Crawley has won silver gilt and category winner prizes at the 2010 Britain in Bloom Awards – the first time the town has won the prestigious national competition.
Crawley was victorious in the large town/small city category, up against Bedford (Bedfordshire), Derry City (Northern Ireland), Fareham (Hampshire) and Whitehaven (Cumbria).
And the successes didn’t end there. Let’s FACE it! was crowned the best community project in the entire country when it picked up the Britain in Bloom Community Award.
And the residents of Bolney Court, in Bewbush, gained UK-wide recognition when they were awarded an It’s Your neighbourhood National Certificate of Distinction – a terrific achievement for them and for Crawley.
The results were announced at about 9.30pm yesterday (September 29) at a ceremony in Birmingham.
The Britain in Bloom judges’ said: “Crawley is to be congratulated on its Let’s FACE it! scheme, which has been embraced by every neighbourhood and has developed impressive support for the overall Bloom campaign.
“The town is developing a good balance between traditional floral displays and more sustainable planting schemes.
“The impact of the Bloom campaign was clearly evident throughout the town.
Crawley is a well deserved category winner. Congratulations to all involved.”
The judges also said that the “superb planting outside the Town Hall” was probably the best they had seen. They added that Tony Massimo’s allotment “was the best they had ever seen”.
They also liked the Bloom Boom campaign, being impressed with the “imaginative use of artwork in the town centre”.
Councillor Lenny Walker, Cabinet member for Leisure and Cultural Services,
said: “This is, yet again, even more fantastic news for the town.
“A huge amount of effort from council staff and volunteers go into making the town look as good as possible all year round. This summer was the best I can remember it – and the judges obviously agreed.
“Not only did the floral displays look great but the community was heavily involved too, something which the judges noted. This coming on the back of The Hawth’s Going Global grant award puts Crawley on the map nationally and projects a really positive image of the town.
“Well done to everyone involved – and who knows, maybe gold next year?”
This fantastic news follows the recent successes at the South and South East in Bloom Awards.
The town scooped the gold and category winner prizes for the large town/small city category at the awards on September 10. Crawley also achieved a stack of other awards at the South and South East in Bloom ceremony for its high quality parks and open spaces and the amazing work of community groups.
Veteran comedy actress and Petworth resident June Whitfield talks about her love of West Sussex in the latest issue of Taste West Sussex.
The magazine for West Sussex foodies has a range of articles, special offers and dates for your diary focusing on local food and produce.
Articles in the autumn/winter edition include:
• Sweet dreams – memories of sweets through the ages and the revival of the old-fashioned sweet shop.
• Autumn harvest – what vegetables are in their prime right now and why our cravings might not be for sugar…
• Forgotten fruit – the many varieties of fruit that used to be grown in West Sussex and where they are still thriving today, including mulberries, quince and persimmons.
• Game for game – how West Sussex restaurants and pubs serve game and where to buy it from.
West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Communities Brad Watson OBE said: “We’re lucky in West Sussex to have such a wide range of locally produced food and drink. By buying local not only are we being more environmentally friendly, but we’re supporting our local economy, which is so important in the current economic climate. Taste West Sussex is a great magazine and a really good read.”
There’s a special offer for all Taste subscriptions made this autumn. For just £8.50 three issues of Taste will be delivered direct to your door, and you get a free ‘Bag of Taste’ environmentally friendly jute bag and a spaghetti measurer.
If it’s for a Christmas present, there’s an extra ‘Bag of Taste’ for the person receiving the subscription.
All subscribers become a member of the Good Taste Club and receive a regular ‘Tastemail’ electronic newsletter with discounts, offers, recipes and foodie dates.
Taste West Sussex is available from a number of outlets including local food retailers. You can also read it online at www.westsussex.gov.uk/taste.
For further information contact 01243 777431, e-mail taste@westsussex.gov.uk or visit the website.
The next issue of Taste West Sussex will be out in March.
