The Olympic Torch will be coming to Copthorne and East Grinstead on Tuesday 17 July, providing the local community with the chance to see the Olympic Flame at close quarters. Mid Sussex District Council is looking for local people to volunteer their time to help ensure the safety of the public on the day.

The Olympic Flame has now started its journey from Greece and will arrive in the UK on 18 May, ready for the Olympic Torch Relay to begin the following day. Representing peace, unity and friendship, the Flame will pass through Mid Sussex just 10 days before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Council hopes that local people will be keen to be part of this momentous event and is

holding volunteer registration sessions at East Grinstead Library on Saturday 19 May and Saturday 26 May, between 10am and 4pm.

The volunteer marshals will help to:

direct pedestrians along safe routes

• monitor crowd movement and activity
• provide information about entrances, exits, routes, the location of toilets and first aid/lost children points
• support the work of the emergency services and Chief Marshals
• help with road closures
• marshal overspill car parks

Volunteer marshals must be over the age of 18 and physically fit enough to stand for an extended period of time. A good standard of health is important because volunteer marshals must be able to respond to an emergency, raise the alarm and take immediate action if required. All volunteers will need to be available from 7.30am until 12.30pm on Tuesday 17 July.

If it’s not possible for people to attend one of registration sessions, residents can express an interest in becoming a volunteer marshal by sending their name and telephone number to culture@midsussex.gov.uk or telephone 01444 477495.

Foster Care Fortnight runs this year from Monday May 14 to Sunday May 27, and  West Sussex County Council is using the national campaign to highlight the need for more foster carers to come forward to give security and stability to children in care.

Foster carers come from all walks of life and from a range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. People from a variety of backgrounds can apply to foster, regardless of their marital status or sexuality.

You don’t just need to be a good parent. Other important skills are patience, energy, a good sense of humour and the ability to treat children and young people as individuals.

Fostering can be either short or long-term and can range from just a few days to several years. There are also several types of fostering including short and long-term, respite, and parent and baby.

Foster carers give children the chance to develop and flourish in a safe, secure environment. The County Council aims to try and place children with foster carers in their local area, so they can continue to stay close to their school, friends, people and places they know.

Being a foster carer is very rewarding and is a chance to help support children and young people.

Foster carers receive a comprehensive support package from the Council, including ongoing training and financial allowances to meet the needs of the children and young people in their care.

Informal fostering drop-in sessions are being held throughout West Sussex this year and are a chance for anyone interested to find out more and ask any questions they may have. For further information visit the website at www.westsussex.gov.uk/fostering or call 01403 229333.

Fostering drop-in sessions run from 10am to 4pm. The sessions taking place in West Sussex in 2012 are:

• Saturday 19 May, Crawley Library, Southgate Avenue, Crawley, RH10 6HG.
• Tuesday 22 May, Chichester Library, Tower Street, Chichester, PO19 1QJ
• Monday 18 June, East Grinstead Library, 32-40 West Street, East Grinstead, RH19 4SR.
• Tuesday 17 July, Bognor Regis Library, London Road, Bognor Regis, PO21 1DE.
• Wednesday 15 August, Burgess Hill Library, The Martlets, Burgess Hill, RH15 9NN.
• Tuesday 18 September, Selsey Library, School Lane, Selsey, PO20 9EH.
• Tuesday 16 October, Worthing Library, Richmond Road, Worthing, BN11 1HD.
• Tuesday 20 November, Crawley Library, Southgate Avenue, Crawley, RH10 6HG.
• Thursday 6 December, Henfield Library, off High Street, Henfield, BN5 9HN.

The Order and Appendix with Schedule of locations and charges in more detail is available for inspection at the offices of the East Grinstead Town Council, East Court, East Grinstead.

Mid Sussex District Council is piloting the scheme in East Grinstead, Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath, to maximise the number of clean, safe and accessible toilets available to the public.

Participating town centre shops and organisations make their toilet facilities available to the general public in exchange for a small annual payment from the Council.

So far, four local businesses have signed up and are now welcoming the public to use their toilet facilities. They are:

• Chequer Mead Arts Centre, De La Warr Road, East Grinstead
• Kings Leisure Centre, Moat Road, East Grinstead
• Costa Coffee, South Road, Haywards Heath
• Poppins Restaurant, Church Walk, Burgess Hill

Stickers are displayed in the window of every business taking part in the Community Toilet Scheme and additional signs will soon be placed around the towns to help direct the public to the new toilet facilities. By opening up the toilets in local businesses for public use, shoppers will have access to toilets at many different locations in the heart of the town centre and because they are always staffed, the facilities will be clean and safe to use. The facilities will be available during business opening hours and there is no charge to the customer or obligation to make a purchase.

“It’s great to see local businesses are embracing this Community Toilet Scheme because it has the potential to benefit everyone involved,” said Councillor Pru Moore, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Sustainability. “Local shops are able to increase the number of people visiting their premises, giving them the potential to increase revenue, and the public has a greater choice and standard of toilet facilities.”

Mid Sussex District Council would now still like to hear from any other local businesses wishing to take part in the Community Toilet Scheme. For more information, please contact Stuart Brown, Mid Sussex District Council Outdoor Services Officer, on telephone number 01444 477305 or email Stuart.Brown@midsussex.gov.uk.

* The new public toilets in the King’s Street car park opposite the cinema in East Grinstead are expected to be opened by the end of May.  These will replace the toilet facilities in Cantelupe Road and the Norton Road car park, which will be closed once the new block is ready for use.

*Pictures show the race start, the four fastest men and the first woman past the finish line

Many parishioners came forward to have their blood pressure, blood glucose and BMI taken in a simple, painless check-up which can detect and prevent life-threatening illnesses.

Danny’s team will be in action once a month and will work closely with communities in the town which would like them to visit.

To find out more, contact the East Grinstead Extra Care Health and Wellness Support group at extracare.df@googlemail.com.

Or ring Danny on 07867 846495, Maribel on 07528 694112, or see the www.extracareeastgrinstead.com.

More than 250 were handed out before noon.

Julie Holden said: “It was a fun way of raising the profile of the Meridian line and reminding everyone that the town stands on the 0 degree line which divides the East from the West, and from which the whole world takes its time. We took a little bit of licence with the positioning of the line as it does not actually intersect the High Street, but obviously it was the profile that mattered.”

The ‘visas’ included information about the Meridian line and explained exactly where in East Grinstead the line is marked and can be visited.

A veteran of several 5km runs for her local hospice and Race for Life, this will be the first time that Julie has tackled 10kms, but she is confident pride and a following wind will see her through the second half.

“I’ve never run more than 5km but the route is a double loop around the same course, so I hope that by the time I get to the halfway mark, I’ll just start again and think ‘well at least I won’t have to do this a third time…’”

* To sponsor Julie, sign her form at East Court during office hours.