted about, making it comfortable to sit and relax before the next fright. We personally, would not recommend the evenings for the younger family members, but the day holds all they could wish for. The large bouncy slide and tramplines are situated right next to the seating area, so you can watch them while relaxing with a hot drink. If that does not take their fancy, there is always the giant pumpkin!
In the past we have heard some people remark on the cost of entry to Tulleys Farm. We arrived at 19:00 in the evening and left at 22:30. During this time, we had not stopped for any real amount of time. The queues went down quicker than appeared, so most of the time was spent laughing or screaming! You can see all costs of entry here.
We grabbed an opportunity to speak to Stuart Beare, owner of Tulleys Farm, about how he started this wonderfully enjoyable attraction situated on the already well known Tulleys Pick Your Own Farm site. Shelley interviewed Stuart at the end of the evening, which was not such a good idea as she was so ‘wired’ with all the fun and screaming, she really was not quite on the ball. We forgive her though
Tulleys Farm is open for ‘Shocktober Fest’ until November 1st, so visit here and pre-book tickets today!
If you have ever considered going to this event but have not gone for whatever reason, including the cost, we would urge you to go along and experience this wondefully professional event as we felt it was worth every penny.
We would like to thank the Sussex Bootcamp crew for their enjoyable company and Stuart Beare for inviting us down for such an amazing evening.
A scheme to encourage drivers to stick to the 30mph speed limit in Somerville Drive, Pound Hill, Crawley, will start on Monday October 12.
The £25,300 West Sussex County Council scheme will involve provision of new road markings and signs, narrowing the road to create ‘pinch points’ and improving kerbs along the section of Somerville Drive between Selwyn Close and Balliol Close.
Henry Smith, Leader of the County Council, said: “We are aware of issues concerning road safety in the area, and it is hoped these improvement measures will help put the public’s mind at ease.”
The work is scheduled to take up to three weeks to complete, weather permitting. It will be carried out Monday to Friday, from 9.30am to 5pm, and Saturdays from 7.30am to 1pm.
Temporary two-way traffic lights will be in operation for the duration of the scheme.
On-street parking may also be restricted during the scheme.
To mark World Book Day next year, West Sussex Library Service is tracking down the county’s favourite read from the last decade.
Nominations for the ‘West Sussex Favourite Read’ may be for any book published in the United Kingdom since January 1, 2000.
The closing date for nominations is Saturday November 14, when the nominees will be shortlisted and announced in January for the final vote.
The overall winner will be announced on World Book Day on March 4, 2010.
“World Book Day is the biggest annual celebration of books and reading in the UK and Ireland and West Sussex Libraries always like to mark the occasion,” said Brad Watson OBE, County Council Cabinet Member for Communications, with responsibility for Libraries.
“In our modern society, book reading can be seen as an old habit, so this an excellent idea to get people back to the wonderful world of reading.
“To remind yourself of your favourite books over the last ten years, call in at your local Library where you will find a huge range to choose from.”
To vote, fill in the form online by visiting the West Sussex County Council website or clicking on this shortcut link. Alternatively visit your local Library where you can collect a form.
Child Benefit will no longer to be recognised as income when calculating Housing and Council Tax benefit from November 2, affecting hundreds of families across the town.
It’s predicted that about 300-500 families in Crawley will gain from this change in benefits by becoming able to receive this additional financial help to cover rent and Council Tax charges. Those who already receive Housing and Council Tax benefit will have their claims automatically adjusted from November 2.
For example, if a couple with one child paying £120 per week in rent have a weekly income of less than £378, they may become eligible for Housing Benefit.
Councillor Jennifer Millar-Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “I would urge people who think they may be eligible for this change in benefit to use our online calculator or get in touch. This is great news for hundreds of families in Crawley and will provide them with added financial stability.”
To find out more information, or to find out how to apply for Housing and Council Tax Benefits, call 01293 438611 or email benefits@crawley.gov.uk. To calculate whether you qualify for benefits under the new regulations, visit hereand click on the Taxes and Benefits link.
