Author: Andrew Taylor

THE Blunter Brothers Classic Funk and Soul is on Saturday 1 September at 7.45pm.

THIS brilliant show pays tribute to James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and many more classic stars of Funk and Soul.

SUE Flight presents Seasonal Sensations on Thursday 6 September at 7.30pm, an evening of floral art in aid of Alzheimer’s research.

Sue’s love of flowers and plant material has found her competing all over the world. She has won gold and silver gilt medals at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show, and lives and teaches locally.

East Grinstead Operatic Society presents Guys and Dolls fromThursday 13 September to Saturday 15 September.

FOR its 90th anniversary year, EGOS brings you one of the best-loved musicals ever. Can Sky Masterson win a bet that he can take a Salvation Army doll to Havana? And after 14 years engaged to Nathan Detroit will Adelaide ever make it to the altar?

Chequer Mead Lunchtime Concert Series presents John Noyce – Songs of Yesteryear on Tuesday 18 September at 1.30pm.

JOHN has been singing in local choirs for many years and was a founder member of both Concordia and The Weald Choir of Crawley. He has sung with the Bel Canto Opera, Crawley, East Grinstead Opera and The Company of Friends. Accompanist Marion Shuster.

Jazz Café will be back on Thursday 20 September at 7pm.

ENJOY live Jazz from the fabulous Sussex Jazz Kings, combined with a bistro menu from Cuisine Studio.

Absolute Bowie will be performing on  Friday 21 September at 7.30pm.

EUROPE’S Premier Bowie Tribute Band will take you on a musical journey through the changing phases of Bowie’s music and fashion with incredible attention to detail.

Ariel Company Theatre Young Actors presents Miss Saigon Schools Edition from Tuesday 25 September to Saturday 29 September.

A musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the original London production by Cameron Mackintosh
has been specially adapted and licensed by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Theatre. In this specially adapted version, the creators ofLes Miserables bring Puccini’s Madame Butterfly to the modern world in a moving testament to the human spirit and a scathing indictment of the tragedies of war.This is a youth production.

Seasons of the Heart – a Tribute to John Denver on Sunday 30 September at 8pm.

IVOR George stunningly recreates Denver in his one-man tribute show with pictures, anecdotes and charm as he brings to the stage 27 authentic presentations of John’s best-known songs.

MID Sussex District Council is urging any local residents who have not yet responded to the 2012 electoral canvass to do so immediately to avoid the need for costly reminders.

Many people may not be aware that the voter registration process has been brought forward this year to make sure it is completed before the Police and Crime Commissioner elections on 15 November.

Voter registration for 2012 closes on the 8 October, and any forms received after that date will not be included on the register and those people may not then be eligible to vote.

Mid Sussex District Council has issued voter registration forms to every household in Mid Sussex and so far around 77% of Mid Sussex households have responded.

The Council will be sending out final reminders and making door-to-door enquiries from the start of September so it is important that as many people as possible respond now.

Residents are reminded that being registered for Council Tax or other Council services does not automatically entitle them to vote.

Everyone must respond to the electoral canvass but fortunately registering could not be more convenient. Residents now have the option to confirm their details by post, phone, online or SMS text message and these modern confirmation methods are becoming increasingly popular.

“Voter registration is taking place earlier this year because of the Police and Crime Commissioner Election but this has coincided with a time when people are busy with the Olympics and school holidays,” said Tom Clark, Electoral Registration Officer for Mid Sussex.

“As a result, completing the registration process may not be at the top of peoples’ priorities. It is now really important that residents respond quickly and provide their registration details before reminder notices are issued. Sending out reminders and chasing people up is an unnecessary cost to the Mid Sussex taxpayer and I urge people help us keep these costs as low as possible by responding promptly to this electoral canvass.”

Anyone who has moved house in recent weeks and has not received a form for his or her new property should contact Electoral Services immediately. For more information about the registration process and voting, please go to www.midsussex.gov.uk/elections, contact Electoral Services on 01444 477003 or email elections@midsussex.gov.uk.

Registering to vote only takes a few minutes. Don’t miss out on the chance to make your voice heard.

