GET ON YOUR BIKES TO NYMANS

Get on your bikes and cycle to Nymans Gardens in Handcross for a fun-filled family bike ride.

Join the CTC (the UK’s national cyclists organisation) and Sustrans free guided ride on the national route 20 on June 6th.

The cycle starts at Oriel High School and riders should arrive from 10am for registration.

The route will take riders under the railway to Furnace Green, through Tilgate to Thomas Bennett roundabout, under the subway to Broadfield, up the hill to Pease Pottage and along Tilgate Forest Row to Handcross.

The return ride will leave Nymans gardens at 12pm, aiming to be back at Oriel school by 1pm.

Children are welcome provided they are accompanied by an adult.

For more information log on to http://www.horshamandcrawleyctc.org.uk/

New fund launched to save money and energy

A new fund has been launched to help West Sussex businesses and organisations save money and reduce their carbon emissions.

The Utilise action fund is available for energy-saving projects, including installing insulation, and replacing lighting with energy efficient equivalents.

The funding has been allocated by the Climate Change Action Group, on behalf of the West Sussex Public Service Board, to benefit small and medium size businesses and third sector organisations. Any contribution must be matched by the business or organisation by 25 percent.

West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy Deborah Urquhart said: “This new fund will help businesses and charities that want to reduce their carbon footprint, but don’t have the capital to invest in energy saving improvements.

“The new initiative will help in a practical way to save money on bills and look after the environment.”

Funding is available from £1,000 to £10,000. The closing date for the first round of applications is Tuesday July 13.

Successful applicants will receive an assessment of their building’s energy efficiency before and after the installation of their energy-saving initiative.

Workshops are also being held throughout West Sussex over the next six months to give organisations advice on how to save energy and money.

Future workshop dates are: Tuesday June 29 in Chichester, Wednesday July 21 in Crawley, Monday September 13 in Worthing, Tuesday November 16 in Horsham and Thursday January 27, 2011, in Arun.

The funding and workshops are being managed by the West Sussex Sustainable Business Partnership.

For further information on the workshops and to download a fund application form, visit the website at www.westsussexsbp.org.uk.

MEDIA INVITE: Sporty families egg each other on at Bewbush Children and Family Centre

Families will be trying to ensure they don’t get egg on their face during a celebration of National Family Week next week (Monday May 31- Friday June 4th).

On Wednesday June 2 from 12pm to 2pm, they will be taking part in an egg and spoon race, skipping and obstacle courses at Bewbush Children and Family Centre.

They will also be T-shirt printing, card making, storytelling, plus enjoying a picnic.

For more information and contact details of the children and family centres, visit http://wsgfl.westsussex.gov.uk/cfc.

Chick-lit chat with Jane Green in Crawley Library

Spend a fun evening at Crawley Library with the Queen of ‘Chick-Lit’, Jane Green on Thursday June 3rd.

Jane will be talking about her latest book ‘The Love Verb’ and the recently published paperback, ‘Girl Friday’.

This is the New York Times best-selling author’s only UK talk, so it’s an ideal opportunity to get your hands on an advance, signed copy of ‘The Love Verb’, which doesn’t hit the shops until June 10.

Doors are open at 8pm and tickets are only £3.00. Call the enquiries and booking line on 01293 651751.

Crawley Community World Cup 2010

As we all know the World Cup is being held this year in South Africa.

I could see an opportunity to capitalise on the build up to the World Cup and originally was planning to do this in Broadfield but could see the potential to hold this across the whole of Crawley. What is being planned with officers from Crawley Borough Council and Members of the Community is something which will bring a lot of Cultures from the Community of Crawley together and engage with the Community as a whole. We may also be the only town around doing something like this.

The day of the Finals will hopefully be a big Carnival event with music from different Nations and food on Sale. This event should bring together the rich mixture of Cultures that we have in Crawley. It is looking to be a fun day with all being welcome. This is the first year we will hold this and hopefully it can build up into a larger event as the years go by. The Notting Hill Carnival had to start somewhere!!!

Planning team;

Lee Gilroy (Councillor Broadfield South)

Simon Pearce (Active Crawley Officer – F/ball)

Kathryn Ripley (Youth & Communities Officer)

John Dale (Community Liaison Officer)

Beverly Loxston (Marketing Officer C/Services)

Stephen Pearson (Neighbourhood Youth Worker)

Terence Mutongerwa (Crawley Black History)

To provide a community tournament based around the 2010 World Cup in South Africa engaging different communities coming together to play 5 aside football. Teams would be encouraged to compete as one of the 32 nations who have qualified for the World Cup to ensure the Crawley tournament reflects what is happening at the international competition.