Improvements to the pavement on Mendip Walk, West Green, are due to get underway on Monday October 26.
The £23,100 West Sussex County Council scheme is expected to take up to three weeks to complete, depending on the weather.
Henry Smith, Leader of West Sussex County Council, said: “This work will improve Mendip Walk and is part of the County Council’s on-going commitment to upgrade pavements across Crawley and the county.”
Work will generally take place from 7.30 am to 5pm. On occasions work may continue on Saturday mornings from 7.30am to 1pm.
Two senior UK Fire Officers have started new roles in West Sussex. Sean Ruth and Lee Neale join County Fire Officer Max Hood and Director of Resources Matt Sturman to complete a new-look management team for the county’s Fire and Rescue Service.
Deputy County Fire Officer Sean Ruth joins West Sussex from Buckinghamshire. Starting as a firefighter in West Midlands before moving to Surrey, his career has included roles within the Department for Communities and Local Government where he helped advise Ministers and senior officials on policy.
Sean has also worked extensively with both the Audit Commission and Health and Safety Executive in their assessments of UK fire services, and was involved in the investigation of a major fire in Warwickshire that killed four firefighters.
Lee Neale has been appointed Assistant County Fire Officer with responsibility for the Services’ protection, prevention and response arrangements.
Lee has 25 years’ experience with Essex Fire and Rescue Service where he served in a variety of operational roles. He was the senior Essex fire officer in the response to the tidal surge, which threatened to flood East Anglia in 2007. He also worked with fire colleagues from 39 other countries in an international forum on wildfires that set policies, training and mutual aid arrangements.
Peter Evans, Cabinet Member for Public Protection, welcomed the two new recruits.
“Both Sean and Lee bring a wide range of experience and I am pleased they’re joining us in West Sussex,” he said.
“The Fire and Rescue Service faces many new challenges, as well as the more traditional, and by bringing Sean and Lee’s expertise into the service, our firefighters will be better equipped to deal with the future.”
BAA has today agreed to sell Gatwick Airport to Global Infrastructure Partners for £1.51 billion.
Cllr Claire Denman, lead member for Planning and Economic Development, said:
“Crawley Council has enjoyed a very good working relationship with BAA which has helped us to discuss and influence major airport decisions that impact on the town.
“The sale is certainly an interesting and exciting development and we very much look forward to meeting with the new owners to discuss future plans and build another strong and professional relationship with them.”
Completion of the sale is set for early December, subject to, among other things, EU merger regulation clearance.
West Sussex County Council has launched a recruitment campaign to attract children’s social workers back to the profession as the authority continues its drive to find local solutions to the national problem of staff shortages.
The campaign, in conjunction with Surrey County Council, will target qualified children’s social workers, who have been out of practice – whether due to a career break or because they have had a career change and who may be considering a return to social work.
The Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and the Council are sponsoring the course as the authority aims to reduce its social worker vacancies.
As part of the scheme, the council will provide a free return-to-work course, which will run between January and March. There will be 15 days of teaching and five days of on-the-job shadowing of a social worker.
Everyone who successfully completes the course will be guaranteed an interview with the council for a post in a frontline Children’s Services team.
CWDC will pay people on the course £60 a day and will help with childcare and travel costs. Anyone interested in joining the course can contact the CWDC on 0300 123 1220.
Pat Arculus, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services, said: “Social workers do a great job, often in extremely difficult circumstances, but it is a hugely rewarding profession.
“This campaign is part of our continuing drive to reduce our vacancies. It represents a fantastic opportunity for anyone wanting to resume their career after a break and is just one of the many ways the council is finding local solutions to a national problem.
“By attracting, recruiting and retaining the brightest and most committed people we will have an excellent opportunity to give vulnerable children in our county the best possible start in life.”
Meanwhile the County Council is continuing its ‘No Limits’ campaign to encourage people to consider a career in social work.
