Author: Andrew Taylor

Thousands of people turned up to enjoy the Christmas Family Festival on Sunday, despite the drizzle, and the streets were crowded as Town Mayor Dick Sweatman arrived with Father Christmas and the May Queen to officially open the event.

Meridian FM were on hand all day to provide festive music and the crowds were entertained by performances by, In Choir, Step up and Sing, Urban City Street Dance and Trinity Puppet Theatre, not forgetting long-term favorite, Professor Crump!

With London Road being closed to traffic from 7 am and volunteers manning the Road Closures until 7 pm in the Evening, the day was a great success.

The Seasoned Sausage Company was there, selling their local handmade sausages and burgers, and the High Weald Brewer (also to be seen at the weekly farmers’ Market) was selling his local real ale. As ever the French Market and the Fun Fair rides proved to be very popular.

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The sum of just under £900.00 was raised at the Chequer Mead Theatre when the ConChord Big Band held a charity concert in aid of East Grinstead’s Age UK.

Trustee for the charity Jhn Belsey, accepting the cheque, expressed his gratitude to the band and said that “apart from giving great entertainment, ConChord is helping a most worthy local independent charity responsible for raising its own funds to enable it to support local older people. People often think we are funded by Age UK in London, which we are not!”

Over the years The ConChord Big Band has raised over £40,000 for local (and national) charities,such as St Catherine’s Hospice, Queen Victoria Hospital, British Heart Foundation,The Princes Trust, Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion.

IN a regular feature on the Town Council website, we will be remembering, on the anniversary of their deaths, the East Grinstead soldiers who died during WWI,  and who are named on the High Street War Memorial.

This month we recall (as recorded on The Roll of Honour website):

Frederick Harry DOLLERY

Lance Corporal 1896 The 1/1st Sussex Yeomanry Att. to 42nd Division. Gallipoli.

Killed in action on Gallipoli 20.12.15. Aged 23.

Son of William Albert and Ada Dollery of “The Cloisters” Bishops Sutton, Hampshire. Born in Bishops Sutton and enlisted in Brighton. Included on Bishops Sutton Parish Church War Memorial.

Commemorated on The Helles Memorial MR.4.

A Health and Wellbeing Showcase event is being held on 15^th December to promote and enhance working relationships between the County Council and other key professional networks, and voluntary sector organisations providing vital services for the promotion of health and wellbeing to adults in Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex.

The drop-in event is being held from 10:30 – 1:00 pm in the Park Suite, County Hall North, Horsham. For further information please contact Terina.Bryant@westsussex.gov.uk or 0330 2228710.

We’re talking about your wheelie bins here and the collection arrangements over the holidays.

The collections crews will be placing tags on general waste bins w/b 7th & 14th December to let residents know about changes in collections over the holidays.

Full details of these changes can be found here http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/waste/8216.htm which includes a subpage covering xmas tree collection sites and dates.

Don’t forget you can also get your full calendar by inputting your postcode and address into the collection page here – http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/8368.htm

Nothing stops Christmas, and nothing stops the town team who get together to put the Christmas tree up in the High Street. Town Council staff, members of the town’s Rotary Club aided by the Leader of the Town Council Rex Whittaker, were out in force on Wednesday morning setting the tree in place. The big switch on is this Saturday 5 December starting at 12 Noon A splendid afternoon is promised for one and all.

A reminder to local rural-based businesses that two new potential funding schemes are available. The Leader scheme is being run by West Sussex County Council and further details can be found here: https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/news/follow-the-leader-to-rural-business-success

Grants of between £2500 and £50000 are available. General information is available at http://www.businesswestsussex.co.uk/leadergrants

There is also a Digital Connectivity Grant Programme. This will be particularly relevant for small rural industrial estates with very poor broadband speeds. Details are available at http://www.coast2capital.org.uk/helping-business-growth/49-grant-funding/525-digital-connectivity-grant-programme.html

The twelve CCTV cameras currently on site around East Grinstead are now coming to the end of their working life. Sussex Police, who monitor them 24/7, find the cameras  an invaluable tool for preventing crime and increasing public safety. The Town Council together with Mid Sussex District Council have secured funding to upgrade the Town Center’s existing CCTV cameras.

There are proposed changes to the location of some cameras, and the public is being asked for their comments before these proposals  are put into action. Please take a moment to read the information and view the maps with this message and let us have your views.

CCTV Consultation East Grinstead

The Town Council run Thursday Farmers Markets are pleased to welcome two new stalls to the weekly market. Busses Beef Boxes and Brambletye Fruit Farm are joining the ever-popular Veasey’s Seafood  stall on the Market Square in the historic High Street. The Market is open from 9.00 until 2.00 more stall holders are also expected in the coming months. The Town Council would be pleased to welcome further enquiries

On Saturday December 5th the Christmas tree in the High Street will have the lights turned on and a programme of events organised by the town’s
Rotary Clubs ,who provide the tree, has been announced.

There will be a Rotary presence in the town all day from 9-00am onwards. The sound system is kindly supplied by Meridian FM

• 12 Noon – Meridian FM will be next to the Christmas tree playing music and making announcements during the Rotary weekly radio show. Additionally there will be contributions and interviews by Rotary Radio presenters throughout the event.The whole event will be transmitted live this year.
• 2:45 pm – The ‘Town Crier’ and ‘Pantomime Characters’ Snow White and Muddles will be around the town to inform and encourage members of the public to assemble at the Rotary Christmas Tree outside Broadley Brothers in the High Street.
  East Grinstead Concert Band will commence playing at 2:45pm prior to the Town Crier opening the ceremony at 3:00pm.
• 3:00pm Ceremony starts
  Introduction by the master of ceremonies
  The Revd Canon Julia Peaty delivers her Christmas message
  The Mayor switches on the Christmas tree lights
  Muddles and Snow White will address the members of the public
  Sackville Junior Choir sings their chosen songs
  East Grinstead Concert Band Play the following Carols and the public will be encouraged to join in
  • Hark the Herald Angels Sing
  • Silent Night
  • Good King Wenceslas
  • Oh Come all Ye Faithful
• Approximately 3:45pm Conclusion Rotary Presidents brings the ceremony to a close