Author: Andrew Taylor

KEEN runners need to act fast to secure their entries in the Three Towns Marathon scheduled for the May Bank holiday weekend.

There are only 500 places available for each leg of the Marathon which will be run in three stages.

Day 1 will see the runners tackle a ten-mile course at East Grinstead on 5 May. The second leg on 6 May will be another ten miles around Haywards Heath, and there will be a final ten kilometre run over a course at the Bedelands Nature Reserve at Burgess Hill on 7 May to bring the total to 26.2 miles, the classic Marathon challenge.

Runners of all abilities are being encouraged to take part in any or all of the three stages, and there are options for team relays for anyone who feels they can’t complete a ten mile run on their own.

Council Leader Norman Webster said: “We are very pleased to welcome the Marathon to East Grinstead. It will attract a great many people to the town for an event which everyone can enjoy, and I hope as many people as possible will take up the challenge.”

To find out more about the Marathon, which is being sponsored by Sussex Living, see: www.nice-work.org.uk

ROGER Gwatkin is a patient man. He has already spent months in the painstaking renovation of the main hall at East Court, which is now wedding-ready with fresh paint and newly-restored windows. And he now faces the long task of working the same magic around the upstairs of the 18^th century Grade II listed building.

Set in award-winning parkland, East Court is home to the Town Council offices and the picture perfect setting for many of the town’s  brides – and like the infamous Fourth Bridge, maintaining it requires constant vigilance.

But you can’t hurry history, says Roger, and when you strip back work which was first done two centuries ago, you have to be prepared for a few surprises.

One was the three wasps’ nests Roger discovered when he removed the window frame in the main reception area on the second floor which he is now repairing: more pleasant are the little  touches of unknown craftsmen who worked on the mansion 200 years ago.

“These windows were built from the outside in, and were never intended to be removed,” said Roger. “So when you open them up and remove the frames you never know what you are going to find underneath.”

A carpenter by trade, Roger takes the old windows apart carefully and conserves as much of the originals as possible,  repairing and replacing where necessary to ensure the windows will serve decades more.

He also photographs his work, and leaves detailed notes about what he has done and where, so that future generations of craftsmen will face less of a conundrum about what they will find next time the windows need work.

“At the moment I have no idea what people have done in the past, or why – so I open the windows up and just follow my nose: sometimes it is easy, and sometimes it’s not.”

But Roger, who was on dialysis for two years while waiting for a kidney transplant, finds great satisfaction in his work.

“I owe my life to a kind stranger,” said Roger. “I was misdiagnosed for a long time and by the time I had the transplant I was very, very ill, and very lucky to survive.

“When you are on dialysis you are on a constant yo-yo but after the operation I felt better immediately.”

And the work he now does will help preserve a beautiful building for new generations to enjoy.

“You learn to recognise the signatures of the men who originally worked on East Court – like the carpenter who took the trouble to hand-cut packing pieces out of pine at an angle to splay the shutters at a better angle. It is completely hidden, he didn’t have to do it – and it wouldn’t be done today –  but it is very effective and a lasting tribute to his craftsmanship.”

WITH the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics putting Britain at the centre of the world stage this summer, the town centre flower beds and hanging baskets will also be flying the flag with red, white and blue displays. The hanging baskets are being prepared by Amethyst.

A QUIZ night hosted by Town Mayor John Saull to kick-start fundraising for celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee over the weekend of 2 – 5 June was “a huge success” said Town Clerk Julie Holden.

“The Meridian Hall was packed as rather more people turned out than we had expected, but the staff pulled out all the stops to accommodate them, everyone had an enjoyable time and we raised more than £1200 which was a great start.”

THE use of hosepipes will be banned in the South East from 5 April following a winter which has seen local reservoirs fail to refill because of unusually poor rainfall.

The restrictions mean householders will be banned from using water for the following activities:

• Watering gardens with a hosepipe. The ban also extends to the watering of lawns, parks, public gardens, allotments and grass used for non-commercial sport and recreation
• Watering domestic plants with a hosepipe
• Using a hosepipe for domestic recreation
• Non-commercial cleaning of domestic windows, walls, paths or patios with a hosepipe
• Washing private cars or boats with a hosepipe
• Filling or topping up domestic swimming pools or paddling pools
• Filling or topping up domestic ponds using a hosepipe
• Filling or topping up an ornamental fountain
• Cleaning outdoor surfaces with a hosepipe
• Failure to comply would result in a £1,000 fine.

EAST Grinstead is to have new “brown” heritage signs at the entrances to town to point up places of interest including tourist information points, the Bluebell Railway, the town museum in Cantelupe Road, East Court estate and its surrounding parkland.

Town Clerk Julie Holden said: “As a town we have a great deal to boast about, and this is one way to show potential visitors what we have to offer.”

RAPP, a marketing company on East Grinstead’s Birchwood industrial estate, cut its waste bill by £8,000 after office manager Helen Rimmer attended a UTILISE workshop which suggested ways employees could increase recycling rates and reduce the amount of office rubbish destined for landfill.

Helen said the key to the company’s success had been getting employees on board. “We prefer carrot over stick. Staff soon got into the habit of recycling when they found a sweet on their desk in the morning as a reward for good practice.”

Removing paper hand towels from lavatories  saved almost £5,00 a year, even after accounting for the extra £90 cost of electric hand-dryers.

And by recycling wherever possible and slashing the amount of waste leaving the office for landfill by 1.5 tonnes, RAPP saved more than £3,000 on its rubbish collection.

£450 per year more was saved by removing disposable plastic cups from water coolers and switching to refillable water bottles for meetings.

After a successful trial in Helen’s own team, individual general waste bins were removed from each desk and replaced with one central bin per department, next to the mixed recycling and confidential waste containers.

“There was some initial resistance,” Helen admitted, “and one employee even took his bin home so I couldn’t get my hands on it.  But once the reasons behind the measure were explained, including cost, landfill and time savings, employees soon came round.”

Helen is still keen to tackle the actual quantity of waste produced however, realising even greater savings could be achieved through elimination and reduction before recycling.

By focusing on reducing printing during an employee environmental awareness week, RAPP saved £174 on paper costs and per-click print charges.

They are now working on replicating this success throughout the year, with the money saved being donated to the Woodland Trust to plant trees.

To save money at your business by reducing energy, water and waste contact the Sustainable Business Partnership for details. Ring them on: 01444 477501. Email: info@sustainablebusiness.org.uk  or see the website at www.sustainablebusiness.org.uk.

Or contact West Sussex Sustainable Business Partnership CIC  at Oaklands, Oaklands Road, Haywards Heath, RH16 1SS.

CHEQUER Mead’s staff hosted a special Music Hall themed evening to thank theatre volunteers, Friends and other supporters for the work they do in keeping the community arts centre running.

The entertainment this year was provided by Pete Allen, Craig Murdoch and members of the Chequer Mead Youth Theatre.
Theatre manager Hannah Kester said: “It was a great night and a great opportunity for us to give our heartfelt thanks to everyone who puts so much into the theatre.

“Chequer Mead wouldn’t open without the support of its volunteers and patrons who do so much for us throughout the year.”

EAST Court is wedding-ready with a makeover in the main hall of the 18th century Grade II listed main building, and new voiles to tent the Meridian Hall next door.

With its award-winning gardens providing a picture-perfect backdrop for weddings, East Court is geared up for a busy summer, and the newly-refurbished hall, which as well as being freshly-decorated will have new curtains and chairs, is spruced up and ready for romance.