Author: Andrew Taylor

A new booklet containing a free guide to East Grinstead and a town map is available now from the Tourist Desk in the library.

A record number of postal votes have been issued across Mid Sussex for the General and Local elections. The deadline for applying for a postal vote has now passed. Voters are reminded that they have until 5pm on Tuesday 28^th of April if they require a proxy vote.

If you will be unable to get to the polling stations on election day, but would still like to vote, please contact the Electoral Registration Office to find out how to vote by proxy (somebody else voting on your behalf, either at the polling station or by post).

The 28 April 2015 at 5pm is the deadline to apply for a proxy votes. Proxy voters who need to change the address to which their ballot paper is sent or need to change the details of their nominated proxy must contact the Electoral Registration Office before this date.

A proxy is somebody who goes to the polling station and votes on behalf of the registered elector. Residents who wish to appoint a proxy voter must explain why the proxy is required and if proxy voting is chosen for all future elections then evidence must be provided to support the application.

Registration to vote in the 7^th of May elections has now closed and postal votes are being sent out. To date 17,715 postal votes have been issued, a record number for the area.

A full list of candidates for the General election and Local elections is available at www.midsussex.gov.uk/elections

If you have any questions regarding your registration or the electoral process please contact the Mid Sussex District Council Electoral Registration Office on 01444 477003, or elections@midsussex.gov.uk

A Lifetime Achievement Award given to the Guinea Pig Club only last weekend, has been handed over to the East Grinstead museum for safekeeping.

The Guinea Pigs were honoured at the Soldiering On presentations which “celebrate the inspirational people who support the armed forces and their families”.

The Guinea Pigs, all burned on active duty during WWII and treated by pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe, were honoured for their sacrifices on behalf of the nation, and for the camaraderie and spirit which has taken them through life since.

Tom Cochran (above), who handed over the Award at the Felbridge hotel last night, said members wanted it to become part of the museum’s permanent collection of Guinea Pig memorabilia.

THE Town Museum is appealing for Patrons to help with the regular running costs of the museum.

The museum receives no regular funding, and the £650 a week it costs just to keep the doors open far exceeds its modest income from the sale of souvenirs, fundraisers and private hire.

So in order to create a regular and reliable source of income, the museum has launched a scheme asking people to consider becoming Patrons by pledging £150, £300 or £500 a year.

The need for a secure financial future comes as the museum plans to create a new exhibition which will form a lasting legacy for the Guinea Pig Club.

The Guinea Pigs were servicemen who were burned on active duty in WWII and treated by pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe. They proudly adopted the name ‘guinea pigs’ because his innovative work in treating their burns was indeed often experimental in nature.

In November 2009, the Queen Victoria hospital gifted their McIndoe collection to the town museum, an archive which included more than 3,000 items including prosthetics, models, instruments and equipment, as well as the personal memorabilia of staff and patients. The collection tells the story of the internationally renowned hospital, tracing its transformation from modest beginnings to the acclaimed plastic surgery and burns centre it is today.

But although portions of the collection have been put on display, the Guinea Pig Club deserves more, museum curator Sarah Corn told an audience at the Felbridge hotel last night.

So the museum has developed a ‘Rebuilding Bodies and Souls’ project to create a new display area which will recreate the hospital’s operating theatre as it was in 1936 when the QVH opened on the Holtye Road.

“The vision is to recreate the operating theatre, with the original Allen & Hanbury operating table as a key feature. There will be displays of the instruments used and interpretation of how the treatment was administered – and central to the display will be the interpretation of the personal stories of the Guinea Pigs,” said Sarah.

This will cost £40,000, and up to £60,000 more will be needed to cover the cost of a part-time learning and outreach officer, materials and equipment to bring the stories to life. The museum will be applying for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to pay for the project, but they need funding to keep the building open.

So at a reception sponsored last night by the Felbridge Hotel, the museum launched an appeal for Patrons. “We receive no regular funding from County or District Councils, no regular funding from other bodies, and no regular funding from individuals and sponsors,” said Sarah.

“We do apply for specific project funding from local and national funders, for example for ‘Rebuilding Bodies and Souls’ – but this does not keep the lights and heating on.

“By becoming a Patron of the Museum you will help us keep the doors open – and you will enable us to tell the stories of the East Grinstead area and of the Guinea Pig Club long after the original members have gone.”

* For details go to http://www.eastgrinsteadmuseum.org.uk/patrons-scheme/

TOWN Mayor Nick Hodges opened the East Grinstead and Arts Festival today.

Nick, who is President of EGMAF during his year of office, wished all performers success at the Festival which is in its 47th year.

Chairman Christine Mainstone welcomed all participants to Chequer Mead, particularly those who have travelled long distances, to compete in dancing, singing, speech and drama. She also welcomed the adjudicators for the various sections.

“We are so proud to be able to stage our Festival at Chequer Mead that has such excellent facilities for our competitors. Visitors to East Grinstead often comment on how they enjoy their day at Chequer Mead and how lucky we are to have a professional theatre for our residents to enjoy.”

The East Grinstead Festival attracts competitors from across the South East of England and runs each weekend between 18 April to 9 May.

18 April – singing
25 April – dance
26 April – dance & speech and drama
2 May – dance & speech and drama
3 May – dance & speech and drama
9 May – dance

TOWN Mayor Nick Hodges thanked everyone involved with making his charity Ball at the Sports Club on Saturday night such a success.

The raffle and auction raised more than £3,000 for his chosen charities, CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young), and the town museum.

East Grinstead Mayor Nick Hodges greeted Peacehaven’s Mayor Robert Robertson on the Meridian Line at East Court yesterday.

The notional 0 degrees Meridian Line passes through East Grinstead from its ‘home’ in Greenwich and exits the UK via Peacehaven.

NICK Lomas, Director General of the Caravan Club, and Town Mayor Nick Hodges were at the opening of an outdoor exhibition trailer at the Caravan Club’s HQ this morning.