13 January 2023

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

Sports Grant – THANK YOU

(Sent to the Town Council by Swim-1st Junior Triathlon Club)

 

 

In December 2021 we were awarded a Youth Sports Grant. I just wanted to give you an update and to say THANK YOU! – You pointed us in the direction of this grant and it has really delivered in taking sport to the children of the area.

In 2022, using our investment and the Youth Sports Grant we purchased 4 children’s road bikes, 4 turbo trainers and all the associated safety equipment. We developed sessions with our Junior Triathlon Club members which included safety procedures, risk assessments and of course different games and training exercises we can do with the equipment.

We then took the sessions into local schools. We have delivered to Forest Row Primary and Halsford Park Primary in 2022 which has seen over 250 pupils try out triathlon with many virtual miles cycled on the bikes!

We are determined to continue through this year with another taster session already booked in February and I am looking for other schools in the area.

Thank you so much for your support. It is appreciated by us, but most of all by all the amazing, smiling children who get the chance to try out the equipment.

 

Evolve Estates – Public Toilets Queens Walk

(Sent by Evolve Estates regarding the issues surrounding the public toilets) 

There are severe drainage issues with the toilets that are leading to blockages and flooding which is also impacting on our service yard (Queens Road) that serves the commercial units along Queens Walk.

We are meeting on site on Friday to assess the situation again.  I would in the short term agree with you to signpost to the library and I will come back to you with our findings once we’ve been to site and had time to discuss the solutions.

 

MSVA E-Bulletin

Please follow the web-link to access their newsletter https://mailchi.mp/5f7a59d44694/newsletter-march14-6259249?e=e2320a9a62

 

Planning Applications and Decisions

 

 

Citizens Advice in West Sussex – Stakeholder Survey

 

Your feedback is important to us and without you, we can’t improve.

Please click the link below to fill out our Stakeholder Survey for 2022/23:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/36KBYCL

 

Southern Railway Commute More, Collect More Rewards

(Sent by Southern Railway to all major stakeholders)

I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year.  As we enter 2023, we are putting into place some of our plans for encouraging rail travel.  As a result, Southern is launching a new initiative rewarding passengers when they buy an Anytime or Season ticket.   

 

Passengers have been steadily returning to the railway following the effects of the pandemic, with leisure travel in particular seeing strong passenger numbers.   

 

Hybrid working is now a key feature changing how people travel to the office so at traditional peak commuting times, passenger numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.  We’ve been looking at ways to support more regular peak time trips and to reward those who take them.  That’s why we are trialling this new loyalty scheme at Southern where customers can, for the first time, earn points for each pound spent.   

 

Commute more, collect more, with Southern Rewards allows customers to earn points when they spend on Anytime, Flexi Season and Season tickets bought directly at www.southernrailway.com and fulfilled using an eTicket or Key Smartcard.   

 

Points can be used to claim rewards such as days out, meals out, cinema tickets and free coffees, and on signing up to the rewards programme customers will be entered into a prize draw with the potential to win even more.  

 

The promotion runs from now up to 5 March 2023, and rewards can be claimed up until 2 April. 

 

 

We’ll be promoting this trial online, at stations and through social media, supported by a PR campaign sharing some of the benefits of travelling to the office. 

 

To share this information with your members or constituents this link provides the full details: www.southernrailway.com/rewards.  We can also supply you with images to support.  Please just ask if you would like any more details.

 

At a time when there are very clear challenges for the industry to work through – from the need for cost efficiencies to industrial action – we must still focus on welcoming people back to the railway and we’re pleased to be launching this loyalty scheme as part of that, for those who choose to travel with us.   

 

East Grinstead-FP40aEG-Temporary Closure Notice

 

 

TRO Consultation – East Grinstead, Tanyard Ave Waiting Restrictions

 

West Sussex County Council proposes to make a permanent Traffic Regulation Order that will prohibit waiting at any time (introduce double yellow lines) on both sides of Tanyard Avenue in East Grinstead from its junction with Herontye Drive, northwards to a point immediately north of its junction with Oak Croft.  The new lines will also extend a short distance along both sides of Oak Croft and along the western side of Herontye Drive either side of its junction with Tanyard Avenue.

 

In addition, it is proposed to install double yellow lines around the turning head at the western end of Tanyard Avenue. The Order also formalises existing double yellow lines at the junction of Herontye Drive with Glendyne Way.

 

Below is a link to the TRO Team’s consultation web page, containing plans showing the new restriction, the public notice, statement of reasons for proposing the Order, and the draft Order itself.  I should be grateful if you could accept this message as the formal consultation on the proposed new Order.  If you wish to make any comments or objections to the scheme, please make them to me by e-mail before 2 February 2023.