THE Prince’s Trust is running a free, three week Customer Service course for unemployed 16-25 year olds in Brighton and Hove.

In the first week participants will take part in customer service training with an industry professional and develop their employability skills, working towards a nationally recognised ‘Welcome Host’ qualification.

Following that they will complete a two-week supported work placement in a Customer Service environment.

At the end of the course they will receive one-to-one progression support to keep them motivated and help them to get a job.

The course runs from Monday 24 September to Friday 12 October, and the course oganisers will pay for transport costs and provide lunch.

Applicants will be required to attend an Information Session on either Tuesday 11 September or Wednesday 12 September, and if successful they will be invited to the Taster Day on Wednesday 19 September.

For more information and details on how to apply contact Jo by texting ‘customer’ to 07956 289881.

Alternatively email jo.wren@princes-trust.org.uk or joanna.tolley@princes-trust.org.uk.

TOWN Councillors have been busy conducting more surveys to inform the Neighbourhood Plan.

These surveys have given residents their chance to tell the Council what they want to see in East Grinstead over the next 20 years, and to date each survey has provided hundreds of replies.

For up-to-date information on the surveys and the results so far see the Town Council’s website www.eastgrinstead.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan.

There is also still time to write to the Council if you have specific ideas which you would like them to consider.

The Council has appointed a consultant firm to help draw up the Plan which will then go through a period of further consultation including exhibitions, before being submitted as a final document to Mid Sussex District Council.

If it passes an inspection it will then be subject to a referendum of the town’s voters in the summer of 2013.

This is your chance to influence the planning of the town for the next 20 years.

Please let us know your views.

EAST Grinstead Camera Club will be holding its annual exhibition until 5 September. New members are always welcome

BLUE Tulip will be exhibiting in the Gallery from 7 – 19 September.
Wall of Weather, Blue Tulip’s 3rd exhibition at Chequer Mead, features the the British weather, in all its unpredictability. Meet the artists on Saturday 8 September.

SPECTRA Textile Artists exhibition Pathways and Places will take place from 28 September to 3 October.
Special places, journeys and memories have inspired this lively range of textile pieces which have been interpreted in expressive and experimental techniques. Meet some of the artists each day.

METROBUS will run a new Sunday and public holiday bus service on route 400 from 2 September.

The new service is a commercial venture which is not being subsidised by the taxpayer, and the operator has stressed it will be very much a case of ‘use it or lose it’ with regard to the service’s continued survival.

Route 400 links Caterham, Godstone, Bletchingley, Nutley, Redhill, East Surrey Hospital, Salfords, Gatwick Airport, Crawley and East Grinstead, and will initially operate every two hours.

A new later journey is also being added from Caterham to Redhill on weekdays, and a later weekday journey to East Grinstead. Nick Hill, commercial manager for Metrobus, said: “Since we introduced the 400 in September last year, many users have asked if we could add a Sunday service, and we are pleased to do so. However the long-term future of the services will be dependent on the use that is made of it.”

* The new timetable can be found at: www.metrobus.co.uk

TOWN tourism officer Simon Kerr will be promoting East Grinstead this Christmas under the banner of Wenceslas Weeks.

One of the world’s favourite hymns to seasonal generosity, Good King Wenceslas was composed in 1853 at Sackville College by the Rev John Mason Neale, and set to a tune based on a 13th century carol Tempus adest floridum (The time is near for flowering) first published in the 1582 Finnish song collection Piae Cantiones.

If you would like to use the special Wenceslas Weeks poster to promote your Christmas activities, or to be included in the town’s December diary of events, contact Simon at the West Street library, or email him on tourism@eastgrinstead.gov.uk.

THE town tourist desk’s Dawn Spalding put her local knowledge to good use when she was approached for help by a local firm wanting help with a team-building day.

Amanda Barnes, the CEO of Faversham House,  the national media group which recently relocated to East Grinstead, was looking for an activity which staff teams could tackle together during an activity day.

Dawn came up with a treasure hunt which included cryptic and pictorial clues scattered around London Road and the High Street, and the Faversham staff spent the morning hunting for answers before going on to the Meridian Hall for lunch and entertainment to end the day.