Author: Andrew Taylor

The new Metrobus 400 route linking East Grinstead to Crawley, Gatwick Airport, East Surrey Hospital, Redhill, Godstone and Caterham has proved a big hit with passengers, says tourism officer Simon Kerr.

“We’ve had a rush of people coming to get their hands on a copy of the new bus timetable in unprecedented numbers: we have never experienced such a high demand.”

However Simon did allow that the new hourly route is not the only attraction as in addition to the popular new 400 service there have been cuts and alterations to other bus services in and around the town.

* Copies of the new timetable are available now at the library’s tourism desk.

THE Ashdown Ramblers Club was started 50 years ago by Sybil Martin from her home in Forest Row.

Arthur Hunt, who was one of the five founder members, still lives in Ashurstwood, and between them Sybil and Arthur led many walks in and around East Grinstead, venturing much further afield as the group became more and more popular.

In 1991, the Ashdown Ramblers held their 30th Anniversary at the Meridian Hall in East Court.

The following year, they decided to walk from East Grinstead to Eastbourne, which took 2 days. They starting at 9.30am on Saturday at Wych Cross and finished their hike at 5.30pm on Sunday at Beachy Head, a feat they repeat every ten years.

The Ashdown Rambling Club now has almost 200 members, and in the past 50 years has published two books Twenty Five Circular Walks around East Grinstead and East Grinstead Millenium Walks, both of which sold out very quickly.

Members meet every Wednesday and every Sunday, with all-day walks and afternoon walks to suit all tastes and abilities.

Their founder, Sybil Martin, is described by club secretary Francoise Inman as “a great lady, with compassion for humanity and all charitable groups” and to date the club she started has collected well over £12,000, which has been distributed over the years to two charities chosen at the club’s AGM.

Club members celebrated Sybil and their fifty years of walking at a slide show and barn dance held at the Meridian Hall in September.

For further details of their activities see the website at: www.ashdownramblers.org.uk, or ring Francoise on 01342 313296

Subscription is only £5 a year and a “well-deserved cup of tea and cakes” are supplied after each walk, promises Francoise.

New members are always welcome.

Founder Sybil Martin striding out across the Ashdown Forest, and (centre) with a group of Club members in 1982.

TOWN Mayor John Saull tries out training equipment at East Grinstead’s new Energie Fitness Club at 115 London Road. For more details ring 01342 314113.

IN light of the town centre’s recent Silver Gilt award by South & South East In Bloom the Town Council is now inviting applications for the sponsorship of its civic plantings. All sponsorship raised through this scheme will be used to help maintain and enhance planting, and ensure the town continues to look at its best. In return for the sponsor of planting areas, the Town Council will ensure the location bears a plaque noting the sponsor’s assistance. The current locations available for sponsorship are:

• Lewes Road Roundabout
• Sainsbury’s Roundabout
• West Hill Roundabout
• Blackwell Hollow/Mount Noddy Roundabout
• High Street Flowerbeds
• Planters on the High Street paved area

If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Keith Astley, the Town Council’s Amenities Manager, on 01342 323636.

EAST Grinstead will be playing host to the opening leg of a three-day Marathon spread over the first of the May bank holiday weekends next year.

The Three Towns Marathon will begin in East Grinstead on Saturday 1 May.

The second leg will be at Burgess Hill on 2 May and the final race to the finish line will be at Haywards Heath on 3 May.

Details of the event, including the routes, have still to be finalized but it will be attended by Olympians including gold medalist Richard Le Mann and members of the current GB Hockey Squad, and Paralympic contender Richard Schabel.

THE town’s Neighbourhood Working Group will be holding consultations with residents and business people on three consecutive Saturday mornings this month.

Starting on 8 October between 10am and 12.30pm, teams of councillors will be at the former Wickenden’s sweet shop in the High Street, in Queens Walk and at the entrance to Sainsbury’s.

Councillors will be present at all three locations on the 8/15/22 October to talk to residents and gather their views through the use of a short questionnaire.

CLLR Danny Favor and his wife Maribel joined 50 participants in a sponsored Walk for Life and litter pick along the Worth Way in September.

The event, which was organised by parishioners of Our Lady and St Peter’s school, was supported by various community groups and town councillors and ended at Worth Abbey.

Money raised from the walk will be used to support vulnerable young mothers and their babies at homes run by the Life Charity in West Sussex.

