THE section of Worth Way between Crawley Down and East Grinstead will be closed for a number of weeks in the spring/summer due to planned surface improvement work, paid for by money from the Woodlands Close development in Crawley Down.
No specific dates have yet been set for the work to take place.
MID Sussex District Council has set up a number of local collection points so that residents can easily recycle their Christmas trees and get 2015 off to a green start.
Anyone with a green garden waste collection bin can put their tree directly into it – as long as the lid can still close firmly.
Alternatively residents can take their real tree along to the Household Waste Recycling Sites at Imberhorne Lane in East Grinstead, or leave it at either the Imberhorne Lane car park or Chequer Mead car park, between Friday, 2 January and Friday, 16 January.
THE Wallis Centre, which is owned by West Sussex District Council, is to close at the end of March when the town centre site behind Chequer Mead is likely to be redeveloped for housing.
The centre, which has been home to various community and youth groups including Guides, Brownies and the town’s Nautical Training Corps, has been under threat of closure since last Spring when it was declared surplus to the operational requirements of WSCC.
Since that time the Town Council has worked closely with WSCC to ensure all the regular hirers were found alternative premises, and 11 of the 12 have done so.
The remaining hirer, the Jack and Jill Pre-school, has had its lease extended until the end of March while its discussions with other possible hire venues are on-going.
But Sue Gilding, who runs the pre-school, says its future is secure, and the business will not close.
Town Clerk Julie Holden said: “East Grinstead Town Council remains sorry that the building is no longer being used for youth service. We have open dialogue with WSCC concerning ongoing youth provision which we shall monitor.”
NT Live presents a screening of Treasure Island – Thursday 22 January at 7pm
ROBERT Louis Stevenson’s story of murder, money and mutiny is brought to life in a thrilling new stage adaptation by Bryony Lavery, broadcast live from the National Theatre.
It’s a dark, stormy night. The stars are out and Jim, the inn-keeper’s granddaughter, opens the door to a terrifying stranger. At the old sailor’s feet sits a huge sea-chest, full of secrets. Jim invites him in – and her dangerous voyage begins.
Suitable for age 10+
Tickets: £12/ concessions £10.
Forbidden Nights -Friday 23 January at 8pm
ENJOY this classy new all-male variety show with full theatre production and explosive choreography.
Forbidden are skilled and professionally trained performers, hand-picked from around the UK with charisma, undeniable talent, sparkling personality and honed physiques in equal measure.
They can sing, they can dance and they are VERY easy on the eye! Featuring a vocalist, aerial artist, pole performer and fire act all delivered with an element of naughtiness but not so naughty that you can’t bring your Granny!
The evening is suitable for ages 18 to 80. Think Cirque de Soleil meets Magic Mike!
Tickets £17.50.
Chequer Mead Silver Screen presents Jimmy’s Hall – 28 January 8pm
IN 1921 Jimmy Gralton’s sin was to build a dance hall on a rural crossroads in Ireland where young people could come to learn, to argue, to dream… but above all to dance and have fun.
Jimmy’s Hall celebrates the spirit of these free thinkers. The film is set in 1932 and follows events when Jimmy returned from a decade in New York and re-opened the hall. The film is freely inspired by Jimmy’s life and turbulent times.
Rating: PG-13
Tickets £5/ concessions £4.
The Jive Aces – Friday 30 January at 7.30pm
THE Jive Aces have established themselves as the UK’s top Jive and Swing band, having reached the semi finals of Britain’s Got Talent and performed for Her Majesty The Queen as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The yellow-suited sextet are renowned for their swinging music and high-energy stage show playing songs made famous by such greats as Bobby Darin, Louis Prima and Sammy Davis Jnr as well as a selection of superb originals.
The Jives Aces are kindly performing to raise funds for the refurbishment of Chequer Mead.
For more info go to www.jiveaces.com
Tickets £15/ concessions £14.
THE traditional Mayor’s Carols took place in the Meridian Hall yesterday (Sunday) when the choir from St Swithun’s came to sing for the Mayor, his family and colleagues.
The Rev Clive Everett-Allen gave the blessing at what was his last Christmas in East Grinstead ahead of his retirement next summer.
Town Clerk Julie Holden entered into the festive spirit dressed in a Mrs Christmas costume to hand out song sheets.
Pictures © East Grinstead Online
ALADDIN, this year’s panto from the Company of Friends, bursts on to the Chequer Mead stage with some deep and mysterious enchantment.
Instead of the band of happy villagers who often kick off panto fun, a blue genie levitates gently in the darkness, buoyed bobbingly up by sorcery as he sets the scene for this intriguing tale of Far East Glinstead.