The tournament will be based around community engagement/cohesion as the initial idea was around bringing communities together breaking down some of the barriers using football as the engagement tool. Information would be available for participants on further football activities/teams in the area as well as other activities. I have spoken with Crawley Town Football Club and they offer full support and would like to be involved in this project.

Competing Countries –

France Argentina Algeria Australia Cameron

Mexico Greece England Germany Denmark

S/Africa Nigeria Slovenia Ghana Holland

Uruguay S/Korea USA Serbia Japan

Italy Brazil Chile

New Zealand Ivory Coast Honduras

Paraguay Korea Spain

Slovakia Portugal Switzerland

The initial Knockout Matches are looking to be held during May Half term week commencing 31st May for U12, U14, U16, U18, with Adult and Vets played at the weekend or evening depending on facility available. We are looking at the possibility of the finals date being the Weekend of 17th/18th July. With the Crawley ‘Venture’ service possibly holding an U10’s Tournament. Various venues are being considered across Crawley and the final decision will be hopefully announced later this week.

We would also like to look at any offers of sponsorship for this with trophies and medals for the teams taking part. If any companies can offer support please get in contact with myself or any of the planning team.

Lee Gilroy (Councillor Broadfield South) lee.gilroy@crawley.gov.uk or 07593141806.

Up and a-weigh…how to avoid a small-scale problem

If you are flying up and away this summer weigh your luggage before setting out for the airport. That’s the advice from West Sussex Trading Standards Service.

Your home bathroom scales may not be totally accurate but they will give you a good idea of the weight of your luggage. Knowing the weight before arriving at the airport and the amount you are allowed to fly with could save you an expensive excess baggage charge.

Trading Standards also advise passengers to make sure the airport check-in desk scales are set to zero before luggage is placed on them. If they are not reading zero you may be paying more than you should for excess baggage.

The advice follows tests carried out by Trading Standards Officers at Gatwick Airport earlier this year. The tests found that of the 330 baggage scales at Gatwick 75 were inaccurate with 18 of these giving overweight readings.

The inaccuracies were caused by a combination of wear and tear and the build up of rubbish underneath the scales.

The faulty scales have now been corrected. Trading Standards Officers are working with the owners of Gatwick Airport to try to minimise similar problems in the future.

Peter Evans, County Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said:

“Our Trading Standards teams do their best to protect you. A bad experience at the airline check-in desk can cast a shadow over the start of your holiday.

“If you think you have been unfairly charged for excess luggage don’t be afraid to ask our Trading Standards experts.

“They will investigate and take the necessary action on your behalf.”

If you need advice on your rights call Trading Standards on Consumer Direct 08454 04 05 09.

Crawley Library wins top architectural award

The new Crawley Library has won an award for architectural excellence, from the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects. The annual awards celebrate the best examples of new architecture in UK and Europe, designed by RIBA members.

“We are very proud of Crawley Library. It has been very successful, and I am delighted to learn it has won an award for architectural excellence,” said Brad Watson OBE, West Sussex County Council Member responsible for the Library Service.

The new Crawley Library, designed by architectural firm Penoyre and Prasad, is three times the size of its 40-year-old predecessor, is now the biggest in West Sussex. It is part of a new £15million complex which includes a new register office and a suite of offices.

Among its low energy design features are windows allowing good levels of daylight to control power consumption and regulate temperatures across the seasons.

A biomass boiler and solar thermal panels have been installed for heating and hot water, and a naturally-growing sedum roof provides insulation and a wildlife habitat. Rainwater is harvested to irrigate planting.

Crawley Library’s technological innovations include pioneering the use of self-service terminals, now being introduced to other Libraries around West Sussex, and a nine-screen video wall. It also has a franchised café attached.

West Sussex singers needed to go the distance to London 2012

Singers of all abilities are invited to fill the air of West Sussex with music.

Preparations are underway for a unique open air choral event to take place at Tilgate Park, Crawley, on Sunday September 26. The core values of the Olympic Games of hope, excellence, respect, harmony and friendship are embraced in its framework. It forms part of West Sussex – Ahead of the Game’s commitment to building a lasting cultural legacy from the London 2012 Games.

