Category: News

At the Annual Council Meeting on 14 May, Cllr Rex Whittaker was elected as the East Grinstead Town Mayor for 2018/19.

Having represented Imberhorne Ward for the Town Council since 2011, Rex has served various previous roles including Chair of the Planning and Finance & General Purposes Committee, Council Leader for three years, and he is currently Chair of Trustees for the Chequer Mead Community Arts Trust.

As well as Chairing the Council meetings ( the office of Chairman of the Council is the legal duty, but as a Town Council, we are entitled to call our Chairman ‘Town Mayor’), the Mayor will seek to raise funds for charities by hosting regular fundraisers. Rex’s chosen charities for the year and his reasons for choosing them are:

Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex

This life-saving charity operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from Redhill Aerodrome and Rochester Airport. Their crews are always ready to respond to people who need them. Sussex has beautiful countryside but can be very remote. Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex can give advanced care to people in our area, which is usually only available in hospital. This can make all the difference.

East Park Riding for the Disabled Association

For more than 40 years, this charity has been delivering opportunities for therapy, achievement and enjoyment to people with disabilities. RDA work across the spectrum of disabilities, age range, social status, and environments. Their work focuses to ensure that each individual has the chance to derive a direct therapeutic benefit and the opportunity to achieve their personal goal. Their motto ‘ it’s what you can do that counts’ is a lesson to us all.

CARE

This incredible small local outreach charity provides help and volunteer drivers 7 days a week to take and return vulnerable people to GP and hospital medical appointments. Celebrating their 30 th anniversary, the 80 dedicated volunteers help around 400 clients and complete nearly 1,000 transport jobs per year. Their small dedicated team provide an essential and confidential support service to our increasingly overstretched NHS Professionals.

The Deputy Town Mayor will be Cllr Danny Favor.

IN a regular feature on the Town Council website, we will be remembering, on the anniversary of their deaths, the East Grinstead soldiers who died during WWI,  and who are named on the High Street War Memorial.

This month we recall (as recorded on The Roll of Honour website):

Victor George BROOKER

Sapper. 177182 (WR/255213) Royal Engineers. (Railway Companies) 38th Miscellaneous Transport Company.

Died 15. 5.18. age 31. Son of George and Annie Brooker of East Grinstead.

Husband of Mrs. Bertha Brooker (remarried of Brighton)

Born in Ashford, Kent and enlisted in East Grinstead.

Buried Les Baraques Military Cemetery, Sangatte. F. 65

Charles DRAPER

Rifleman. A/205307 7th Battalion, The Kings Royal Rifle Corps. 14th Light Division.

Died of wounds 13. 5.18.age 19. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Draper of 48, Queens Road, East Grinstead.

Born in East Grinstead and enlisted in Chichester.

Buried Guise (LaDesolation) French National Cemetery, Flavigny-Le-Petit.

Mid Sussex District Council is asking the community to nominate young people who go the extra mile to help others, or who work to improve the local area, for a special award.

Many young people give up their time and effort to make Mid Sussex a better place and Mid Sussex District Council think it’s important to recognise these exceptional individuals.

Nominations are open now for the Mid Sussex District Council Young Volunteer of the Year Awards 2018 and the Council is asking local people to give outstanding young individuals their moment in the spotlight by nominating them.

The awards are open to anyone aged 14-21 who has completed a minimum of 10 hours volunteering. In previous years nominees have been involved with a range of projects including volunteering at a disabled riding school, working to raise awareness of domestic abuse and helping the Police to build relationships with the gypsy and traveller community.

There are three Young Volunteer of the Year Award categories:

• Young Community Volunteer

Recognising those young people who have made a difference in their local community

• Young Leader

Awarded to a young person who has demonstrated their leadership in a project or organisation

• Young Achiever

Against all the odds, someone who has overcome significant obstacles and made a positive difference to their own lives or to other young people through education, campaigning or helping another overcome a difficult situation or personal problem

“If you know a young person who volunteers in Mid Sussex and you would like them to receive recognition for all their hard work then please nominate them for a Young Volunteer of the Year Award,” said Councillor Norman Webster, Cabinet Member for Community.

“Young people make a huge contribution to the Mid Sussex community and these awards are our chance to thank them for everything they do. Don’t let the efforts of these exceptional young people go unnoticed.”

All shortlisted young people will be invited to a prestigious awards ceremony to receive their certificates from the Chairman of Mid Sussex District Council and celebrate their achievements.

The deadline for receipt of nominations is 16 May 2018. For more information about the Young Volunteer of the Year Awards visit www.midsussex.go.uk/youthawards or call 01444 477495.

Please help us spread the word to your local community groups.  The new approach to grant funding West Sussex Crowd is the new crowdfunding initiative which gives people the opportunity to run crowdfunding campaigns for local projects across West Sussex.  This is now live!

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) has a £330,000 Community Initiative Fund (CIF) for projects running crowdfunding campaigns. This replaces the way that the County Council has allocated its grant funding in previous years. Spacehive is the crowdfunding platform which WSCC has chosen to partner with for this initiative.

We are running free events for groups with project ideas who would like to start crowdfunding will run in each District and Borough area during May. Click below for details of the events near you and to book your place:

• Mid Sussex Community Workshop, Monday 14th May, 10am – 12noon
• Horsham Community Workshop, Thursday 17th May, 10am – 12noon
• Crawley Community Workshop, Thursday 17th May, 2pm – 4pm
• Adur/Worthing Community Workshop, Friday 18th May, 2pm – 4pm

This is an exciting new development for the whole county. If you have further queries about getting started or would like to discuss your project ideas, please email communities@westsussex.gov.uk

Moatfield and Judges Close Surgeries will be holding a public meeting on May the 9th to discuss their forthcoming merger and plans for the Moatfield site.

Meeting at Imberhorne Lower School site, Windmill Lane RH19 2DT from 6:30pm – 8pm.

Sussex Police and the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner are inviting residents to complete the 2018 National Rural Crime Survey.

It has been three years since the first National Rural Crime Survey asked the public for their views on matters relating to rural crime.

The survey is open for submissions until Sunday 10 June. Have your say here: http://www.nationalruralcrimenetwork.net/research/internal/2018survey/