And a large and impressive scene it is, glittering with red and gold, as the tale of poor Aladdin’s hopeless love for Princess-in-hiding Suki unfolds.
Abbie Lomax, a veteran of several Friends’ panto, is a wonderful Principal Boy.
As lovely of face as she is of voice, Abbie strides boyishly and endearingly through her role as the eponymous hero and had the audience in her hand from the first.
She had a worthy Princess in Skye Tupholme playing Suki, and their voices blended beautifully in their duets as they fought to let true love conquer all – including the machinations of bad Uncle Abandazar, played by Phil World.
Phil is a veteran baddy, and even the littlest panto-goer could tell he was a wrong’un from the moment he set foot on the stage, and booed accordingly…If only Aladdin had listened to them telling him not to go into that cave, he could have saved himself a whole bunch of trouble.
But once inside, and with the genie played by blue-hued Alex Watts released from a 1,000 years of enchantment, there was more mystery and magic as the cave-dwelling spirit creatures beguiled Aladdin with their dance, in a scene which exploded in gold at the finale to Act 1.
Widow Twankee was in the excellent hands of Kevin Gauntlett whose slick timing and deft comic touches wrung ready laughter from his audience. And upholding the comic tradition of panto were Andy Moore as Wishee Washee and John Barnett as Sgt Constable, whose slapstick antics and clever word play, were well both well-rehearsed and well-received.
Bringing up the rear, as it were, among the principals were Gilly Mill and Megan Peters, who between them brought Aladdin’s Sopwith Camel to life. They may not have had any spoken words but they nevertheless managed to convey Soppy’s most heartfelt emotions with a twitch of a hump and the flick of a head.
This is simply lovely production which combines impressive scenery and costumes with some pretty exciting pyrotechnics which will scare and delight little audience-goers in equal proportion.
And there are sweets. Lots and lots of sweets.
The principals go through their routines with infectious verve and enthusiasm, the clever script has plenty of amusing local references and enough double entendres to keep the adults laughing – and as ever the supporting cast are impressively step-perfect.
The joy of panto is that it appeals to the child in all of us – and this production of Aladdin will certainly delight the whole family.
* If you haven’t booked your tickets, don’t wait any longer – several performances are now so close to sell-out that the Company of Friends have already scheduled an extra show on 30 December.
Ring 01342 302000 for the Box Office.
Review and photos © Geraldine Durrant, East Grinstead Online
TOWN Mayor Nick Hodges attended a concert given by The Band of the Irish Guards at Chequer Mead last Friday which raised more than £7,000 for SSAFA (The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association).
The charity gives lifelong support for our Forces and their families, and is vital particularly for the veterans of recent conflicts.
The concert was very lively, with music ranging from a medley of Beatles and Bond themes to traditional Christmas carols, which the audience enthusiastically joined in.
Cllr Bob Mainstone said afterwards “Our very grateful thanks are due to Lt Colonel Wayne Hopla for bringing The Band to fundraise for this very worthy cause, to everyone who attended and to our sponsors East Grinstead War Memorial Limited for their wonderful support.”
Photos courtesy of Bob Mainstone
AS we reach the end of the year and are well into the festive season, I look back over the past seven months that I have had the honour and privilege of being Town Mayor and cannot believe where that time has gone.
I have been lucky to meet so many people and see the work of a great number of organisations in East Grinstead during my term of office.We have had some amazing events in town, including the unveiling of the statue of Sir Archibald McIndoe in June by HRH The Princess Royal: and we were one of the first towns in the country to have a VC commemorative paving stone when ours, dedicated to Sidney Godley VC, was unveiled in August with Eric Pickles MP in attendance.
The summer concerts at East Court were very well received and will be held again next year, and we were visited by the Mindelheim Stadtkapelle in July.
The East Grinstead Concert Band had the honour of playing at the Menin Gate in October and I was proud to represent our town there with them and to lay a wreath to honour those who gave their lives 100 years ago in World War 1. The 100 year anniversary of the declaration of war was also marked in town by a candle-lit service and a very moving Lights Out event at the War Memorial on 4 AugustIt has been a fantastic year with other personal highlights including being part of the delegation to the Town Twinning Youth In Europe event in the summer and meeting the mayors of our twin towns, watching the Adam Dabell memorial football match at East Court, jumping into the Flash Mob in the High Street and actually meeting Father Christmas and riding into town with him on the back of an open-top car.
I hope that 2015 is a happy and prosperous one for us all, and that East Grinstead can continue to be the great town that we know it is.
So from the Mayoress Lucy, the ‘Mayorette’ Olivia and myself, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.’