A free taster session at the Hawth Theatre, Crawley, on Saturday June 12, 10am-1pm, will bring together all levels of singers, including those who can’t read music, so they can get a feel for getting involved in the ‘Whispering Woods’ event.

Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy, said: “This event will be an amazing sight to see and hear when it launches in September. We are piloting with 150 singers and hope to have more than 2,000 in 2012. Preparations are underway now to ensure all the singers are hitting the right notes.

“There is already a 70-strong ‘Whispering Woods’ choir meeting regularly at Westergate Community School, Westergate, Chichester, at 6pm every Monday evening in term-time, as part of singing group Bellacapella but more are welcome.”

Award winning composers and musicians will be at the event to help the singers find their best voice.

‘Whispering Woods’ will involve the singers and audience walking through Tilgate Park at twilight on Sunday September 26. The first of three events, this is in international collaboration with award winning choral directors Dessi Stephanova, London Bulgarian Choir; Emily Barden, Leader for Choirs and Voice, West Sussex Music Service and Bellacapella and Kaytie Harding, Voices From The Coalshed.

The 40 minute programme includes the premiere of newly commissioned repertoire by award winning composers, Kyril Todorov and Lynne Plowman as well as work by local composers Patrick Allen and Emily Barden. Free tickets are available now from The Hawth Box Office Tel 01293 553636

Changes to on-street parking charges

After a six-year price freeze West Sussex County Council has reviewed the price of on-street parking.

Charges have stayed the same since 2004 but will now be revised in July in line with inflation and rising running and maintenance costs.

The move will mean parking will continue to be self-financing and will not have to be funded through council tax.

The changes will also help to strike the right balance between on-street and off-street parking.

Derek Whittington, West Sussex Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, said: “On-street parking is designed for short stays. However if the cost is cheaper than nearby car parks motorists will often choose to park on-street rather than using the car parks.

“This can lead to congestion and pollution caused by cars circling around looking for on-street spaces, while car parks have spare capacity.

“To make sure there is a sensible balance, the on-street charges need to be the same or more than the cost of nearby car parks. This will create more available spaces for short visits by encouraging motorists wanting to park for longer periods to use car parks.”

The changes come into effect in July and relate to all on-street parking, including pay and display, vouchers and resident permits. It also includes the Pay and Display Albion Street Lorry Park in Southwick, which is owned and operated by the County Council.

The decision to revise the charges was made in November 2009, but the actual introduction of the new charges was deferred until July 2010.

The new charges will come into effect on July 1 for permits and July 5 for on-street Pay and Display and voucher parking.

The new Mayor of Crawley is Councillor Lee Burke.

Councillor Burke was elected at the Annual Council meeting on Friday May 21.

Councillor Carol Eade was elected Deputy Mayor.

Lee Burke was first elected to represent the Pound Hill South ward on Crawley Borough Council in a by-election in October 2003, and has represented the Pound Hill South and Worth ward since June 2004.

Lee was born in 1969 and moved to Crawley in 1987. He lives in Pound Hill with his wife, Councillor Alison Burke (who represents Ifield ward), and two of their four children.

Upon completing a business studies course at Canterbury College in 1986, Lee started working for the airline Dan-Air at their offices in Horley. After leaving Dan-Air in 1988 Lee spent nearly 10 years working in London for various divisions of the railway industry, leaving the rail freight company English Welsh and Scottish Railways in early 1998.

Lee joined local firm Thales Training and Simulation in 1998 as a finance analyst and then moved to work for First Choice Holidays in 2001, in their office located in Lowfield Heath. In 2009 Lee moved to take on the role of financial controller at Storm Aviation, an aircraft line maintenance company.

His chosen charity for the year is Crawley and Horsham Home Start.

Lee said: “I am extremely honoured and proud to have been elected as Mayor of Crawley for 2010/11. I look forward to getting out and about across the town and meeting as many people and organisations as possible.”

Swimming referral to boost health and wellbeing

One thousand residents are being offered swimming at no cost to help combat health problems.

The swimming referral programme will see participants, who are referred by health professionals or their GPs, given a book of 20 swim vouchers and the offer of lessons to improve their health and wellbeing and increase their sport and physical activity participation.

The initiative, which sits alongside the current Weight Off Workshop and Active Life Referral programmes, targets people who would gain significant health and wellbeing benefits from swimming and do not currently swim.

