Changes to committees:
(C) = chairman (VC) = vice chairman

Planning Committee:
Members: Cllrs Burns, Favor, Mainstone (C), O’Brien, Osborne, Scott, Sweatman (VC), Webster and Wyan

Public services Committee:
Members : Cllrs Beckford, Bennett (C), Burns, Favor, Reeves, Saull (VC), Sillitoe, Sweatman and Whittaker

Amenities and Tourism Committee:
Members: Cllrs Beckford, Brunsdon, Favor, O’Brien, Osborne (C), Saull, Scott (VC), Sillitoe and Sweatman.

Finance and General Purposes Committee:
Members: Chairmen of the three standing committees plus Cllrs, O’Brien, Reeves, Saull, Sillitoe, Sweatman (VC), Webster and Wyan(C).

The following councillors will represent the Town Council on the Outside Bodies listed below:

• East Grinstead Town Twinning Assoc: Cllrs Scott, Hodges and Osborne
• Mid Sussex District Association of Parish Councils: Cllr Brunsdon
• Age Concern East Grinstead: Cllr Favor
• East Grinstead Music and Arts Festival: Cllr Sweatman
• Gatwick Area Conservation campaign: Cllr Wyan
• East Grinstead Access Group: Cllr Saull
• East Grinstead Town Museum: Cllr Mainstone ( who is a museum trustee)
• East Grinstead Christmas lights committee: Cllr Sillitoe
• Friends of East Grinstead Museum: Cllr Osborne
• East Grinstead in Bloom: Cllr Reeves
• East Grinstead Business Association executive committee: Cllr Whittaker
• Wallis Centre management committee: Cllr Bennett
• East Grinstead Council for Voluntary Services: Cllr Webster
• East Grinstead Christmas promotions committee: Cllr Mainstone and O’Brien
• East Grinstead Fairtrade Town Steering Group: Cllr Beckford
• East Grinstead War Memorial Ltd: Cllr Sweatman
• Mid Sussex Assoc of Town Councils – Town Mayor, Cllrs Wyan, Mainstone and Sweatman
• Greenstede Talking News for the blind: Cllr Saull
• Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Cllr Webster
• Felbridge Beef and Faggot Trust: Cllr Saull

The second and third legs were run over the succeeding days in Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill. Although not quite as muddy as the inaugural run last year, the hilly ten miles route around East Grinstead proved challenging for runners who also battled strong winds, and tourism officer Dawn Spalding said special thanks were due to the  “fantastic volunteers” who braved the cold and rain to marshal the course, and without whom the race would not have been such a success.

Photo credit Julie Holden

The mayor-making was also an opportunity for newly-elected Councillor Adam Reeves to meet his council colleagues.

The new Deputy Town Mayor is Cllr  Nick Hodges, and Cllr Peter Wyan is the new Council Leader.

The former Town Mayor Liz Bennett raised £6,400 for her chosen charity, the Advance Centre.

A final questionnaire will also be available at the exhibition, which will mainly be manned by Councillors who can help with any queries or clarification.

The questionnaire will also be available electronically on www.eastgrinsteadplan.org.uk.

16 and 17 May at East Court (main hall)
9am to 5pm

18 May and 1 June street surgery (Town Council surgery in pop-up tent in the High Street outside Broadley Brothers)
10am to 11.30am

23 and 24 May at Chequer Mead (foyer)
9.30am to 4pm
6.30pm-8.30pm (24 May only)

6, 7, and 8 June at the South of England Show (East Grinstead Town Council tent on 2nd Avenue)
9am to 6pm

With unseasonably cold weather in March and early April this year, it’s easy to forget that the warmer temperatures of spring and summer are just around the corner. As the weather heats up, opportunities for thieves can also increase with open windows, insecure sheds and gardening tools left out.

The Mid Sussex Community Safety Partnership is keen to help residents protect their property and is giving local people the opportunity to purchase affordable shed alarms as part of a spring crime prevention campaign.

Residents are being offered the chance to purchase shed alarms at a reduced rate of £7.00, which is £8 cheaper than the normal retail price of £15.00. This relatively inexpensive item will help residents to protect their belongings and keep crime levels low in the District. The discounted shed alarms are available to buy from Town Council Help Points in Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Haywards Heath.

Residents are also being encouraged to take a few simple steps that will help to keep their shed safe and secure;

• Use a good quality padlock or mortice lock on the door of your shed
• Protect the boundary and access to your garden with fences, walls and lockable gates
• Make sure the door panel on your shed is strong enough
• Put up security lighting around your shed
• Lock valuable items together to prevent them being removed easily
• Help to track your property by registering it for FREE at www.immobilise.com

“Mid Sussex is a low crime area and if we all work together to prevent crime then we can help to ensure it stays that way,” said Councillor Christopher Snowling, Cabinet Member for Health and Community. “These low cost shed alarms are a quick and easy way to add a little extra protection against thieves. Making life hard for opportunist crooks goes a long way towards keeping our crime levels low and making sure Mid Sussex continues to be one of the safest places in the country to live.”

For more information about crime prevention in Mid Sussex, contact the Mid Sussex District Council Community Safety team on 01444 477550 or email communitysafety@midsussex.gov.uk.

And despite the appalling weather of recent months their work has helped enormously to rejuvenate the award-winning flower beds and make East Court somewhere for the town to be proud of.

“The grounds serve a variety of functions and the volunteers’ help has been invaluable,” said Jenny.

“We offer free access to an open public park which is used by a great many people simply passing from one side of East Grinstead to the other while taking their children to school for example, or walking their dogs. Others come to use the facilities within the estate such as the sports ground and the children’s nursery, or to attend events like the summer concerts.

“But the mansion and gardens also form a colourful backdrop for groups who hire the Council’s function rooms for meetings, parties and weddings so it is important we keep them looking beautiful – not least for all the brides we welcome to East Court.

“And finally we want to encourage a sustainable environment which will support a diverse wildlife population.”

New volunteers are always welcome, so for more information contact Katrina Hamill on 01342 335051 or email k.hamill@eastgrinstead.gov.uk.

Two schools in Sussex are participating in an exciting educational project that will research and record oral history regarding the impact of the 1960s railway closures when the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells line was axed in the 1960s. The project has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and is being led by Life Wisdoms, a local charity that support practical and educational projects.

As it is an intergenerational project, the children will engage with older people in the community who lived through the Beeching cuts and are willing to share their memories. By talking to people directly, the children will not only gather real life stories which will contribute to the historical archive of the community, but they will also develop greater confidence and communication skills.

We are looking for volunteers to help with reminiscence:

• Did you live through the 1960s Beeching cuts and have memories you are willing to share with the children?
• Did a family member or friend work or travel on the railway and were they affected by the cuts?
• Did you work in a business that was affected by the cuts?
• Did you lose your job as a result of the cuts?
• Did you or your children rely on the railway to get to work/school or to go on holiday and how did you get there once the railway lines closed?
• Are you interested in railway history and willing to share your knowledge?
• What did you think of the Beeching cuts? Were the plans a necessary evil or could things have been done differently?
• What are the disused lines and railway buildings used for now?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions and can give up just an hour or two to speak to students in small groups, please call Ruth Maddison for an informal chat on 01825 891094.

Alternatively, please e-mail info@lifewisdoms.org for more information or a call back.

• 16 June: Zumba
• 30 June: Conchorde Big Band Glenn Miller
• 7 July: Royal Marines
• 4 August: Adam the Magic Man
• 18 August: Elvis
• 1 September: Jives Aces

So bring a picnic, relax and enjoy the wonderful views and award-winning gardens of the East Court estate.