Music to your ears – now it’s easier to learn to play and sing
West Sussex County Council has made it easier for people to have music lessons. Now, any pupil in county schools can have individual lessons – pupils aged 18 and under can have 10 half-hour sessions for £145.
The County Music Service now also offers individual lessons to all adults of any ability. Weekly 20-minute lessons will cost £120 per term or 30-minute lessons, £180 per term.
“This new scheme will be music to the ears of the many people who want lessons,” said Peter Griffiths, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Education and Schools.
“Whether it’s the flute, for example, or violin, drums or singing in any style, our music teachers can give you the guidance and support to make learning an instrument enjoyable. There are orchestras, choirs, rock bands and other ensembles to join as well.”
Previously, one-to-one instrument tuition was offered only to students who auditioned for the award scheme and showed high musical commitment. All other students learned their instrument in groups.
For more information and to download an application form visit www.westsussexmusicservice.co.uk or email music@westsussex.gov.uk or call 01243 642361.
Last night we were called by Councillor Ali Burke who told us the great news about the accomplishments of Crawley in the Britian in Bloom Awards night at the Centennial Centre, Birmingham. Councillor Burke attended along with CBC Chief Executive Lee Harris, Karen Rham & Christine Aldous of CBC Parks & Gardens department and Ruth Growney ’Let’s Face It’ Co-ordinator.
The Call:
Councillor Ali Burke told us “we have had a brilliant evening here in Birmingham and are very pleased to announce the awards for Crawley are:
Silver Gilt award – Category winners in the Large Town, Small City category
Discretionary Community Award for the ‘Let’s Face It’ projects
National RHS Certificate for the outstanding community work by the residents of Bolney Court, Bewbush
We were awarded a beautiful glassed etched trophy for the Category Winners title and when presented with the Discretionary Community Award the judges said it was a unique community engagement prgramme by the ‘Let’s Face It’ team”.
We would like to congratulate everyone involved. What an incredible achievement. Councillor Ali Burke mentioned that Tilgate Park was nominated for the Best Park (even in the conditionit is now) but was just pipped at the post. Ali told us she felt Tilgate Park will wipe the floor next year!
Deadline for Controlled Parking Zone consultation extended
Residents and businesses in Burgess Hill are being given more time to respond to a consultation into a possible Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in Burgess Hill and its surrounding areas.
West Sussex County Council is working with Mid Sussex District Council on the consultation to test initial support for a CPZ.
Leaflets with a pre-paid reply slip were due to be delivered to 3,000 homes and businesses from Friday September 10 asking people for their views on parking in the town and whether they would support the idea of a CPZ.
However due to an unforeseen problem at a Royal Mail sorting office, not all the leaflets were delivered on time.
Because of this the original deadline of Friday October 8 has now been extended. The consultation will now close on Friday October 29.
The Hawth Crawley is delighted to announce that it has secured a grant of £99,999 supported by the National Lottery, through Arts Council England to develop and promote Going Global II, an audience development programme designed to offer audiences culturally diverse and international work in Crawley over the next two years.
Going Global II will give The Hawth the chance to further its programme of culturally diverse and international performances. The theatre will continue to showcase South Asian and African-Caribbean work while developing programming for emerging communities including Eastern European and Portuguese. The grant will also enable The Hawth to commission and co-produce culturally diverse work specifically for children to enjoy and to bring diverse communities together.
Councillor Lenny Walker, Cabinet member for Leisure and Cultural Services at Crawley Borough Council, said: “This is fantastic news and I’m delighted that we will be offering even more culturally diverse and international work at The Hawth. I hope the securing of this funding and the new programme enables more people to experience the arts locally.”
Sally Abbott, Regional Director, Arts Council England, said: “The Arts Council believes that the arts should be enjoyed by as many people as possible, and a project that seeks to widen engagement fits in with our mission of great art for everyone. We are delighted to be supporting this project and look forward to seeing people across Crawley enjoying the arts.”