The card of 20 free swims will encourage participants to get into the habit of going swimming, with the aim of two swims a week for a ten-week period.

The scheme will also provide a 30-minute private lesson for people who may not have been swimming for many years and who need to build their confidence or a six-hour course (one hour per week) for people who are unable to swim or very weak swimmers.

Councillor Lenny Walker, Cabinet member for Leisure and Cultural Services,

said: “We have a fantastic swimming pool at K2 Crawley and it provides great opportunities for everyone but I believe we could help to improve the health of those who need it most.

“The swimming referral programme is a great way for people to enhance their health and wellbeing. Swimming is the most popular physical activity for adults and the most popular choice of activity for those who wish to start to exercise.”

“The programme is also a good example of partnership working between the Council, NHS West Sussex, Freedom Leisure, GPs, the Amateur Swimming Association and Crawley Wellbeing.”

Once a GP has referred a potential swimmer to Crawley Wellbeing, they will discuss their needs and issue the free swimming card and arrange any swimming lessons.

Following completion of the swimming programme participants will be assessed to monitor their improvement in health and asked to complete a questionnaire and return to Crawley Wellbeing.

A fang-tastic event in Crawley

Best-selling author of the ‘Morganville Vampires’ series Rachel Caine will be at The Hawth Theatre, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, on Friday June 4 at 2pm.

The event, organised by The Hawth, Crawley Library and Waterstones, County Mall, is for all ages and fans of the books about a girl whose hometown is overrun by vampires.

Rachel will read an extract from the eighth and latest book in the series ‘Kiss of Death’, followed by a question and answer session.

Tickets are £3 and are available from the The Hawth Box Office on 01293 553636, Crawley Library and Waterstones.

Crawley Council to honour four war heroes

Crawley Borough Council will have the names of four war heroes from the town etched into a war memorial following requests from the men’s families.

Private John Brackpool, Royal Marine Scott Summers, Gunner Jack Mills and Gunner Leonard Elliott will all have their names added to the war memorial at St John’s Church in the High Street on July 9 – which would have been Pte Brackpool’s 29th birthday.

Pte Brackpool, 27, died while on duty in July last year with the Prince of Wales’ Company, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

John’s mother Carol asked the council if it could commemorate her son’s life. The council instructed a stonemason to etch Pte Brackpool’s details into the memorial and asked the media to help find any other Crawley residents who had died in conflict and were not commemorated locally.

This resulted in family members of the other three men coming forward. All four names will be added to the war memorial, which is being cleaned next week in preparation for the stonemason to etch the names.

Marine Summers of 42 Commando was killed in Afghanistan in 2007. His mother came forward and asked if his name could be added.

Gunner Jack Mills’ nephew told the council that his uncle died in March 1942 and is buried in Ambon War Cemetery in Indonesia.

Gunner Leonard Elliott died in January 1944. He is buried in Syracuse War Cemetery, Sicily. His sister told us that Leonard was from Crawley and is not remembered on the war memorial.

The memorial currently has names of those members of the armed forces from Crawley who died in the First and Second World Wars. The remaining two sides are empty.

Depending on the weather, all four names will be added to the war memorial on July 9. The unveiling will be followed by a reception for families, friends and representatives from the four soldiers’ regiments at St John’s Church Hall.

Councillor Bob Lanzer, Leader of Crawley Borough Council, said: “Mrs Brackpool approached us with this idea of remembering her son. We are pleased to be able to help with this by adding his name to the war memorial on what would have been his 29th birthday.”

Mrs Brackpool said: “John was a Crawley lad through and through and proud to be so. Honouring my son this way is something he would have been proud of just like we are very proud of him. I think it is very important that we honour and remember all our heroes who have died serving their country.”

Carol Summers, Scott’s mother, said: “I am and always will be proud of Scott, whose passion was to be a Royal Marine. To be recognised and honoured by his local community would have made him so proud, just as we remember those who have died serving their country. We should continue to support those still serving and whose lives have been effected by their injuries.”

*WHAT’S ON*: A Kingly visit for Crawley Library

Award winning entrepreneur Will King will be at Crawley Library on Tuesday June 8 at 7.30pm to promote his new book.

‘The King of Shaves Story: How I Built a Great Business in Tough Times’, tells the story of Will’s journey from redundant salesman to Chief Executive of a multi-million pound business.

This should be an inspirational evening for anyone who is considering starting or maybe is already running their own business.