A dedicated website – [...] – includes details of vacancies, video profiles of social workers talking about the role, and what it’s like to work for the County Council.
Children could miss out on first choice school places in West Sussex if the Royal Mail strike that is set to start next Thursday is prolonged. The warning comes from Peter Griffiths, County Council Cabinet Member for Education and Schools.
The two critical deadlines are midday next Friday, October 23, for returning forms for secondary transfer, and midday on Friday November 6 for children starting at first, infant or primary schools.
“If the postal strike goes ahead, there is a very real danger that places which would be granted could simply be lost,” said Peter. “I am concerned that applications with the preferred school choices could get held up in the backlog of mail that inevitably builds up in the event of any industrial action.”
His advice to parents – complete and submit the form as soon as possible, otherwise you may not be sure your application has arrived on time.
Parents who have not sent off their forms yet are being urged to either fill in the form online, give it to their child to return to school, or take it to the school themselves.
You can find the online form by visiting www.westsussex.gov.uk then clicking Education, Admission to Schools, and following the links.
“We hope that the strike can be resolved between now and next Thursday, but if you are a parent, please don’t leave it to chance,” said Peter. “Do everything you can to get that form filled in and sent back as quickly as possible.”
On Thursday 15th October, ’09 Crawley Happy Times had the priviledge of attending the Crawley Sequence Dance Club in Tilgate,
We met Douglas Moyse while reporting on another event. Douglas told us about a group of ladies and gentlemen who meet every Thursday at St. Bernadettes Church, Tilgate to trip the light fantastic with classics like the tango, foxtrot and many other beautiful dances.
This Thursday happened to be their 56th Anniversary for the club. A few other clubs had joined them in thier celebrations. Douglas and his wife, Diana (who met at the club) have been attending for 25 years. In fact Douglas told us many of the couples present had , in fact, met at the dance club. The social side of the club is very important to those who attend. Diana Moyse said “the music is good and the exercise keeps the brain active”. Douglas Moyse told us “the alternative of sitting at home in front of the television is not very inviting”.
The visitors from the other clubs attending on this anniversary evening were having a wonderful evening. There was wine and cake especially for this special event, which was enjoyed by all. We spoke to one of the visitors Don Knight who said “it’s a wonderful evening. I have been here a couple of times before. I am the Chairman of Henfiled and Hurstpierpoint Sequnece Dance Clubs. I think it is a great past time. You get to know everyone and to make some great new friends”.
The club is always looking for new members. We asked who would be suitable to attend and were told anyone can join. Single, couples, expert dancers, new comers, young, not-so-young, anyone who wants to meet some wonderful people and get some exercise at the same time. The dance club meets every Thursday with an admission fee of just £2.50. Bring your own refreshments!
Crawley Happy Times would like to thank the Douglas Moyse for inviting us down. We had a lovely time and would encourage anyone who has a free evening to pop down to join in. Thank you for the wine and cake!
Will Young and Sophie Dahl paid a visit to Crawley Library in West Sussex last Friday to spend time with a group of local young people. Will Young shared extracts from Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, which his father read to him as a child. The group had brought in some of their own childhood favourite books which stimulated lively discussions with Will about old favourites and hot new reads.
The visit came about via Sophie Dahl’s involvement as a patron of the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre; as a passionate reader herself and very much in the spirit of her grandfather*, Sophie was keen to get involved with projects which help to nurture the love of reading. The Museum approached The Reading Agency whose ground-breaking HeadSpace project offers teenagers opportunities to get involved in the design, planning and running of their own library spaces.
Will Young and Leader of West Sussex County Council Henry Smith
Sophie’s project, funded by the Museum, supports HeadSpace groups by offering them real reading role-models from the worlds of music, TV and sport – celebrities whom the teenagers aspire to be like. In a series of closed events in HeadSpace libraries, a reading role-model will have an hour’s discussion with the HeadSpace group about their favourite books. In November, Sophie Dahl herself will be meeting teenagers at High Wycombe Library.