 

https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/traffic-regulation-orders/

 

EGBA Annual General Meeting – 9th February 2023

(Invite sent by EGBA to all members) 

We would like to invite you to the EGBA’s Annual General Meeting at Chartham Park Golf & Country Club. We shall be discussing all the achievements of the EGBA and the town in the past year and where we would like to go in the future.  What opportunities there will be within the Town and what we can do as local businesses to encourage and support. If there is anything that you wish to particularly discuss, please let us know in advance and we shall be very happy to add to the Agenda, as below:- AGENDA 1. Apologies 2. CEO’s Address 3. Treasurer’s Report 4. CEO Report 5.  Greenaway Foundation Update 6. Re-election of Committee Members and Election of New Members 7. Review of 2022 8. The Year Ahead 9. Any Other Business If you wish to attend, please follow this link – BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE HERE

 

Grand Opening – Xcelerate Gyms

 

The Councillors and Staff are invited to the grand opening on 26^th January of Xcelerate Gym in Queens Walk.

 

Starting time: 5.30pm

Ribbon cutting: 6.30pm 

Closing time: 10pm

 

Please so that Xcelerate can work out numbers, if you wish to go will you please let Kirstie Hamper know so that she can pass this on. The opening is on the 26th so if you can let Kirstie know by Monday 23rd at the latest, that would be helpful!

 

NALC Open Letter

(Sent by NALC to all Major Councils)

Local leadership through challenging times

 

Throughout what has undoubtedly been a challenging year, I have been struck by how the first tier of local government – England’s 10,000 local (parish and town) councils – has provided stability and support to our communities. Over this period and indeed before then, you have helped keep our communities and the country running. This is why I want to use my open letter to thank you all for everything you have done and will continue to do. Ensuring what you do is better understood and recognised is at the heart of my role as your chair. As I set in my first open letter in January 2022, my priorities have been to ensure local councils are recognised and respected as the first tier of local government, champion good governance in local councils and highlight their role and potential to the media, public and other national bodies. You can read more on how we’ve been doing that in NALC’s latest Annual Report. A week is a long time in politics, as the saying goes. So much has happened in the last twelve months since being elected as NALC’s chair. No one could have predicted the events that have unfolded, creating so much uncertainty and instability for us all. Learning to live with COVID-19. The war in Ukraine. Turmoil in our national politics. The sad death of Queen Elizabeth II. Rising costs of living. And the ever-present climate emergency. Your leadership – whether in our neighbourhoods, villages, and towns in rural or urban areas – is helping us deal with these events. Since stepping up as part of the COVID-19 response, I know many local councils have continued working with local partners to help those who need it. I have been pleased to see your essential role rightly recognised and praised by the government and others. Your outpouring of support and solidarity for Ukraine reminded me how we must cherish and champion, and never take for granted, our freedom and democracy. At our special meeting about Ukraine earlier this year, some of you shared what you are doing to help, such as organising donations and supplies. It was deeply saddening to hear the news of the late Queen’s death, and we conveyed our sincere condolences to the Royal Family. I am grateful to you all for your important role in Operation London Bridge and subsequent local events, once more stepping up and a reminder of the part you play in our national story. The King’s coronation will provide a much happier occasion on which we can bring people together. Providing warm spaces, supporting the lonely or vulnerable, sharing information on available assistance and targeting your grant funding are just some ways local councils are helping our communities deal with the cost-of-living crisis. Lastly, tackling the climate crisis is another big challenge that local councils are increasingly addressing. A growing number of councils have declared a climate emergency and are taking forward an action plan of projects and activities. As I look ahead to what I sincerely hope will be a more stable, prosperous year, I will need your help to champion and drive change in our crucial part of local government. I’m confident that more local councils will step up and be inspired by the examples of others to work together, not in isolation, and to use the resources available from NALC and county associations. Doing so will ensure our sector remains current and relevant, especially to our residents. Of course, it remains vital that we all act as advocates for parish power and the good we can do, especially to Members of Parliament, principal authorities, and other agencies. I am also clear that changing the culture and getting more people involved has never been more critical to improving civility and respect in our sector. I want to urge every council in the country – every councillor, every council officer – to be part of that change. To get involved in the Civility and Respect Project, sign the pledge, adopt the policies, attend training courses, and encourage your peers to follow. Such support will send out a strong message and help evidence to the government that the standards regime must be strengthened, including sanctions for poor behaviour. Of course, you can also demonstrate your commitment to good governance through the Local Council Award Scheme. If you have elections in May 2023, my plea to you is to redouble your efforts to get people to stand and promote the change local councils can make. Please ensure local elections are on the agenda for your council meetings, that you are budgeting for election costs, and that you plan to encourage people to stand. To help you, NALC has a wealth of resources on the Make A Change webpage, and county associations are also there to help. Remember, you can stay up-to-date on many topics I have covered and more on our website and social media channels (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) and by subscribing to our mailing list to receive our newsletters and weekly bulletins. You can also connect with other councils and councillors through our national networks. One final word of thanks. It never ceases to amaze me what our councils and sector can achieve when we work together. All of us – councils, councillors, clerks and council staff, NALC, county associations, the Society of Local Council Clerks. And our partners BHIB Councils Insurance, Blachere Illumination, Breakthrough Communications, CCLA, Utility Aid, WorkNest and many others. Over the year ahead, let’s keep doing just that and coming together to help build stronger communities. I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

