Slimming World Groups all across Crawley doing a 12 week sponsored slim to raise much needed cash for St Catherine’s Hospice, all our groups are taking part in this, some of our members are also taking part in the St Catherine’s Midnight walk in Horsham on 11th June or the Sponsored Bike ride on 22nd May, we are also doing lots of little fund raising events in our groups across the 12 weeks, its a win/win situation, our members lose lbs and St Catherine’s gain £££’s….!!!
We will also be encouraging members to donate their BIG clothes to St Catherine’s Hospice shops as they get smaller throughout the challenge..
We are having Let’s Beat It Together Launch parties in all our groups w/c 28th February and are encouraging our members to bring along friends/family to join us to lose weight and raise lbs, below is a little bit about it from the Slimming World Website, it would be great if you could get involved with this as the more money raised the better.
Groups are held at the following venues:-
Pound Hill – St Barnabas Church Hall, on Tuesdays at 7pm
Pound Hill – St Barnabas Church Hall, on Wednesdays at 9.30am
Tilgate – Trinity Church Hall on Mondays at 7pm
Tilgate – Trinity Church Hall on Thursdays at 7pm
Gossops Green – St Albans Church Hall, Tuesdays at 6pm
Northgate – St Pauls Church Hall on Mondays 7pm
West Green – Crawley Baptist church on Wednesdays at 6pm
Maidenbower – Junior school on Thursdays at 5.30 & 7.30pm
Maidenbower - Brook First School Saturdays at 9.30am
Broadfield – Community Centre on Thursdays at 7.30pm
Copthorne – St Johns Church Hall Tuesdays 7.30pm
East Grinstead - Chequer Mead Theatre on Wednesdays 7pm
Talented teens can show off their skills to win wishes for the community thanks to a collaboration between Crawley Borough Council and its repairs contractor Mears.
Mears is leading the M-Factor which is set to see impressive talent from across the town.
Dreams will come true for one lucky winner who will see their wish for their school, community group or local neighbourhood become a reality.
Jenny Powell from Mears Community team said: “Mears is organising the M-Factor which will be an evening of varied and impressive talent from around the community. This is such a fantastic competition which will benefit many people and bring the community together.
“What do you want to win for your community? It could be anything from a splash of paint on the local pre-school’s walls to turning wasteland into a beautiful garden for everyone to enjoy.”
Jenny added: “This is Mears first M-Factor and after the Crawley event we plan to roll out the competition across the UK to benefit other communities.”
If the pilot talent show proves a success the Crawley winner will get the opportunity to impress judges at a regional and possibly national level to be in with a chance of getting their two other wishes granted.
Lee Gilroy, Cabinet member for Housing said: “This is a fantastic idea which shows great partnership working and community commitment from our contractors. In Crawley we have first class youth facilities, clubs and schools which are overflowing with talent. I feel sure we will be spoilt for choice and this will be an event not to miss.”
Entrants must be aged between 12 and 17 and pretty much anything goes but your showstopping performance must not include animals and all participants need written consent from a parent or guardian.
The contest will be held at Hazelwick School in Three Bridges on Saturday 29th January .
For more information or to enter visit www.mearsgroup.co.uk/mfactor or call 01707 290136 but make sure you get in before the deadline of 24th January .
Thoughtful kids at Creasys Drive Adventure Playground are gathering gifts to send to less fortunate children and they need your help to get them there in time for Christmas.
Once again the charitable playground is co-ordinating the Love in a Box appeal and generous youngsters are already filling shoe boxes with gifts for under-privileged children in Eastern Europe.
Last year Creasys Drive children sent 214 shoe boxes but each box costs a minimum of £2.50 to send meaning they also had to raise £535 to send their Love in a Box.
The playground is asking for donations of gifts like toothbrushes, combs, toothpaste, flannels, small bags of sweets, small chocolate bars, soap, small toys including Happy Meal toys, gloves, scarves and more – except toy guns or anything related to war.
Fundraising events and donations from council staff help the playground raise the cash they need to send the boxes but they would also happily accept financial donations too.
Children at the playground pack and wrap every box before they are collected at the beginning of November by the appeal organisers, an Eastbourne-based charity called Mustard Seed Relief Mission.
People can bring gifts to the playground or make up their own shoe boxes.
All donations need to be received by Tuesday November 2.
For more information call Creasys Drive Adventure Playground on 01293 561847.