Sophie Dahl said: “Friday was a truly wonderful start to what I hope will be regular library events. Will was funny, generous, and spoke with passion about the role reading has played in his life. Teenage life is not easy. Sometimes in the wake of it reading can be knocked off the agenda. The HeadSpace project addresses this issue brilliantly and provides a perfect accessible setting for our reading role-model events.”
Will Young said: “I found it extremely inspiring to be around teenagers who were engaging, challenging, interested and with wonderful sense of humours. It reminded me why reading is so important. Books allow people to formulate their own opinions and identities. The HeadSpace project in my view provides an invaluable service to young people giving them the freedom to explore their imaginations.”
* “If, when you are young, you read just one book that is so funny and exciting that you fall in love with it, then…this … is almost sure to lead you on to become a reader of books for the rest of your life.” Roald Dahl
On Sunday 18th October, ’09 Crawley Happy Times donned their new t-shirts and set off for K2 Leisure Centre for the St. Catherine’s Hospice 10k.
The CHT teams waiting for the race to start
On the track waiting for the starting gun
Two teams were entered by Crawley Happy Times making eight runners altogether. They joined the rest of the entrants at the start line at 10:30 on a bright and warm Sunday morning. Everyone looked excited and slightly nervous, then the gun went ‘bang’ and we were off.
Around 600 people entered the 2009 10k run
And they are off!
After a lap on the K2 track we then left the stadium and went around Tilgate forest, over the M23 and then back again via a different route leading back to the K2 stadium.
We had a mixture of talent in the two teams entered. We had Daniel Manville who has run half marathons in the past (and did extremely well), Danielle James who is a young fit lady who has some running experience and Jennifer Griffiths who is a fitness instructor. They all did extremely well on CHT’s behalf. Then we had Shelley Fagence-Traynor, Michelle James, Emma James, Amanda Toyne and Jade Downey who were not so experienced although 100% effort was shown.
2009 10k St. Catherine runRunners making their way through the start
The encouragement from the other participants and the race officials standing at check points along the way, was immense. It was this encouragement that kept us all going. Daniel was way ahead with Danielle and Jennifer hot on his heals. Shelley, Michelle, Emma and Amanda decided to stick together on the way round and Jade was not far behind. Shelley was suffering from a bad bout of flu but managed to keep going, even running some of the way
St. Catherine’s Hospice is such a great cause. Requiring around five million pounds to keep up the much needed work they do for terminally ill people. All of which is donated in some form or another. St. Catherine’s give so much back to the community too. They hold many fund raising events which are fun and entertaining for all entrants and the community alike. If you have a fund raising idea, then don’t hesitate to contact any of the amazing staff members on 01293 447333 who will be happy to help you in every way possible.
So, the end of the run was in sight, and the legs were starting to feel like jelly. We entered the K2 track on our last few killometers and were greeted with a loud round of applause from the bystanders who had patiently waited for us stragglers to finish. We were even greeted by the Worshipful the Mayor Brenda Burgess and her wonderful husband Bob Burgess. The last few steps seemed like an eternity but the finish line was in sight and we all made a last deperate dash……and we were done! We were greeted by our families who looked on so proudly as we all gasped for breath and composure. We were given our medals by St. Catherines which we have all placed in plain view of all visitors to our homes
Shelley, Emma, Amanda & Michelle on the last stretch
(L-R) Danielle, Michelle, Shelley, Amanda & Emma
Crawley Happy Times would like to extend their congratulations to every one who entered. As Shelley’s youngest son said, “it’s not about winning Mum, it’s about taking part”. He is so right! If you feel you would like to be part of this next year either as an individual or as a team, please call Catherine Boulter of St. Catherine’s Hospice on 01293 447364 for further information. We are still accepting sponsors, so if you feel the need to contribute, please contact Shelley on 01293 572182 or email shelley@crawleyhappytimes.co.uk
A well deserved drink at the pub after. Well done to all!