Tickets are £3. Visit the Library, or call 01293 651751 to book your place.

Youth Cabinet makes it happen with It Happens

IT Happens, a Burgess Hill based teenage parents group, has teamed up with West Sussex County Council Youth Cabinet to produce a hard-hitting film showing what life is like for young mums and dads.

The film is part of an innovative pack designed to help teachers and youth workers with sex and relationships education.

“As well as the film, there are also posters, scenario cards and leaflets – all designed by young parents to help teachers and youth workers deliver Sex and Relationships Education to young people,” said Pandora Ellis, Youth Cabinet Co-ordinator.

“The Cabinet worked with It Happens to present an updated view of what life is really like today for young parents. The hard-hitting result encourages staff to assist young people to make better-informed choices, using real-life examples and stories.”

Amber, 16, said: “Putting our experiences on film using professional equipment will help lots of others in West Sussex, so it was a really worthwhile project.”

The films received positive feedback when it was showcased at the West Sussex School Council Conference.

Pandora added: “The films cover the young fathers’ stories too – so the whole audience is involved, not just the females. We think this will make an excellent classroom discussion toolkit.”

Brad Watson OBE, County Council Cabinet Member responsible for the Youth Cabinet, said: “The pack was produced as part of a national campaign, and will be sent to all secondary schools in West Sussex.”

A more in depth package and also class visits/sessions can be arranged by contacting: ithappenssussex@hotmail.co.uk

Energy saving grants for businesses

Grants of up to £10,000 for energy saving projects are available for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and not-for-profit organisations in Crawley.

The Utilise Action Grants are designed to help businesses in West Sussex improve the energy efficiency of their premises. The grants, for between £1,000 and £10,000, are available to private businesses (SMEs) and not-for profit organisations, including charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises. A total of £86,000 worth of Utilise grant funding is available this year.

The grants are available to help organisations finance and invest in energy saving projects that will achieve a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Qualifying projects could include the upgrade of lighting to energy efficient models or the installation of renewable energy systems.

Successful applicants will also receive a free energy audit by a qualified energy assessor to produce a Display Energy Certificate (DEC) for their premises, both before the energy saving actions are implemented and a year later.

A DEC is accompanied by a report suggesting areas for energy efficiency improvement. Comparison of the two DECs after a year will help measure the success of the project.

If you would like to know more about how your business or organisation could reduce its energy and water consumption you can attend the Utilise Utility Management Workshop in Crawley on Wednesday July 21.

The workshops are free to attend and explore all aspects of energy, waste and water management and look for areas where savings can be made.

For more information on the workshop and the grants visit www.westsussexsbp.org.uk or contact Rowan Wallis on 01243 777348 or sbp@westsussex.gov.uk

For more information about the 10:10 campaign visit www.1010uk.org

Half-term fun in the dark at Buchan Country Park

Did you know that wine and treacle attract moths? Find out more interesting facts about the fluttering friends at Buchan Country Park in Crawley, during half-term.

The event called ‘Midnight Moths’ is being held on Friday May 28th from 9pm to midnight. It is a two-mile walk through the park, discovering moths and ‘night hawks’.

It is £3 per person, or £10 for a group of four people. No unaccompanied children are allowed.

Also on during the summer half-term school holidays are:

• Tuesday June 1st and Wednesday June 2nd – the ever popular ‘Buchan Bushcraft’ is taking place, where eight to 14 year olds can learn to build shelters, light fires, track animals and make fireside food. It is £15 per unaccompanied child, and includes a cooked lunch and refreshments. Booking and parental consent forms are essential.

• Thursday June 3 rd– the whole family can enjoy birdwatching from 10.30am to 12.30pm. ‘Family Birds’ is for beginners, which includes nest-building, making bird music and hunting for bird food. It costs £3 per child, with accompanying adults free. No unaccompanied children are allowed.

• Friday June 4th – ‘Pond Detectives’ has two sessions, from 11am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. A countryside ranger will help people to become an expert wild pond watcher. It is £3 per child, accompanying adults are free. No unaccompanied children are allowed.

Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy, said: “The half-term holiday is a great time for the whole family to discover wildlife and survival techniques in a vast and safe place like Buchan Country Park.

“Buchan Bushcraft is one of the more popular events, so book early to avoid disappointment.”

For more information or to book on events, phone 01293 542088 or email buchan.park@westsussex.gov.uk