Crawley Borough Council, Freedom Leisure and Crawley Town FC are supporting community members to organise a charity six-a-side football tournament on Sunday October 17, raising funds for Pakistan’s flood victims.
The tournament, at K2 Crawley, will also see stalls set up selling goods to raise more money for the good cause.
There are now 20 million people affected by the floods in Pakistan and survivors face the added threat of deadly waterborne diseases.
So far Disaster Emergency Committee members have helped nearly three million people but much more money and resources are required to reach the millions more.
If you want to take part in the tournament call Adam Welton, Youth and Community Outreach Officer, on 01293 438708 or email adam.welton@crawley.gov.uk or Haroon Khalil on 07878 668013.
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.
YOUNG people in West Sussex who have come up with ideas to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhood still have time to see if they are eligible for a grant of up to £1000.
Grants are available from the West Sussex Safer Place Awards, which are organised by the West Sussex Strategic Community Partnership.
In the past, Safer Place Awards cash was given to initiatives that had captured the attention of judges at an annual event designed to showcase projects devised by young people throughout West Sussex.
Greg Ockwell, of West Sussex County Council’s Community Safety Unit, said: “We want to encourage and support young people to help tackle the issues that matter most to them. So now we are offering the money upfront.
“The Safer Place Awards are designed to empower and equip young people to tackle crime, the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhoods by becoming a confident and responsible citizens.”
A short-list of the most outstanding projects will be invited to a final event at Slaugham Manor on the 13 May 2011.
“This will give them the opportunity to present their project and also a chance to win the West Sussex High Sheriff’s Crimebeat Award and go forward to the national finals – last year, we came third.”
“All you need to do is submit an application form which can be downloaded from The Safer Places Awards pages on the County Council website: www.westsussex.gov.uk. The closing date is November 15.”
Peter Evans, County Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said: “The Safer Place Awards highlight the benefit of initiatives that reach out and involve the communities. In the past they have covered a wide range of issues – from misusing drugs to encouraging social cohesion.
“I am confident we will again see another wide range of exciting and imaginative projects from our young people.”
A series of senior management changes at West Sussex County Council, which a report says are designed to ‘aggressively reduce costs whilst ensuring stability,’ were approved today (Monday).
The changes will save £1.038 million in a full year and involve a net reduction of eight full time executive posts or 30 per cent of the senior management structure.
It follows a report to the Governance Committee from the County Council’s interim chief executive officer Kieran Stigant.
As well as saving money, the report says a new-look structure is also designed to make sure the County Council is best placed to maintain its focus on service delivery while coping with the growing financial pressure as the Government continues its drive to reduce the national deficit.
County Council Leader Louise Goldsmith said: “The autumn spending statement is going to create major new challenges.
“I am confident that this new operationally focused structure will not only continue driving down costs, but ensure we have a team in place who will find innovative new ways of delivering services.
“There is a pressing need to reduce the national deficit and we know that local government will have to play its part.
“The new management structure is also designed with the Big Society firmly in mind, because we want to work with and encourage much wider community involvement in the delivery of services.
“It also recognises the increased role the County Council will be playing in public health as part of the Government’s changes to the NHS.”
The overall effect of the changes is a reduction of eight senior management posts out of the 27 funded by the County Council.
The management changes are due to take effect from November 1.
A community event at Gossops Green Parade will have fun for all the family and give residents a chance to find out what’s happening in their neighbourhood.
Come to the Parade, which is supported by The Windmill pub and St Alban’s Church, also gives visitors to the parade an opportunity to meet their local councillors and Neighbourhood Policing Team.
The Let’s FACE it! team will also be at Gossops Green to do a makeover of one of the flower beds. Visitors can help plant the beds and spruce up their parade.
The event takes place on Saturday September 4 from 10am-2pm. For more information contact Kathryn Ripley, Community Development Officer, on 01293
This Year’s Official World Wide Wedding Day was held on the 20th August 2010.
Gatwick Diamond Rotary Club representative Geoff Williamson told us “this was the Fourth Year in succession that we have participated in the World Wide Wedding Day event. Our event started on the 19th August with a walk at lunch time around Manor Royal from Faraday Road”.
On Friday the 20th August a second walk took place at lunch time around Manor Royal from the VW Dealership on the Gatwick Road. Members of the Club again dressed up in Wedding Attire. Geoff went on to say “Brenda Burgess joined us again dressed as the Mother of the Bride. We were also joined by The Worshipful the Mayor of Crawley, Councillor Lee Burke for this walk”.