Shows already set to attract the crowds include Tavaziva Dance’s Wild Dog capturing the beauty and elegance of Africa as part of Black History Month, The Jingle Dress which will transport little ones to Native America and there will be breathtaking dance in The Shiver which combines classical Indian dance and poetry by acclaimed poet and playwright Lemn Sissay. In the coming years The Hawth hopes to engage almost 200 artists, performers and theatre companies in order to attract new audiences with shows and workshops, giving everyone the chance to experience different cultures and create links with different communities.
This grant has also created an exciting new role at The Hawth as the theatre are now looking for an Audience Development Assistant to actively promote Going Global and co-ordinate community projects for the next two years. Anyone interested in the role can express an interest by emailing info@hawth.co.uk for more information.
On Thursday 23rd September the Crawley Citizens Advice Bureau celebrated it’s first birthday.
Interview: Here you see Shelley talking to Julian, Advice Shop Manager and Sarah, Chief Executive Officer for Central Sussex Citizens Advice Shop Bureau. Then Shelley speaks to Deputy Leader of Crawley Borough Council Duncan Crow. Next is Henry Smith, MP and Deputy Mayor Carol Eade.
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With the likes of Henry Smith, MP for Crawley, Deputy Mayor Carol Eade, Deputy Leader of Crawley Borough Council Duncan Crow, County Mall Manager Neil Carter, and many members of staff, the shop was filled to the brim.
On behalf of the community, Crawley Happy Times would like to thank the Crawley Citizens Advice Shop for all their hard work and advice which has helped over 6000 people over the last twelve months. Keep up the great work
The West Sussex Environment and Climate Change Board was officially launched last week, bringing together organisations and businesses to tackle the challenge of climate change.
The launch took place at County Hall North in Horsham, on Thursday September 23.
Developed by West Sussex County Council and partners, the Board is made up of organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors.
The Board met for the first time earlier this year and appointed Professor Bob Allison from Sussex University as Chairman, with County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy Deborah Urquhart appointed Vice-Chairman. The second Vice-Chairman is Les Bond, a Director with Southern Water.
Leader of the County Council Louise Goldsmith said: “This innovative project brings together organisations and businesses to look at how we can tackle green issues in West Sussex and be as sustainable as possible.”
To mark the launch the Board had presentations on ‘climate change and the energy system’ by Dr Jim Watson, Director of the Sussex Energy Group, and ‘meeting the challenge’ by Professor Gordon MacKerron, Director of the Science and Technology Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex.
Deborah Urquhart said: “There are many issues we can tackle together for the good of West Sussex. Initially we’ll be focussing on four key themes: low carbon and energy, green economy and skills, environmental resilience, and sustainable transport and infrastructure.”
Bob Allison said: “By working together as a group we can do so much more, for example developing a prosperous sustainable economy, moving to more sustainable energy sources, and a reduction in our county’s carbon dioxide emissions.”
The Board will meet regularly, with the next meeting taking place in late autumn.
On Saturday 25th September, the Green Glag Award for Buchan Park was honoured with a walk around and talk from Robin Edwards, Senior Ranger and many dignitories. Crawley Happy Times went along to enjoy the walk, talk and fantastic views. We even got to see a couple, Geraint and Kylie Roberts, on their wedding day, using the park for their photos and a very rare sighting of an Elephant Hawk-Moth Caterpillar! What a great day! Well done to all for the hard work that goes into making the area such an amazing park. riginal report below:
Buchan Country Park in Crawley is celebrating after receiving the prestigious Green Flag Award.
This national award is the national standard for parks and recognises welcoming, well-managed, high quality green spaces.
Buchan Country Park, owned and managed by West Sussex County Council, is a haven for a variety of wildlife and good for walking or enjoying a picnic. The Park also runs a series of events throughout the year aimed at encouraging people to enjoy the park and learn more about it.
The award is based on eight criteria:
• a welcoming place
• healthy, safe and secure
• clean and well maintained
• sustainability
• conservation and heritage
• community involvement
• marketing
• management
The Green Flag will fly at Buchan Country Park for 12 months.
Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy, said: “This award recognises the hard work that both staff and volunteers have put into ensuring that the Country Park remains a special piece of Sussex countryside.
“The park is enjoyed by many families and there are lots of events going on during the school summer holidays.
“Congratulations to all involved with Buchan Country Park, this award is a credit to them.”
For more information about Buchan Country Park and events, visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/buchan, email buchan.park@westsussex.gov.uk, or phone 01293 542088.
You can ‘Meet the Buchan Bushcrafters’ on video at www.westsussex.gov.uk/video and scroll down to the ‘Where we live’ tab.
To celebrate ‘National Liftshare Week’ West Sussex County Council’s TravelWise team are giving people the chance to win a place on a driver awareness training course.
Everyone who registers with westsussexcarshare.com during October will be entered into the competition to win a one-day course, worth £100. The County Council’s car sharing website matches up people who make similar journeys such as commuting to and from work and can also be used for occasional journeys.
Ten winners will be selected at random on Friday November 12.
The course is designed to promote safer and economical driving, which helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces the driver’s impact on the environment.
The first ever National Liftshare Week takes place from Monday October 4 to Friday October 8, and aims to encourage and enable more people to discover the benefits of car-sharing.
Lionel Barnard, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “Sharing car journeys is a great way to do your bit to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions.
“With the high price of fuel, car sharing is also a brilliant way to save money. Over the course of a year the average car sharer saves around £700.
“You don’t need your own car to join westsussexcarshare.com. Many members are happy to give someone a lift in return for a contribution to petrol and a bit of company.
“So why not be part of this national event and make your commute cheaper, greener and more social.”
Signing up to car sharing could be something you do to mark 10:10:10 on October 10. This global event is the biggest day of positive action on climate change. The County Council was one of the first authorities to sign up to it.
Compare West Sussex care providers online with the interactive version of the latest West Sussex Care Guide.
The 2010/11 guide gives information and advice on support and care services for adults across West Sussex.
The guide is jointly produced by West Sussex County Council and the West Sussex Forum, which is the largest representative body of independent care providers in the county.
It’s available on the County Council website at www.westsussex.gov.uk and on www.caringinfo.com. The Caring Info website is interactive and displays the Care Quality Commission overall star rating for each home, and enables people to select and compare care providers on the basis of their rating.
County Council Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services Peter Catchpole said: “The interactive website is now in its second year and is proving an extremely useful way of comparing care providers in West Sussex.
“The Care Guide outlines all types of care available in West Sussex and how to access those services.”
There are details of carers support services across the county, useful contacts and information on services such as telecare, the Regaining Independence Support Service and Meals on Wheels.
It also has listings for care homes across West Sussex, split into the different areas. Each listing has the contact details, how many places at each home and what type of care they provide. Registered care at home (domiciliary care) organisations are also listed. Day care services and their contact details are listed for the first time this year.
Paul Renshaw, Chief Executive Officer of the West Sussex Forum, said: “With the availability of the Care Guide and caringinfo.com there is no longer any reason to be uninformed, under informed or misinformed about support services in West Sussex. These two sources of information and self-help represent a unique collaboration between West Sussex County Council and voluntary and independent care providers.
“It is understood that nowhere else in the country is a care guide and directory produced as a collaborative, not for profit publication by a local authority and the independent sector.”
For a copy of the Care Guide contact your Area Office. You can also view the guide on the County Council website at www.westsussex.gov.uk.
International best-selling author Maggie Stiefvater will be ‘lingering’ at Crawley Library (RH10 6HG), on Tuesday 5th October at 6.30pm.
The novelist will be at the Library to promote her new book ‘Linger,’ which debuted at number one on the New York Times Bestseller list.
It follows on from the best-selling novel ‘Shiver’ and is the second instalment in the popular Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, the story of shy, sensitive werewolf Sam and his human girlfriend Grace.
Maggie will be chatting to readers about her writing career, answering questions and signing books. Waterstones will be selling a selection of Maggie’s books during the evening.