All girls together
A special thank you goes to the eight individuals who took part as the Crawley Happy Times team and a thank you to Paul Sheldrake of Creative Vision Promotions for supplying the t-shirts which were wonderful! Roll on next year xx
Finished at last! Shelley and her son Logan who was there at the finishing line to congratulate his Mum
Our thanks to Creative Vision Promotions for the t-shirts
On Sunday 11th October, ’09 Crawley Happy Times were honoured to visit the Wingspan in Crawley to join in the celebration of Viv Cooper’s life.
If you thought it would have been a solomn event, how wrong you would be. The music was consistent and the visitors sat reminiscent of Viv and how wonderful a person he was.
It seemed like Viv Cooper, who sadly lost his fight againt leukaemia at the age of 49, may have left a larger legacy than he could ever have imagined. His friends and family class Viv as a ‘legend’ which anyone would have trouble disputing.
Faye Morgan belting it out for Viv
Another great session
We spoke to various people during the days event and this is what they had to say.
Margaret, Viv’s sister told us how she wanted to thank everyone for being so supportive and how grateful they are for all the events before and after Viv’s passing. Margaret said “so many people turned up to the funeral, it was very humbling. It made us feel very proud and we felt he had a left a great legacy”.
Danny Martin (aka Danny Dangerously) said “I jammed today with two of the bands and have had a lovely time. It’s all about Viv and his memory. Viv was always encouraging to any new talent on the scene. Always thought out of the box musically”.
Dan Walton told us “I used to run the Apple Tree and Viv would come down every week. Viv even held his own Jazz & World music night. Viv was such a lovely guy. Always brightened my evening, a true performer. He would have been proud of today and of his children”.
Talent galore, just kept coming
Even the young ones were glued to the performers
Speaking of Viv’s children, Dave, Viv’s brother told us Viv would have been so proud to see his son, Reece played the drums and his eldest daughter, Antonia sing with her friend Dani. Dave went on to say “the day has gone very well and I am impressed with the turn out. Dan Giles played some lovely blues and Viv would have been ‘chuffed to punch’ with the whole event. Viv was a great bloke, a great Dad and a great Uncle”. Margaret, Viv’s sister piped up at that moment pointing out that Viv’s jokes were the worst she had ever heard and crowned him ‘the king of bad jokes’.
Spencer Blackledge said in short “fantastic! Viv was a great guy. I am honoured to play here today”.
Malcolm Page & Dan 'Dangerously' Martin
Jo and her fantastic staff from the Wingspan
Faye
Morgan who is a local singer told us “it’s a worthy cause, I am really happy to be here. Hopefully we can make some money for the family”.
The Wingspan donated the venue free of charge. JoApps, the Manager told us “we are very glad to be the hosts for this event. We let it out free as it is for a good cause and hopefully the money will go to covering the funeral costs which the family had to pay for originally”.
Personally I don’t think I actually got to meet Viv, although I get the feeling our paths surely crossed at some time. What I can say is, the day was amazing! There was such a positive, cheerful vibe about the event, it almost felt like a birthday celebration rather than the alternative. If this is what the event organisers were looking to achieve, I would like to tell them, they did! Big time! What a day, what a man, what a legend :-)
For more infomation on the Wingspan and what it has to offer please visit here…
Jo told me membership costs £38.70pp and a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children U18) costs just £45.00 and we can personally recommend the food, yum yum
Crawley Millennium Concert Band was formed in 1999 as part of the towns Millennium Celebrations and gave its first concert at the Hawth Theatre, Crawley in January 2000.
Conductor Sally Hartley & Shelley from CHT
In the first ten years of its life, CMCB has toured abroad 5 times. In 2001 the band visited Crawley’s twin town Dorsten. This was followed by participation in the music and cultural festival in Gyula, Hungary to which the band has since returned. In 2004 the band toured the Ukraine taking part in the Independence celebrations and playing before an audience of 27,000 in the town of Ternopil. In 2008 they visited Rome performing at several venues, including the British Embassy.