Monies raised on these two walks would go towards this Year’s Gatwick Diamond Rotary Club Charities which are as follows: Crawley Open House, Down’s Syndrome and Home-Start Crawley & Horsham (Home-Start is also the Mayor’s chosen Charity for this Year).
Over 30 Million Pounds are raised for Charity each Year by UK Rotary Clubs.
For pictures of the event ( or to find out more about our Club ) please go to www.gatwickdiamondrotary.org and click on Events.
Crawley Tigers to raise more cash for Pakistani flood victims
Crawley Tigers FC raised more than £4,100 for the victims of the Pakistani flood disaster by washing cars on Saturday (August 14) – but they’re not stopping there.
The local football club, fresh from cleaning lots of dirty cars at the mosque in Broadfield on Broadwood Rise, is supporting a six-a-side football tournament next month for leading charities.
The charity car wash brought in more than £1,400 in donations on the day, with the extra £2,700 donated via the Justgiving web page for the event. This page – at www.justgiving.com/CrawleyTigersFC-carwash – will remain live until Friday September 3.
According to UN estimates 20 million people need humanitarian assistance – more than the scale of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
More details about the football tournament will be released at the start of September.
On Saturday 31st July, the official launch of the Irish & Celtic Cultural Society festivities was kicked off with good food, excellent dancing, fine music and great company.
Attended by Councillors Bob and Brenda Burgess, Bob Lanzer, His Worshipful the Mayor Councillor Lee Burke and Mayoress Councillor Ali Burke, and many more. The guinness flowed, the band played and the food went down a treat.
2010 sees the 15th Annual Irish Festival on the 29th August. Last year was a huge success, even though the weather was not too bright. This year, we are hoping the sun will smile down on this brilliant event hosting music, stands, dancing and of course the beer tent.
The Launch Party was hosted by the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society in the presence of the Mayor of Crawley Cllr Lee Burke together and Mr Michael Keavney of the Irish Embassy and some invited guests including the sponsors, supporters, volunteers and helpers that made last years festival the success it has become.
A light buffet was served to a backdrop of live music – by one of the bands ‘Dun the Vail’ who will be playing at the Festival. A special dance display was also a treat of the evening. We were also treated to a performance from ‘Just Kelly’ who just happened to be passing by. Thank you Kelly!
The centre piece of the night was the ‘toasting’ to the success of the festival including the cutting of the 15th Anniversary cake with the Mayor saying a few words about the festival and the CICS and asking all in attendance to drink to the festival’s success and the cutting of the 15th Anniversary cake.
The Festival attracts up to seven thousand visitors to the town from throughout Crawley, Sussex and the Southeast of England and has built a reputation as a great family day out over the August weekend. The event showcases some of the best musical talent from Britain and Ireland on three live entertainment stages, showing modern, traditional Irish music and open dance competitions. This year it featuring heavily on the younger element of the community with a special children’s entertainment marquee involving games, song and story with particular emphasis on Irish traditions and folklore. In addition, sport and cultural identity are each featured prominently with Ceili and Set dancing, GAA sports, tug-o-war, a funfair, various food and craft stalls and displays with the added attraction of a licensed beer tent.
The event is run by The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society, which was formed to promote a greater understanding of Celtic and Irish traditions to Crawley and the surrounding areas. With support from Crawley Borough Council and West Sussex County Council it is featured heavily in regional printed and radio media as well as the local weekly and Irish themed publications. Further details about the society and previous events can be found online at www.celtic-irish.co.uk
Crawley Happy Times were invited down to experience the evening. We took some pictures and video for you to enjoy.
The importance of market towns was highlighted at an event hosted by West Sussex County Council at Lodge Hill in Pulborough last week.
The event was for local authorities, community partnerships and other interested parties, to discuss how they can the support market towns in the future.
A market town’s main function is to act as a market place for the surrounding town and support an economy and community. Local ones stretch right across West Sussex, from Midhurst to Hassocks. These towns all face challenges from the economic downturn and impacts from changing shopping habits.
County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy, Deborah Urquhart, said: “Market towns do not only serve the town itself but are a hub for wider communities.
“They are places for people, businesses and visitors to meet, trade and enjoy the variety of facilities, providing services such as doctors, libraries, and leisure centres.”
A range of projects were showcased which had been supported under a government funded Small Rural Towns Programme.
