Author: Andrew Taylor

AROUND 300 competitors took part in the first leg of the Sussex Living Mid Sussex Marathon which was hosted by East Grinstead on Saturday 4 May. Competitors tackled a gruelling ten-mile, mostly cross-country, course and the winner finished in a record time of one hour three minutes, despite the lashing rain which came down as  Olympian Richard Leman fired the starting horn.

The second and third legs were run over the succeeding days in Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill. Although not quite as muddy as the inaugural run last year, the hilly ten miles route around East Grinstead proved challenging for runners who also battled strong winds, and tourism officer Dawn Spalding said special thanks were due to the  “fantastic volunteers” who braved the cold and rain to marshal the course, and without whom the race would not have been such a success.

Photo credit Julie Holden

THE new East Grinstead Town Mayor is Cllr Margaret Belsey who has chosen Macmillan nurses as the charity for her year in office.

The mayor-making was also an opportunity for newly-elected Councillor Adam Reeves to meet his council colleagues.

The new Deputy Town Mayor is Cllr  Nick Hodges, and Cllr Peter Wyan is the new Council Leader.

The former Town Mayor Liz Bennett raised £6,400 for her chosen charity, the Advance Centre.

A pre-consultation exhibition for the parts of the Neighbourhood Plan concerning development /transport, and the High Street, will be open to the public at the times and places listed below.

A final questionnaire will also be available at the exhibition, which will mainly be manned by Councillors who can help with any queries or clarification.

The questionnaire will also be available electronically on www.eastgrinsteadplan.org.uk.

16 and 17 May at East Court (main hall)
9am to 5pm

18 May and 1 June street surgery (Town Council surgery in pop-up tent in the High Street outside Broadley Brothers)
10am to 11.30am

23 and 24 May at Chequer Mead (foyer)
9.30am to 4pm
6.30pm-8.30pm (24 May only)

6, 7, and 8 June at the South of England Show (East Grinstead Town Council tent on 2nd Avenue)
9am to 6pm

Mid Sussex residents are being encouraged to add extra security to their garden this spring by snapping up a low cost shed alarm.

With unseasonably cold weather in March and early April this year, it’s easy to forget that the warmer temperatures of spring and summer are just around the corner. As the weather heats up, opportunities for thieves can also increase with open windows, insecure sheds and gardening tools left out.

The Mid Sussex Community Safety Partnership is keen to help residents protect their property and is giving local people the opportunity to purchase affordable shed alarms as part of a spring crime prevention campaign.

Residents are being offered the chance to purchase shed alarms at a reduced rate of £7.00, which is £8 cheaper than the normal retail price of £15.00. This relatively inexpensive item will help residents to protect their belongings and keep crime levels low in the District. The discounted shed alarms are available to buy from Town Council Help Points in Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Haywards Heath.

Residents are also being encouraged to take a few simple steps that will help to keep their shed safe and secure;

• Use a good quality padlock or mortice lock on the door of your shed
• Protect the boundary and access to your garden with fences, walls and lockable gates
• Make sure the door panel on your shed is strong enough
• Put up security lighting around your shed
• Lock valuable items together to prevent them being removed easily
• Help to track your property by registering it for FREE at www.immobilise.com

“Mid Sussex is a low crime area and if we all work together to prevent crime then we can help to ensure it stays that way,” said Councillor Christopher Snowling, Cabinet Member for Health and Community. “These low cost shed alarms are a quick and easy way to add a little extra protection against thieves. Making life hard for opportunist crooks goes a long way towards keeping our crime levels low and making sure Mid Sussex continues to be one of the safest places in the country to live.”

For more information about crime prevention in Mid Sussex, contact the Mid Sussex District Council Community Safety team on 01444 477550 or email communitysafety@midsussex.gov.uk.

Declaration of Result of Poll – Town South

SINCE July last year a band of green-fingered volunteers has been helping to maintain the Town Council gardens surrounding East Court mansion under gardener Jenny Watson.

And despite the appalling weather of recent months their work has helped enormously to rejuvenate the award-winning flower beds and make East Court somewhere for the town to be proud of.

“The grounds serve a variety of functions and the volunteers’ help has been invaluable,” said Jenny.

“We offer free access to an open public park which is used by a great many people simply passing from one side of East Grinstead to the other while taking their children to school for example, or walking their dogs. Others come to use the facilities within the estate such as the sports ground and the children’s nursery, or to attend events like the summer concerts.

“But the mansion and gardens also form a colourful backdrop for groups who hire the Council’s function rooms for meetings, parties and weddings so it is important we keep them looking beautiful – not least for all the brides we welcome to East Court.

“And finally we want to encourage a sustainable environment which will support a diverse wildlife population.”

New volunteers are always welcome, so for more information contact Katrina Hamill on 01342 335051 or email k.hamill@eastgrinstead.gov.uk.

Volunteers needed to help with oral history project with children from St Michael’s School, Withyham and The Meads, East Grinstead

Two schools in Sussex are participating in an exciting educational project that will research and record oral history regarding the impact of the 1960s railway closures when the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells line was axed in the 1960s. The project has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and is being led by Life Wisdoms, a local charity that support practical and educational projects.

As it is an intergenerational project, the children will engage with older people in the community who lived through the Beeching cuts and are willing to share their memories. By talking to people directly, the children will not only gather real life stories which will contribute to the historical archive of the community, but they will also develop greater confidence and communication skills.

We are looking for volunteers to help with reminiscence:

• Did you live through the 1960s Beeching cuts and have memories you are willing to share with the children?
• Did a family member or friend work or travel on the railway and were they affected by the cuts?
• Did you work in a business that was affected by the cuts?
• Did you lose your job as a result of the cuts?
• Did you or your children rely on the railway to get to work/school or to go on holiday and how did you get there once the railway lines closed?
• Are you interested in railway history and willing to share your knowledge?
• What did you think of the Beeching cuts? Were the plans a necessary evil or could things have been done differently?
• What are the disused lines and railway buildings used for now?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions and can give up just an hour or two to speak to students in small groups, please call Ruth Maddison for an informal chat on 01825 891094.

Alternatively, please e-mail info@lifewisdoms.org for more information or a call back.