Brad Watson OBE, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for Libraries, said: “With the popularity of books such as the Twilight series, fantasy and drama themed novels are in demand at our Libraries at the moment.
“It is wonderful to have an international best-selling author visit one of our Libraries. The evening is sure to be very exciting.”
The event is free but advance booking is essential due to limited places.
Tickets are available from Crawley Library or the Crawley Martlets branch of Waterstones. Call the Library on 01293 651751 for more information.
Two town bands played in the Dorstival rock festival in Crawley’s twin town of Dorsten.
Press to Meco and Drop out Luke represented the town and both bands received a tremendous reception from the crowd.
This was the second consecutive year that Dorsten has invited rock bands from Crawley to the annual open air rock festival.
Chris Turner of Drop out Luke said that this was the biggest venue they had ever played at and it was a tremendous opportunity for the band.
Paul Caley of Press to Meco said that the whole crew had a great time and that everyone they met in Dorsten was really friendly, helpful and welcoming. Both bands would love to go back.
A group of 34 members of the Crawley Town Twinning Association have also spent a week in Dorsten staying with German families.
As well as seeing the local sites with their host families the visit included outings to places of interest in the region of Rhineland-Westphalia.
The Youth Awards deadline has been extended for a week.
Now in their sixth year, Crawley’s Youth Awards celebrate inspirational young people who have made a real difference to the town, community or someone’s life.
The Youth Awards are organised by Crawley Borough Council in partnership with members of the community, West Sussex County Council Youth Service, Sussex Police, Crawley School Sports Partnership, West Sussex Council for Voluntary Youth Services, Crawley Wellbeing and Crawley Young Persons Council.
Anyone can nominate a young person and the only criteria for nominees are that they are under 25 years old and they reside in Crawley or the reason for their nomination occurred within the town.
Those nominating young people under 16 must also get permission from the nominee’s parents or guardians first.
There are 12 awards in four categories: Community Awards, Sports Awards, Arts Awards and Personal Achievement Awards.
For more information and to nominate online log onto www.crawley.gov.uk/yaa or pick up a nomination form from schools, youth centres, the Town Hall, County Mall, K2 Crawley, The Hawth, Crawley Library, Arora Hotel (Southgate Avenue), Topsy Turvy (town centre hairdresser) and Connexions.
The deadline for nominations is now 8 October 2010 and the awards ceremony will be held at The Hawth on November 25.
More than 200 West Sussex schools are counting down to the 10th annual Primary Mathematics Competition.
Seven heats will be held between Tuesday October 12 and Friday October 22.
The teams, consisting of four pupils from each school, will be assisted by a teacher or parent to help with marking, and urged on by their school supporters.
The 12 highest scoring schools from the heats will compete in the finals on Thursday November 11, to be held at County Hall North Professional Centre, Horsham.
The heats will be held on:
Tuesday October 12, 9.30am-12 noon, at Birchwood Grove Primary School, Burgess Hill
Monday October 18, 9.15am-3.30pm, at Felpham Community College, Bognor Regis
Thursday October 21, 9.15am-3.30pm, at Thomas A’Beckett Middle School, Worthing
Friday October 22, 9.15am-3.30pm, at County Hall North, Horsham
Peter Griffiths, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Education and Schools, said: “The County Council has always supported this competition as it encourage youngsters to enjoy maths and develop their skills in this vital subject.”
For more information contact Debbie Chisholm, Primary Mathematics Consultant, on 01403 229268.
Find out more about your family history over a cup of coffee
Do you want to learn more about your family tree but don’t know where to start?
The County Record Office, Orchard Street, Chichester, has a new service for all budding family history researchers.
On the first Wednesday of each month, starting on October 6, special coffee time sessions will give people the opportunity to learn from the experts in a relaxed atmosphere.
There will be help on how to use a computer to find what you’re looking for, and an introduction to the great range of archive material available at the Record Office.