These included new river pontoons at Arundel, enhanced childcare facilities at Billingshurst, shop front improvements at Selsey and Midhurst, a one-stop advice centre at Storrington, and proposals for a cycle hire scheme in Hassocks.
All had been developed by local people who want to help their towns.
Deborah said: “We want to keep these towns vibrant and expanding, and this event has enabled us to see where support is needed.
“As part of the government’s ‘Big Society’ idea, we want to give communities a greater influence over what and how services are provided.
“This event proved successful in seeing how we can move forward with the county’s market towns.”
Union warns of threat to Council Council day centres
Today, public service trade union UNISON warned the County Council’s essential day centres for elderly and disabled people are under threat, and has called on every West Sussex resident to respond to the Authority’s public consultation exercise.
“UNISON has been saying for some time these proposals do not stack up and will cost the Authority more in the long run,” said Christine Earwaker, UNISON Branch Secretary. “Now we’re doubly concerned as it appears to us that the Council is not giving people all the options to comment on.”
“Nowhere on the questionnaire can respondents positively express a preference for the County Council to continue its current role of providing day services to meet all levels of need. It seems the public are only invited to comment on the single option senior managers prefer,” Mrs Earwaker continued, “which is one of centre closures and retrenchment of services.”
In addition, the union points out that repeated use of the term ‘Voluntary and independent organisations’ on the questionnaire masks the fact that the Council sees a big role for the private sector in its plans for a shake-up.
“The Council must be honest with us and not fix the consultation process” said Kate Russell, 66, who had a stroke four years ago and regularly uses the Council’s day services. “And why are we being asked to judge if this is good value for the ratepayer when even the Council doesn’t know yet as it hasn’t done a Business Case for the proposals!” Kate’s husband and carer, Ian Russell, 67, said “The Council clearly has only one outcome in mind – I’m calling on everyone in West Sussex who cares about our first class day centres to take part in this consultation. Attend a public meeting if you can, and use the free text boxes on the survey to tell the Council what you really think.”
Grave concerns
UNISON describes a series of five fatal flaws in the Councils proposals:
1. The Council wants to transfer 25% of day centre users to local charities but they are not geared up to support people with significant disabilities.
2. Particularly in rural parts of the County, there are few services to pick up where the Council leaves off. On top of this, the Council is cutting important grants to the voluntary sector.
3. People in rural areas will have further to travel and few accessible transport options.
4. There is very little evidence to show people will not continue to want high quality centre-based day services in the future.
5. There are big hidden costs in what the Council proposes. The reality will be that there is no money left to develop local alternatives to the Council’s day centres.
UNISON challenge
“We call on the County Council to work with us, the staff and service users to develop an alternative, positive future for day centres,” said Mrs Earwaker. “The future of day centres does not have to be about service closures, retrenchment and privatisation. These proposals won’t benefit service users or their carers. Work with us to broaden and strengthen what’s available in our day centres, so we can build on decades of excellent service and the proven track record of staff”.
A COUNTY Hall watchdog has backed a range of proposed changes to West Sussex County Council Youth Services, which will also achieve savings of £2 million.
The County Council’s Children and Young People’s Services Select Committee endorsed the proposals after a two-hour public meeting yesterday (Thursday July 29) in the Council Chamber at County Hall, Chichester.
This was the second meeting the Select Committee had held this month to discuss the issue. At the first one it called for more information before making any recommendations.
Yesterday’s meeting gave Select Committee members the opportunity to further quiz Youth Services officers, who had produced additional evidence about the proposals.
They also questioned Pete Bradbury, County Council Cabinet Member for Children and Families.
The Committee raised a number of concerns about the proposals and was pleased to receive a commitment from the Cabinet Member to review the consultation process, which had been undertaken, and to look again at proposal to cut some of the grants made to the voluntary sector.
The Select Committee agreed to:
• Recognise the ‘challenge faced by the Youth Service’ to make savings of £2 million.
• Support ‘the direction of travel’ for the Youth Services to achieve the £2 million savings agreed within the County Council budget.
• Receive further reports in six and 12 months, monitoring progress with the implementation of the proposals, including the ‘success or otherwise’ of engaging the voluntary sector. Young people should be involved in this monitoring process.
Select Committee Chairman Nola Hendon said: “This second meeting enabled members to gain further valuable information and background to the proposed changes to the Youth Services.