CMCB in Hungary
Returning to The Hawth for 2009 CMCB belted out some fantastic music ranging from classical renditions to modern day melodies. CMCB play in their own style and not just note by note. Their style has made them a prominent band within the industry, worldwide.
Julie & Stuart McGlashan have been with the bad since the beginning
The band support local charities and this event was no exception. Home Start offer support, friendship and practical help to families with children under five who are under stress in order to help prevent crisis and breakdown – to give children the best possible start in life. We had the privilege of meeting some of the ladies from Home Start at the entrance to the Hawth.
Jane Brown, Gill Wright, Sandra Leppard & Jan Bond from Home Start
We would like to thank Mr John Fisher for inviting us down to see what the noise was all about.
Billy Delaney aka Young-B is about to follow in the steps of others by re-instating Crawley on the map.
Billy Delaney's Music Award Certificate, Nov '09
Billy became known to most of us last year when he won the Laserhub Music Award at the Youth Awards 2008.
Andrew Snowden presents Billy with his award
We asked Billy what incited him to become a singer. Billy told us his influence mainly came from his family who were always playing music around the house. His Mum and Dad influenced him with various flavours of artists. Billy’s Mum likes to listen to George Michael, Usher, 50 Cent and Akon whereas his Dad is into his Scar music such as Madness, The Specials and Bad Manners. “My Nan was also a massive influence on me and encouraged me to get involved with music at an early age. Nan was also the one who put me forward for the award, which I am eternally grateful for” said Billy, adding that his Nan passed away shortly after.
Billy went on to say he originally attended Thomas Bennett school in Tilgate but after a bullying incident which involved a sharp object he moved to Ifield Community College where the Head Master, Dr. Lind, was a tremendous help to him and his future. Billy said “Dr. Lind is a great Head who was always there for me. He was always encouraging and extremely supportive”. Billy said drama played a massive part in building his confidence, teaching him how to express himself. “I liked the happy positive side of drama and even played Fat Sam in the Bugsy Malone school production”.
Billy left school in 2007 and decided to apply for a place at Northbrook Music College. After successfully achieving BTEC first diploma in music in July 2008, Billy then went on to take his music career very seriously. Along with some college friends Billy performed at several gigs. By January they had all gone their seperate ways. Billy then met Chris Foster aka Mr Rampz who assisted Billy in preparing for his future. By the end of January, ’09 they had set down three tracks and are in the process of working on more.
In November, ’09 Billy won the LaserHub Music Award for his musical talents. Billy’s music passed on a positive message and vibes about knife crime prevention to the youth of Crawley. Billy told us knife crime was starting to become a prominent problem within Crawley at that time, so he felt compelled to do something positive through his music.
Young-B making his mark
We asked Billy what his plans for the future are now. Billy said “I have lots of plans for the future, but am taking it slowly. We here at Crawley Happy Times, would like to wish Billy all the best in his career. We will keep an eye on Billy’s progress and keep you up-to-date. Good luck Billy!
A new committee has been formed with one mission in mind. To restore Broadfield Park back to it’s former glory.
On Thursday 1st October over 20 Crawley residence made their way to Broadfield Community Centre to hear Councillors Alan Quirk and Lee Gilroy discuss the plans set out for this project.
All were keen for the go ahead
“Back in 1830 the house was used as a hunting lodge for Tilgate Estate (as it was called then)” one lady spoke up and told us. “I worked there when I was young. Previous to that, it was a hotel but went up in flames, with a horse drawn fire engine attending to battle the fire.
A large number of attendees
Up until the mid 80′s, Broadfield Park was a splendid venue for picnics and a spot of fishing in the lake. The ‘white house’ (as it was referred to in the 70′s) was a grand building overlooking the flowered gardens. In later years (early 80′s) it was the home of Radio Mercury. Unfortunately time took it’s toll and the garden became overgrown and unsightly in some areas. This is all about to change.