Brad Watson OBE, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member who oversees the Record Office, said: “With television programmes such as ‘Who Do You Think You Are’, family history has become a fast growing interest.
“The County Record Office has been nationally assessed as one of the top five local record offices in the country, so you can be assured of a great service with highly knowledgeable staff.”
The sessions start at 10am. Tickets are £7, and can be booked in advance. Telephone 01243 753602 or email records.office@westsussex.gov.uk
New housing scheme set to make impact on town waiting list
(l-r) Rohit Nathaniel, Seraphim Property Management, Councillor Lee Gilroy, Mark Dow, Crawley Borough Council Housing Options Manager
A NEW housing scheme could help reduce Crawley’s housing waiting list, give more choice to people on the register and help prevent homelessness.
Crawley Borough Council has teamed up with local business, Seraphim Property Management, to offer privately rented accommodation to people on the council’s housing register.
The property services company specialises in social housing in Sussex and Surrey and works by renting properties from private landlords in the area and renting them to people in need of accommodation.
The scheme will help to ease the need for a constant flow of council housing and will mean more families, couples and individuals are in suitable accommodation quicker.
Councillor Lee Gilroy, Cabinet member for Housing, said: “This is a great scheme which is set to help lots of local people get a better start or get back on track.
“Traditionally private landlords have been reluctant to move into the social housing arena but Seraphim make it possible for them to do this by guaranteeing landlords a monthly income and managing the property for them.”
Seraphim also work with landlords to offer longer-term tenancy agreements so people can feel secure they can stay in their new homes for longer.
Rohit Nathaniel, Managing Director of Seraphim, said: “Seraphim is excited and looking forward to working in partnership with Crawley Borough Council.
“Together we can work to provide fully managed quality homes for people on Crawley’s housing register and help to reduce the housing waiting list.”
Seraphim is an accredited landlord under both LLAS (London Landlord Accreditation Scheme) and NLA (National Landlords Association). They’re also members of the Federation of Master Builders so will keep properties in tip-top condition.
Celebrating Black History Month at West Sussex Libraries
There’s a range of events at West Sussex Libraries this October to celebrate Black History Month.
The Brighton and Hove Black History Project – an exhibition of local black history – will be at Shoreham Library (BN43 5ZA) from Friday October 1 to Thursday October 14 and at Worthing Library (BN11 1HD) from Saturday October 16 to Saturday October 30.
Other events include a performance from an acapella gospel and soul choir at Worthing Library on Saturday October 16 at 12 noon.
British black author Bernardine Evaristo will be in West Sussex on Tuesday October 19, visiting Worthing Library at 2pm and Crawley Library (RH10 6HG) at 7pm, to talk about her work and sign copies of her books.
She wrote the novel ‘Lara’ based on her family history with roots in England, Nigeria, Ireland, Germany and Brazil. She also wrote ‘Blonde Roots’, a fictional book about Africans enslaving Europeans.
On Saturday October 16, from 9.45am – 4.30pm, Crawley Library will also hold ‘Word from Africa,’ a day of storytelling and performance poetry for children, young people and adults, with appearances from a local gospel choir and theatre group.
Brad Watson OBE, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for Libraries, said: “The Library Service is pleased to be helping celebrate Black History Month, recognising the different cultures in West Sussex.
“These, and other events, are free but spaces are limited, so book your place now.”
Black History Month aims to promote knowledge of black history and experience. It provides an opportunity to share information about positive black contributions to Britain and increase the confidence and awareness of black people in their cultural heritage.
Sheltered residents at Crawley Borough Council’s Attlee House had a great big coffee morning for Macmillan Cancer Support today (Friday 24).
Around 25 residents at the Broadfield sheltered accommodation showed their support for Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, raising £85 for coffee, tea and biscuits.
The 2010 coffee morning was the first Atlee House has taken part in and paid tribute to resident Julie Purkis who sadly passed away in July following cancer.
Debbie Iveson, Attlee House Scheme Manager, said: “I was really pleased so many residents supported the coffee morning and it was a lovely tribute to Julie.”
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