”It enabled us to make informed recommendations on the future of an excellent service and acknowledge the challenges facing the service as it makes these savings.”
On Thursday 4th March CHT finger puppet was asked down to The Railway to meet Jackie and her husband. It was a lovely evening full of laughter and giggles. CHT finger puppet also had a great time and took some pictures with their new friends to show you all.
Jackie was very taken with CHT finger puppet as you can see, or can you
Stacey was not sure about CHT finger puppet
The Landlord was a bit shy when meeting CHT finger puppet, but they have that affect on some people
Two beautiful ladies were tickled red to meet CHT finger puppet
We here at Crawley Happy Times are starting to think that CHT finger puppet is getting way too big for their boots. But they do not have any boots, we hear you say. Well! Sharon Jones from Broadfield sent in this picture of her CHT finger puppet with legs…and arms! Love it Sharon. Well done. Do you have a CHT finger puppet?
Sharon Jones of Broadfield gave her CHT finger puppet a whole new look
On Saturday 27th February Crawley Happy Times took CHT finger puppet to see The Age of Tapes play at The Railway. Danny Dangerously invited us down and was really happy to get to meet CHT finger puppet for the first time, but hopefully not the last lol. Wonder who will want to meet CHT finger puppet next?
Danny Dangerously Meets CHT Finger Puppet
On Friday 12th February CHT finger puppet went mingling with the famous Ricky Whittle and friends. They did not get a chance to meet Ricky himself but his brother Chris was all for meeting CHT finger puppet,
Chris Whittle was happy meeting CHT finger puppet
Think Chris fell in love that night
Best friends!
The lovely doorman asked if CHT finger puppet was out to play, as he had not seen them for a while. Think it made his day
On Saturday 19th December ’09 CHT finger puppet was found mingling with the crowds in Crawley town. They popped into the Punch Bowl to see some old faces then off to Bar Med to watch London Soul perform their talents, playing soul and blues. Excellent! Were you out and about? Did you get to meet CHT finger puppet?
On Friday 11th December, 09 CHT finger puppet had an invite into town, so off they went. They had a jig at the Punch Bowl and then off to Bar Med to watch people fall off the Bucking Bronco then to have another jig to some great tunes belted out by resident DJ Mark Elliott. We think CHT finger puppet is starting to become a bit popular as we met some great people who wanted their picture taken, but only if they could have CHT finger puppet with them
CHT finger puppet revelling with the party crew at the Punch Bowl
Our resident DJ at the Punch Bowl loving CHT finger puppet...Smile!
CHT finger puppet is becoming very popular
In fact, CHT finger puppet is becoming so popular, we are finding it hard to get a picture without them in!
CHT finger puppet had a treat on Monday 14th December when he met Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris and Peter ‘The Cat’ Bonetti at the Pelham Buckle in Ifield. CHT finger puppet bumped into their friend Russell Jacob who wanted to be in the picture with both Ron and Peter (we think Russell has a soft spot for CHT finger puppet).
Ron 'Chopper' Harris and Russell Jacob with CHT finger puppet
Russell Jacob and Peter 'The Cat' Bonetti with CHT finger puppet
On Wednesday CHT finger puppet went to the Hawth Theatre to watch Joe Pasquale on stage performing his annual tour show. CHT finger puppet enjoyed it so much, they waited to meet Joe after the show. CHT finger puppet could not resist a picture with Joe. CHT fingr puppet took Shelley with him, as she really wanted to meet Joe too! Joe was one of the loveliest people they had met so far!
Shelley from Crawley Happy Times took CHT finger puppet to meet Joe Pasquale
The weekend went with a bang and CHT finger puppet was sought after, therefore most of our pictures were with CHT finger puppet! We may have to intergrate both pages now, DOH! We think this had something to do with Steve McFadden taking a shine to our CHT finger puppet. This weekend CHT finger puppet visited the Apple Tree for Les Etchells 50th Birthday bash, then went on a little holiday to Horley for about an hour to see some friends there. After having a laugh with the girls CHT finger puppet came back from their mini holiday back to Crawley to visit the Punch Bowl where their fans were waiting for them! All that attention didn’t go to their head though. After a few drinks with friends it was off to Bar Med to see ‘The Outfit’ play. They were fantastic! We filmed them so you can put a date in your diary for when they come around again Also took a little picture of Shelley’s Nan at bingo! Vera is 88!
