Category: News

WITH the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the Olympic Games coming to London, the eyes of the world will be on Britain in 2012. Once-in-a-lifetime events like these are expected to generate a significant increase in tourism in the UK and with Sussex just a short ride from London, many visitors could be tempted south by the beauty of Sussex.

To show potential visitors just what makes Sussex so special, Mid Sussex, Lewes, Horsham and Wealden District Councils have worked in partnership to produce the Enjoy Sussex Visitor Accommodation and Attraction Guide 2012.  The guide provides detailed information on the attractions and towns in the area and the new look website www.enjoysussex.info offers information about latest events as well as online booking for a range of quality accommodation.

“Mid Sussex is one of the most beautiful parts of Britain and would be a perfect base for any visitors who would like to enjoy the Olympic Games without living in the bustling city,” said Cllr John de Mierre, Cabinet Member for Economic Development. “Mid Sussex is less than an hour away from London by train but the setting could not be more different, with rolling hills and beautiful countryside making Mid Sussex a wonderfully relaxing place to stay.

“We are fortunate to be surrounded by areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty such as the High Weald in the north and South Downs National Park in the south. With picturesque gardens that are perfect for a tranquil retreat, and historic towns and villages that possess an abundance of rural charm, Mid Sussex is a wonderful place for a short break or holiday.”

Mid Sussex, Lewes, Horsham and Wealden District Councils work in partnership to promote sustainable tourism within the Enjoy Sussex area, which stretches west from Pulborough to Burwash in the east, and north from the Ashdown Forest to Cuckmere Haven in the south.

The Enjoy Sussex area includes the South Downs National Park, the Seven Sisters Cliffs and the Ashdown Forest. Its landscape is quintessentially English and its market towns including Lewes, Horsham and East Grinstead, are steeped in history. It makes the Enjoy Sussex area the perfect destination for a day trip, relaxing short break or a longer holiday.

Potential visitors to Seaford, Newhaven, Crowborough, Hailsham, Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath, Henfield, Billinghshurst and Pulborough will find the guide and website invaluable – as will local tourist attractions and accommodation providers.

Tourism is a keystone of the local economy and one of the main employers in the Enjoy Sussex area. Visitors come from all over the world, although many also come from much closer to home to enjoy the many attractions whilst visiting friends and relatives. The 2012 Enjoy Sussex Guide and website are just two of the ways in which Mid Sussex, Lewes, Horsham and Wealden District Councils work together to ensure that new and repeat visitors continue to visit the area, bringing in vital revenue and supporting local jobs.

* From the beginning of January, copies of the brochure will be available free of charge from Enjoy Sussex Tourism by calling (01271) 336173.  Alternatively, request a copy from one of the many tourist information facilities across the Enjoy Sussex area or download a copy from www.enjoysussex.info.

TOWN Mayor John Saull welcomed colleagues from the Town Council, representatives of local organisations and members of nearby Councils to East Court to hear the choir of St Swithun’s perform a short concert including The Sussex Carol and Good King Wenceslas.

TOWN Mayor John Saull had his finger on the button when Christmas was officially launched in the High Street last month. The annual tree-lighting ceremony was well-attended by shoppers who heard the Rev Clive Everett-Allen give a short address before the big Christmas switch-on and carol singing led by local choirs.

CLLR Danny Favor took part in a  prayer service led by Fr Stephen Purnell of Our Lady and St Peter’s church to mark the tenth anniversary of the Memorial to Unborn Children in Mount Noddy cemetery.

The memorial remembers babies who have died before birth as a result of miscarriage, and their parents.

The memorial was erected in 2001, with the support of the Town Council and The Miscarriage Association.

TOWN Mayor John Saull found someone to look up to when he bumped into Professor Crump at the popular East Grinstead Christmas Festival in December.

An estimated crowd of 2,000 supported the event and enjoyed fairground rides, French produce including cheeses, garlic, leather goods and soap, and visits to Santa’s grotto, run by the town Rotary Club.

Jo Wilkins, who helped organised the event, called it “amazing” and said it was East Grinstead’s busiest Christmas market ever in terms of both stalls and visitor numbers.