EAST Grinstead Farmers Market organiser Tony Martin informed the Town Council on Thursday 22 September that he was stopping the weekly markets held in the High Street. Mr Martin feels the markets are no longer viable in their present format, despite the Town Council’s continuous support in promoting the weekly markets with large display banners.

The market began13 years ago as a monthly event held at Chequer Mead car park, which subsequently increased to twice monthly and then weekly, in its new venue in the High Street.

Previously the markets have attracted a strong footfall, particularly in the summer months, and numbers of stalls varied from around 10 to 12 during the high season to rather fewer in the colder months. For the past few months however the number of stalls has rarely risen to 6 and at times has been as few as 3. It should be borne in mind that East Grinstead was a rare example of a weekly farmers market, and hence more difficult to fill with stalls, which by their nature are often one person operations with other markets in the area to service.

The Town Council is now considering other options including the possibility of running an indoor winter market which would include farmers produce and local crafts which could be run on a Saturday. The Council is also in discussion with the remaining stall holders should they wish to find a new manager to continue with the market.

Councillor Frank Osborne, chairman of the Amenities and Tourism committee, said: “If we can possibly help to keep a market going in the town we are keen to do so. However we clearly cannot incur costs, and will be carefully monitoring arrangements over the coming months.”

Anyone wanting to express an interest in taking a stall in an indoor market should contact Simon Kerr, the Town Councils Tourism and Business Development Officer, at the East Grinstead Library or by emailing tourism@eastgrinstead.gov.uk

THE opening of the state-of-the-art recycling centre in Imberhorne Lane will be delayed until January, after the discovery of unforeseen problems including soil contamination.

East Grinstead’s Household Waste Recycling Site, which was closed for a £1.6million refurbishment last March, was due to reopen this autumn.

But a spokeswoman for contractors Viridor said the work will not now be completed until Christmas Eve, after delays caused by the results of soil analysis tests.

Meanwhile East Grinstead residents can still use the site at weekends, and by arrangement with East Sussex District Council they are also being allowed to use the dump at Forest Row.

Mid Sussex District Council has reduced the cost of arranging the pick-up of bulky goods from homes while the Imberhorne Lane site is out of action.

Tips are also available at Crawley, Horsham and Burgess Hill.

In our regular feature introducing councillors elected to the Town Council last May, the spotlight turns on Peter Wyan who represents Imberhorne Ward.

PETER was born in September 1939, 10 days after the declaration of WWII, and grew up in Hull, East Yorkshire, where he was educated at the all-male Grammar school.

“I got good ‘O’ and ‘A’ level results,” Peter laughed, “but my school reports were always to the effect that if I had applied the same interest to my studies as I did to sport, I would have been an outstanding scholar.”

But his prowess on the sports field earned him a place in the 1st XV rugby squad and the title of Victor Ludorum (Champion Athlete).

After leaving school at 17, Peter worked in a shipping company, quit to do his National Service and returned two years later.

He married his wife Diane in 1971 and the couple moved to Cherry Burton, where they raised the first of their children, Donna and Mark.

“My main hobbies at the time were fishing and rugby, which I played until I was 40,” said Peter.

“Then I broke two ribs, and my wife told me I was getting too old to carry on.”

So at 40 Peter changed his life completely.

He moved his family to Otley, and took a new job as a supervisor with the Leeds Marine Centre of the Commercial Union Group.

His youngest daughter Natalie was born in 1984, and the same year Peter was promoted to Marine Centre manager in Manchester.

Four years later he was given “the opportunity of a lifetime” when he was offered a new job as regional manager of the Far East Regional Office in Singapore.

“I travelled to all of our offices throughout south east Asia, my wife and chilldren were with me and it was a wonderful experience for all of us.”

Further promotion brought Peter back to London and the family moved to East Grinstead almost 20 years ago.

Since retiring as manager of the UK Marine Department in 1999, Peter has enjoyed fishing, attending the gym and taking on the role of Vice President at the East Grinstead Rugby Club.

“We’ve lived in the town for almost 20 years, and all three of our children have attended local schools so I decided it was time I gave something back to the community which is why I decided to stand as a town councillor.“I have been appointed chairman of the Planning committee and also vice chairman of the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group whose challenge is to help the community create the East Grinstead it wants over the next 20 years.”