Craig and friends at the Apple Tree
Carly at The Forresters
Happy doorman at the Punch Bowl
Resident DJ Lucian at the Punch Bowl was a bit shy
The girls at the Forresters
(L-R) Lorraine, Ray and Tricia having a blast in the Punch Bowl
The chirpy doormen at Bar Med
Our Sam (Manager of Bar Med) busy as always
Resident DJ Mark at Bar Med, loving CHT finger puppet'The Outfit' at Bar Med
Shelley's Nan at Bingo with CHT finger puppet
On Thursday 19th November the lights in Crawley were switched on by Steve McFadden also known to most of us as Phil Mitchel from Eastenders. We did not get to have our picture taken with Steve, but CHT finger puppet did!! Such a lucky puppet!
Steve McFadden with CHT finger puppet in the Mall in Crawley Town
On Friday 13th November, ’09 CHT finger puppet was found in the Half Moon watching Chinchilla Zilla play. Chinchilla Zilla are a contemporary band playing various decades of songs, ranging from the 70′s right up to modern day.
Chinchilla Zilla are thinking of recruiting CHT finger puppet
CHT finger puppet thought they would make the best of their time at the Half Moon and shot a few games of pool, played the fruit machine and had a chat with the staff. What a life CHT finger puppet leads.
CHT finger puppet played some pool at the Half Moon
CHT finger puppet tried their luck on the fruit machine - and lost!
CHT finger puppet doesn't drink alcohol, but took a fancy to Red Bull
The barman from the Half Moon took a fancy to CHT finger puppet
It was then off to The Tilgate for some dancing therapy with resident DJ Gordon Skeggs and friends.
Our Gordon was chuffed to see his little friend again...Arrrrr
Sandra and Faye with CHT finger puppet at the Tilgate. Faye had quite a glint in her eye...s
Then it was time to go to town, but CHT finger puppet left it too late and everything was closed! Off home they went.
CHT finger puppet ponced a lift into town with two lovely young lads. Thanks guys!
On Friday 6th November, ’09 CHT finger puppet was found at the Hawth, the tribute band ‘No Jacket Required’ with lead singer Dave Whitehouse. CHT finger puppet loved seeing Dave and even got to see some of their finger puppet friends that they had not seen for a while. You can read all about this brilliant and talented band under the out and about page.
Phil Collins aka Dave Whitehouse with CHT finger puppet
Tribute band 'No Jacket Required' unite CHT finger puppet with some long lost friends
CHT finger puppet had a great time but had to leave early to go to the Wingspan to see some fireworks.
CHT finger puppet enjoying the fireworks at the Wingspan
Lisa & Simon (loved up couple) with CHT finger puppet at the Wingspan
Shelley, Michelle and CHT finger puppets down the Wingspan
We would like to thank everyone who invited Crawley Happy Times along to their evening and for putting up with CHT finger puppet, who can be a realy hand full, well just about lol!
And thank you to Dave Whitehouse who bought a CHT finger puppet with all proceeds going to St. Catherine’s Hospice x
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On Friday 30th October, ’09 CHT finger puppet went out on the town. Their first visit was to the Half Moon in Southgate to see The Analysir, Curly Debs and DJ Mac spin the decks. DJ Mac took a shine to CHT finger puppet and gave him a go on the decks. Nice one DJ Mac!
CHT finger puppet on the decks at the Half Moon with DJ Mac
CHT finger puppet on their visit to the Half Moon in Southgate
Then they were off to the Wingspan to see Ray Owen’s Juicy Lucy perform. CHT finger puppet loved it down there!
Straight to the bar for a well deserved pint
CHT finger puppet enjoying bopping around to the live music of Juicy Lucy
Ray Owen, lead singer of Juicy Lucy with Shelley & CHT finger puppet
Shelley from Crawley Happy Times shows off CHT finger puppet, but has grown some strange ears at the same time
Spencer, drummer for Juicy Lucy was so excited to meet CHT finger puppet
After an excellent evening of live music CHT finger puppet still had some room for adventure so went off to The Tilgate to see what was happening there. CHT finger puppet was glad they went. There were lots of people to meet and they had a great time.
Gordon Skeggs, Michelle (maker of CHT finger puppet) and CHT finger puppet all having fun
Gordon and CHT finger puppet comparing records
Khalid Elghazali, 18yr old Crawley MMA Fighter took a fancy to CHT finger puppet, but we were not about to argue with him
The night was full of fun and frolics for CHT finger puppet so they took themselves home and went to bed with a cup of cocoa. .