Currently the park is looked after by the Council who do their best to deter any unsavoury visitors or dumping of waste, but the park is still not used by the community due it’s over zealous growth.
The vision for the revitalised Broadfield Park
Alan Dixon, Assistant Parks Manager for Crawley Borough Council told the attendees “this is going to be a large project and we are appealing for volunteers from the community to help. Although everyone is welcome to assist, we are expecting most of the volunteers to come via Broadfield, Tilgate and Pease Pottage”.
John Braidley and Rachel Wickerson will be heading up the work on the dam, lake and landscape. John said “we have already done alot of work on the dam but the spillway needs further restructuring. This work is vital to the surrounding offices and homes as when it rains the lake can and has overflowed, causing damage in various ways”.
Colin Hayler, Friends of Goffs Park Manager, came along to show his support and told us a project of this magnitude is feasible giving Goffs Park as a great example of what can and has been achieved.
Also present, in support of the project, were the local constabulary in the form of PCSO Ashleigh Hanlon, PCSO Aaron Arnold and Community Warden Team Leader Sandi Forsyth. They told us the park is currently being used by unsavoury persons who leave dangerous paraphernalia which is unsafe to the rest of the community, so they wholly support the plans in the hope this will stop.
Friends of Broadfield Park Meeting
It soon became clear from this meeting that everyone was singing from the same hymm sheet. The plans were drawn and another meeting was set for Thursday 29th October at 19:00 with the first action date as Saturday 14th November.
Everyone is welcome to get involved. The work will entail planting shrubs and doing general cleaning up of the park. It was suggested Thomas Bennett School might want to get some of the children involved, maybe as an after school activity, so they can look back when they are older and feel proud of their accomplishment.
Crawley Happy Times thinks this is going to be a splendid project which we would encourage anyone to get involved in. It was a pleasure to attend a meeting with so many enthusiastic and caring individuals who really want to make a difference in the community they live in. Some of the attendees are dog walkers and happily take a litter grabber and bin liners with them, placing all the rubbish they come across in black bin liners which are then placed at pick up points for the council workers to grab on their rounds. How brilliant! Great work
On Sunday 27th September ’09 Crawley Happy Times popped down to Langley Green playing fields for a great day out with organisers Crawley Borough Council for Connect ’09.
Chris Marsden & Iris Adley from The British Red Cross
PCSO's Tony Cook, Matt Froud, Debbie Hewlitt, Michelle Jack & Matt Saville
The event was mainly for the youth of the community. Present were such advise organisations who were all ready and willing to discuss most subjects handing out handy leaflets for future reference.
The stage was set and the music was played. It becomes extremely apparent how much musical talent we have when you attend these local events. We took some footage for you to enjoy which you can watch below. Some interesting up and coming performers in our eyes.
Pat Nelson and his assistants of Jerk Chicken supplying great food
Rishi Sharma (aka KK) and manager Kennedy Mutongerwa
We also had the guys from Kung Fu Schools, Lindsey Murch and Alan Sawyer giving advise on self defense. Lindsey and Alan show the young ones how Kung Fu can build self asteem and confidence and help them if ever they needed to defend themselves. The participants, be it children or adults, also benefit from a great exercise regime, keeping them fit and health. Crawley Happy Times has been invited down to see what the school has to offer the community so watch this space…..
Alan and Lindsey from Kung Fu Schools
Here are a list of organisations present to give advise and support: -
Lloyd Aitken, Olwen Capper & Helen Brown - Family & Friends Network
The day, first of it’s kind at Langley Green, was a great success. Adam Welton, Youth and Community Outreach Officer for Crawley Borough Council told us 500 youngsters had attended the event, which is a great achievement for the first event. We are sure we will see Adam and his efforts again next year.
