Category: News

Mike Richardson and Ron Woolley, together with Lis Woolley and Tanya Hayman from the Womens section, will travel to Europe for The Royal British Legion’s Great Pilgrimage 90 – 5-9^th August 2018

Members of the East Grinstead branch of The Royal British Legion are to join thousands on a pilgrimage of Remembrance to World War One battlefield that culminates in a parade and ceremony in Ypres as part of the end of the First World War centenary commemorations this August.

The Royal British Legion event, known as the Great Pilgrimage 90 (GP90), takes place between the 5^th and 9^th of August and will be one of the largest in the charity’s history.

GP90 will mark 90 years since the original Royal British Legion Pilgrimage in 1928, which saw 11,000 World War One veterans and war widows visit the battlefields of the Somme in France and Ypres in Belgium, a decade after the conflict ended.

That Pilgrimage culminated in a march through Ypres to the Commonwealth War Grave Commission’s Menin Gate Memorial for a ceremony to commemorate the launch of The Hundred Days Offensive and in remembrance of those who never returned.

Local Legion members, Mike Richardson and Ron Woolley, together with Lis Woolley and Tanya Hayman, will represent the East Grinstead Branch and the local community at the event, as Standard Bearer and wreath layer respectively.

Mike, Ron, Lis and Tanya, will tour some of the same battlefields and cemeteries visited by those on the 1928 Pilgrimage, before marching along the original route through Ypres, to the Menin Gate on the 8^th August, bearing their branch standards and wreathes.

They will join more than 2,200 other Legion representatives and dignitaries, including Civic and military guests from the UK, Commonwealth and Northern Europe who are taking part. Once at the Menin Gate, Ron and Tanya will lay wreathes on behalf of the East Grinstead community.

Derek Capel, President of the East Grinstead Branch of The Royal British Legion, comments: “Great Pilgrimage 90 is a unique opportunity for the Legion community to come together and bear our Standards along the same route in Ypres taken 90 years earlier by the veterans and widows of the First World War. The East Grinstead Branch looks forward to proudly representing the town at the event.”

As local champions of Remembrance, the East Grinstead Branch of The Royal British Legion is looking to work in partnership with their community to bring their unique Remembrance  message to the Menin Gate, on their wreathes, where they will be displayed in a wreath installation for viewing by the general public until the end of August.

The parade will start at midday and we encourage the public to make the trip across to Ypres for the 8^th August and fill the Market Square to watch the parade, One Hundred Days ceremony and then enjoy an afternoon of musical entertainment including The Central Band of the Royal British Legion.

If you want to find out more about GP90 or your local Royal British Legion branch, then please contact Ron Woolley on ronwoolley1937@gmail.com

On Thursday 21 June business leaders from across the District attended an event to hear its economic ambitions for the area.

Hosted in Burgess Hill at the offices of CAE (the worldwide leader in civil, business, and defence aviation training) over seventy delegates from across the business community were treated to a number of guest speakers highlighting why they had chosen Mid Sussex to grow their businesses.

In opening remarks, Sir Nicholas Soames MP outlined the importance of work to strengthen the local economy in the light of Brexit: “Mid Sussex and its entrepreneurial business leaders have enormous potential that we must foster and support and so I do commend the Council’s work. I have been delighted to welcome a number of senior Ministers to Mid Sussex over the last few months and all have made clear their desire to support the District’s ambitious plans.”

MSDC Deputy Leader Jonathan Ash-Edwards then focused on MSDC’s ambition to transform the local economy and create thousands of new high value jobs in technology-led industries.

Councillor Ash-Edwards commented “Our Economic Development Strategy focuses on four key themes of Place, Premises, People and Promotion. Taken together the actions under each of these themes will help to deliver a transformed Mid Sussex that is not only a great place to live and a great place to visit but also a great place to do business.”

The first of the guest speakers Wayne Channon, Chairman of Cells4Life and Stabilitech, both Mid Sussex success stories, outlined his reasons for moving from London to Mid Sussex to grow his biotech businesses.

“Moving to Mid Sussex allowed me the room to grow my two businesses, Stabilitech and Cells4Life” said Wayne. “Access to a highly skilled workforce and a strong supply of skilled graduates looking to work in Sussex means we are that much closer to our goal of developing pioneering new approaches in delivering and administering vaccines.”

Wayne was followed by Justin Thomas, Director at NewRiver REIT, who outlined his company’s ambitious £65 million investment to regenerate Burgess Hill town centre.

Justin said “We have identified Burgess Hill as one of our key investment opportunities with its large catchment area and fast growing population. We have exciting plans underway to help transform the town centre to include a new cinema, hotel, significantly enhanced retail and leisure offer together with a full centre refurbishment for Burgess Hill”.

The final speaker of the evening, Sussex University Professor Adam Tickell, rounded off the event by explaining how Mid Sussex can attract a large number of university graduates into the workforce. “We have a large number of highly skilled undergraduates who progress through the university with many looking for high-tech roles without having to move out of the area.” He also emphasised the importance to the economy of the ground breaking research undertaken by universities like Sussex.

Stone Quarry Group are crowdfunding for a new café counter

Read more about the project here: https://www.spacehive.com/quarry-cafe-counter

There will be a short service in the High St from 10.30 in which a Deputy Lieutenant and Town Mayor amongst others will lay a wreath, a parade back to East Court which the public can fall in behind and then see exhibits including WW1 bi-plane & army encampment and farrier back at East Court. There will be music and speeches.

It is a family day out (ending at 3.30) children can enlist in the army and be drilled!

Sponsors for the day include East Grinstead Town Council, Mid Sussex District Council and West Sussex County Council

USERS OF THE EAST COURT ESTATE ARE ASKED NOT TO PARK ON THE TOWN COUNCIL DRIVE NOR CAR PARKS ON 30TH DUE TO THE EXHIBITS BEING SET UP FROM 7.30 AM ..AND TO NOTE THE FOLLOWING DAY IS EAST COURT LIVE WHERE AGAIN THE DRIVE AND CAR PARKS WILL BE RESTRICTED.