On Saturday 31st October, ’09 CHT finger puppet was invited to a party and had a thoroughly good time. We think CHT finger puppet must have gotten a bit tipsy as there were not many pictures..hmmmm…
CHT finger puppet on the evening of Halloween. They are so naughty!
We think CHT finger puppet is still recovering as we have not heard from them. Have you seen them? Wonder where they will pop up again.
On Wednesday 23rd June over 2000 woman joined in the Race for Life to raise much needed funds for Cancer Research UK.
With the sun shining and the birds singing, Tilgate Park filled up with lots of ladies in pink for the 5k. Some ran, some walked, some even went three legged! Hosted by Chris Oxlade of Radio Mercury and attended by the Deputy Mayor Carol Eade the evening was a great success.
Crawley Happy Times would like to thank all those present who donated £1 for a picture taken with CHT finger puppet, including Chris Oxlade and Deputy Mayor Carol Eade. Also donating a percentage of takings on the day were Sweet Fills authentic french crepes. And they were delicious!
Cancer effects nearly everyone as some time in their lives. These events are essential to help fund research for the future.
We took footage of the start and the finish, so we hope you can see yourself on the video. We were impressed with the warm up, led by the staff from LA Fitness. Our apologies for the wonky video of the Deputy Mayors address. We were helping collect money and had our hands full, were caught off guard
We want to commend all who took part and to all those invovled with organising such a great event especially Laura Senokal, Committee Chairperson. Laura also organises the Relay for Life which is going on again this year on the 10th and 11th July. If you are not entered, there is still time, or just come down to have a nice day out and to support all involved. We covered this event last year which you can read here.
Did you take part in this years Race for Life? Did you see yourself on the video? If you want to leave a personal message about this event, please comment below
Crawley Open House cares for people suffering from the effects of homelessness, unemployment, loneliness, discrimination or social exclusion. Mayor Brenda Burgess made this her charity of choice when being sworn in as Mayor of Crawley in May 2009.
On Saturday 15th May 2010 Open house opened it’s doors for a fund raising event to mark the end of Mayor Brenda Burgess’ term in office. Mayor Brenda Burgess also took this opportunity to recognise the devoted workers and volunteers of Open House including Peter Mansfield -Clark MBE who heads up the charity and one of Crawley’s most active fund raisers via music, Carl Brooks.
The band 1 in 4
The day was full of entertainment in the form of a live band called 1 in 4, inflatable gladiator, balloon creations by a very talented young man, and raffles.
Mayor Brenda Burgess having a dance with one of the guests
It really was a fantastic event with more money being raised for Open House. Mayor Brenda Burgess has helped raise approximately £15,000 for Crawley Open House which depends on fund raising to keep doing such great work.
Henry Smith & Bob Burgess
We took some photos for you and even caught a gladiator fight between our new MP Henry Smith and Councillor Bob Burgess.
Steve Littler is a determined gentleman on a mission to complete his first marathon.
Steve, Area Manager for Bishops Move in Crawley, is in training to run the Neolithical Marathan. This is a twenty six mile run from Avebury to Stone Henge. Why is Steve any different to any other runner, we hear you ask. Well, Steve sprained his ankle seven weeks ago and was originally told he would not be ready for the marathon in May. Instead of getting down about his situation, Steve made sure he gave his ankle as much rest as he could, then was back on his feet, determined to participate. Steve is raising money for a charity which has effected everyone at some time in their lives, including Steve. St Catherine’s Hospice is a charity dedicated to providing specialised support to local people and their families, friends and carers.
Steve attended Crawley Hospital’s walk in centre and told Shelley he was very impressed and pleased with the service he received. Crawley Hospital has always been portrayed in a negative light, so it was refreshing to hear Steve speak so highly of the staff and the hospital itself.
The twenty six mile marathon will be the first for Steve, who is not joined to any clubs but trains with family and friends. His wife just completed the London Marathon in a great time. Steve is hoping to complete this with his wife next year. We wish them both all the best for that. Crawley Happy Times would like to wish Steve all the best for his marathon, and we look forward on reporting Steve’s achievement.
If you would like to sponsor Steve please go here…
When Steve is not working or training for the marathon, he can be found playing bass guitar in a band called Flip The Bird. Our thanks goes to Neil Palfreyman for allowing us to use these great pictures
Shelley spoke to Steve about his trials and trivializations whilst preparing for such a feat.