“It was a real community event which managed to bring lots of shoppers into the town,” she said.

WITH preparations for the Queen’s Jubilee in full swing, Cllr Frank Osborne is trying to track down anyone who knew Pamela Osborne.

Pamela was just 14 and a patient in the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children in Brighton when she was visited by the then Princess Elizabeth, as reported in a newspaper cutting from the period which has come to light.

Pamela, a pupil at the East Grinstead County Grammar school, had been ill for some months with rheumatic fever when her “very charming” visitor dropped in to have a chat with her during a royal tour of the hospital.

If anyone knows who Pamela was, and where she is now, please contact Cllr Osborne via the Town Council’s East Court offices, 01342 323636.

For more details of times, performances and ticket prices contact the box office on 01342 302000.

Jazz Café
Friday 20 January at 7pm
ENJOY live Jazz combined with the finest bistro menus at the monthly Jazz Café. Entry £5. Reserve a table in advance only by calling Mandy, Roger or Paul on 01342 324860.

LDN Wrestling
Wednesday 25 January at 7.30pm
CHAMPIONSHIP wrestling is back in East Grinstead for its 2012 show. On the bill will be new British Heavyweight Champion Alan Lee Travis, Capital Wrestling Champion Richard Parliament, Rob Cage and many more.

TOWN and District councillors were welcomed to Standen’s recent Open Day to see the work which can now be carried out in Hollybush Wood thanks to a £2,000 MSDC grant.

The money will be used to buy the materials needed to extend a boardwalk which will improve access around the ancient woodland. The area is managed traditionally by volunteer workers under the guidance of James Masters, Standen’s head gardener, and Trudie Jacobs, the assistant woodland warden.

Town Mayor John Saull and his wife attended the Open Day with town council colleagues, Mandy Thomas-Atkin, the Chairwoman of Mid Sussex District Council and Robert Morley, National Trust Regional Chairman for London and the South East.

Bob Mainstone (Town & District Councillor), James Masters, Mandy Thomas-Atkin (Chair MSDC), Dick Sweatman (EGTC & MSDC Councillor)

THE Signpost service run by West Sussex County Council is available to anyone over 16 who needs advice or support to deal with a housing or homelessness problem.

The person can contact WSCC themselves, or anyone who knows or works with them can also ring or email for advice on their behalf.

For help with homelessness or to find out about 1-1 support please ring the duty team on 01403 751 062,  email signpost.north@southdownhousing.org or write to:

Viki Seacombe
Contract Manager
Signpost North
Southdown Housing Association
1 Peel House
Barttelot Road
Horsham
RH12 1DE

MP Nicholas Soames has presented Town Mayor John Saull and Council Leader Norman Webster with an award from Google UK saluting the internet-savvy companies who have put East Grinstead into the nation’s “top 20” for towns with the highest rate of growth through the Internet.

Statistics show that local businesses are increasingly turning to online opportunities to drive up growth during the present difficult trading conditions, and East Grinstead came in 16th out of 700 towns with almost 24% growth in 2010 to 2011.

He said: “East Grinstead has a great deal to be proud of with this Google award, and I hope it encourages other local businesses to get and grow online. It has always been my firm belief that East Grinstead is a town that, given a bit more self-confidence and sense of direction, could make a fantastic success of its unexploited assets.

“I hope that East Grinstead and its energetic and entrepreneurial people will embrace the astonishing commercial value of the internet which is now in the UK home to the largest per capita e-commerce market and the second largest online-advertising market globally. By 2015, the internet will probably account for about 10% of the UK’s GDP.”

Town Council Tourist Information Officer Simon Kerr has also reported a huge surge in enquiries on the Town Council Accommodation web pages.

“We have thousands of visits through the year, and new visitors formed around 70% of those viewing our pages during the past 12 months.”

* Google specifically earmarked the St James’s Dental Practice in East Grinstead as being one of the best-performing businesses locally. Dr Irene Curtis who is the Clinical Lead at St James’s and her daughter Catriona Neville, the Practice Manager, are pictured above with Deputy Mayor Liz Bennett, Town Mayor John Saull, Nicholas Soames MP and Council Leader Norman Webster.