 

Ways to have a Healthy New You in 2023

(Excerpt taken from E-Mail sent to all subscribers of WSCC News)

Welcome to a brand new year in West Sussex!

In this special edition eNewsletter, we’ve gathered practical ways to help you get a healthy kick start to 2023.

With all the ongoing pressures around us, it’s never been more important to look after our physical and mental health.

Check out our five steps to new year physical and mental wellness – there are lots of free resources and local support available to help you, so please share with friends and family to help us look after each other.

Look after yourself

If you’d like to make positive changes to your physical health this year, check out West Sussex Wellbeing for help and information on a range of topics and to find out what support is available near you including:

• Book a health MOT: If you’re aged 40 – 74 you could be eligible for a free NHS Health Check.
• Want to cut down on your drinking? There are lots of tips and support on West Sussex Wellbeing.  It’s also not too late to sign up to Dry January to give yourself an extra incentive.
• Visit your local Stop Smoking services page to get free help and support to quit from trained advisors.
• Need to lose some weight? Find out about our free face-to-face and online weight management support.
• For tips on healthy eating check out our Healthy Eating ideas.
• You can boost your immunity this winter by getting vaccinated with the Covid-19 booster and flu vaccine. To find out if you’re eligible and how to book, visit Sussex Health & Care Covid-19 and flu vaccination information.

Let’s get physical!

Keeping physically active is important for our physical and mental wellbeing. It decreases the risk of getting heart disease, some types of cancer, depression, anxiety, dementia, and helps people to sleep and manage stress better and maintain a healthy weight.

Many of us lead busy lives, but just setting aside a small amount of time each week can make a difference.

And regardless of your age or ability, there is a type of physical activity to suit. For suggestions and local physical activity options, visit the West Sussex Wellbeing Getting More Active page.

Check out local things to do and local places to visit at Experience West Sussex. There are also ideas about how to have a digital detox in West Sussex by immersing yourself in nature.

Try something new

Volunteering offers vital help to people in need, worthwhile causes, and the community, but the benefits can be even greater for you, the volunteer.

It can reduce stress, combat depression, keep you mentally stimulated, and provide a sense of purpose. You can find more about volunteering opportunities on our website.

Why not take up a new hobby or class of something you enjoy or try something new such as joining a book club, sports team, walking group or choir. Find out more on our Find Your Nearest club or society webpage.

Take time out for you

Paying more attention to the present moment can improve your mental wellbeing.

This includes your thoughts and feelings, your body, and the world around you. Some people call this awareness ‘mindfulness’.

Mindfulness can help you enjoy life more and understand yourself better. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges. Practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques.

Other things you can do for yourself include:

• Set aside time for yourself each day to do something you enjoy
• Make a list of all the things that make you happy in everyday life to improve your mood and wellbeing
• Try journaling to write down any worries or anxious thoughts and feelings
• Consider taking a break from social media.

Reach out

If you are struggling with your mental health, there are a range of support services and organisations that can help.

Visit West Sussex Wellbeing or Every Mind Matters to find out more.

There is local help, advice, and practical support with the cost of living available on our website.

The West Sussex Health & Wellbeing Board is working to improve the health and wellbeing of residents. You are welcome to attend their meetings or watch them later online. The next meeting takes place on Thursday 26 January at 10.30am. The agenda includes a public forum where residents of West Sussex can submit their questions to the Board prior to the meeting and be there to hear the response from members. Those who are unable to attend, or who don’t wish to, can still submit questions to the Board and receive a response at a later date. Questions for the Board can be submitted in advance by calling Democratic Services Officer Erica Keegan on 0330 222 6050 or by emailing erica.keegan@westsussex.gov.uk

 

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