On the 21st September Comet staff members Saira O’Sullivan and Dan Kennedy are off to climb a mountain in Morocco.
Why are they?
Saira and Dan are one of 25 employees who volunteered to raise money for the chosen charity nominated by Comet. Each year, Comet present this excellent opportunity to it’s staff members nationwide but only 25 can participate.
Who are Comet?
Comet has more than 250 stores throughout the UK, offering a wide range of electrical products. Comet launched their two-year partnership with Make a Wish Foundation UK in January 2007 with a target of raising £250,000 by the end of 2008. This was achieved in under a year and Comet is now three years into the partnership having raised £450k by June 2009. For more information on how Comet have raised tremendous funds for ’Make-A-Wish Foundation’ please go here.
Source: News Comet
Dan Kennedy & Saira O'Sullivan
What is the Make A Wish Foundation?
“Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening illnesses. Since being established in the UK in 1986, we have granted over 5,700 wishes.”
We took that quote from their own site, as it puts it so well. You can read more about this amazing charity and the wonderful people who work with the foundation and those who support it, here.
Saira and Dan…
Saira and Dan, along with the rest of the Comet staff, are having a fun charity day this Friday 2nd April (bank holiday). Donned in fancy dress, the staff at Comet will be holding a raffle with a wide range of prizes including a months family membership to the Nufield Health & Wellbeing Centre. There will also be informative demonstrations on new products from LG and Dyson. Along with brilliant deals on products in store for the bank holiday, the day is set to be a hit.
Staff at Comets in Crawley
After the fun has subsided from the fun…d raising day it will be time for Saira and Dan to put their training into action. On the 21st September Saira and Dan will be flying to Morocco to go on a trek up the Jebel Toubkal, the tallest Mountain in North Africa. Both have never done anything like this before, but were very excited and spurred on by the end result. They both agreed there main goal is to hit the target for Make A Wish Foundation. Saira and Dan return on the 26th September. We wish them both well and look forward to seeing the pictures and reporting on their journey.
The Comet Store in Crawley
Have you been thinking of purchasing a new electrical item lately? Why not pop in to Comet on Friday 2nd April to see what they have on offer and to support Saira, Dan and the rest of the staff who work for Comet.
Would you like to donate to their raffle? You would! Great, give them a call on 0844 800 9595 or pop in to see them here.
Would you like to donate to Saira & Dan’s cause?
Please visit here to support Dan. Please visit here to support Saira, or both if you can! The littlest amount is more than enough!
Video
Are you having a fund raising event? Let us know on 01293 572182
A Crawley-based company that supplies medical equipment to hospitals and clinics throughout the world has raised over £11,000 in aid of a local charity.
Varian Medical Systems is a worldwide manufacturer of integrated cancer care systems. The company – which employs over 200 people at its Crawley manufacturing, engineering, sales and service centre – chose St Catherine’s Hospice as its charity of the year in September 2008. In the 12 months since then, the staff at Varian have supported the hospice through a variety of activities, including:
• blue bag donations to St Catherine’s charity shops, which raised nearly £1,000
• participation in the Flora London Marathon by Varian employee, Michelle Cook, whose sponsorship totalled over £1,800
• a summer ball which raised over £1,000
• a Christmas raffle which collected over £700
• a bike ride which raised over £500
St Catherine’s provides specialised end of life care and support for local patients and their families, friends and carers in Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and East Surrey.
Matthew Cornish, Corporate Fundraiser at St Catherine’s, said: “We were delighted when Varian chose us as their charity of the year. The ongoing commitment and enthusiasm of their staff has been really impressive, and greatly appreciated by everyone at St Catherine’s. We hope their example may encourage other businesses to support us in this way.”
Rosemary Myles, Charities Team Leader at Varian, said: “When you are asking people within your company to support a charity throughout the year, it is hard to go back to them again and again asking for support for different fundraising initiatives, but at Varian we do, and the great thing is that there always seem to be enough people willing to give their time and money.
“St Catherine’s was nominated as our charity of the year by one of our employees and it has certainly proved to be a popular choice. So many people know of someone who has benefited from the wonderful care provided by the hospice, and I am sure that provided the motivation needed to enable us not only to achieve our fundraising target of £10,000, but to exceed it!”
For further information about the many ways in which businesses can support
St Catherine’s, please call 01293 447365, email matthewcornish@stch.org or visit www.stch.org.uk
