Category: News

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.

A post box in Woodbury Avenue which disappeared, presumed stolen, in June was replaced with a new one last month. Local resident Mr Barden originally alerted the Town Council to the loss of the post box, and the Council contacted the Royal Mail to ascertain whether it would be replaced, and a likely date for the work to take place.

When an original date for replacement of around the middle of August passed and no box appeared, the Town Council chased the matter further and was told one would be installed on 2 September.

"We are pleased to report that the new box is finally in place," said Town Clerk Julie Holden. "This will be a huge relief for the local residents who have been inconvenienced by its loss over the summer."

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.”

VOLUNTEERS who run the Costume Store at Chequer Mead hope to mark their third anniversary this month having raised £14,000 in support of the theatre.

The store, which opens on Saturday mornings for private hire, or by appointment for theatrical productions, has a huge and ever-expanding stock of costumes ranging from historical figures, to dinosaurs.

And as they enter the autumn, the team are looking forward to their busiest months of the year.

“Hallowe’en is always a good time for us, and then of course we have Christmas and New Year to look forward to, so we anticipate that we’ll have quite a rush on over the next few weeks,” said co-founder Barbara Stovold.

“The past three years have been very successful and we are delighted that the money we have raised has gone into supporting the town theatre, because we know it gives a great deal of pleasure to a great many people.

TOWN Mayor John Saull raised £1500 for St Catherine’s Hospice at an evening devoted to Concorde.

John, a former member of the Civil Aviation Authority, was closely involved in certifying the iconic aircraft and its maintenance programmes.

He was joined in addressing a packed Meridian Hall, which included several local mayors and artist David Shepherd, by Concorde pilot Captain John Hutchinson sharing some anecdotes about his time on the flight deck.

 

* The mayor’s wife Silvina, who catered the buffet, was presented with flowers by Council Leader Norman Webster.

A TOUR party of 35 from RC Romans in southern France visited East Grinstead Rugby Football Club for their bi-annual tour over the August Bank Holiday.

The town club has had very close links with RC Romans, the rugby club of East Grinstead’s French twin Bourg de Peage, for nearly 50 years, and the East Grinstead Town Twinning Association supported the tour with a generous payment for the hire of a coach to pick up and return the French side from the Euro Tunnel.

THE Town Twinning Association is inviting local schools to take part in an exhibition in the Greenstede Gallery at Chequer Mead from 2 – 7 December 2011.

The title of the event will be Europe on your Doorstep and its focus will be on the links and communication with Europe and the rest of the world.

Sackville and Imberhorne Schools have already expressed an interest in taking part, and invitations went to them and to all the town’s primary schools last month.

TOWN Mayor John Saull and his wife Silvina were guests of honour at the induction of the Filipino British Association’s new officers for 2011 to 2013.

Cllr Danny Favor, recently honoured as the first Filipino to hold public office in the UK following his election to the Town Council last May, thanked the mayor for his interest and support.

Council leader Norman Webster, and Christine Hardisty of the EGCVS also attended the event.

WITH four of the town’s Youth Council newly-departed for university, the group is keen to recruit more members to help give East Grinstead’s young people a voice in local affairs.

The idea for a Youth Council originally came from talks between Outset Youth Coordinator Caroline Halpin and former Town Clerk Chris Rolley.

Since it was started, youngsters aged from 14 upwards have been involved in a number of projects including charity fundraisers, lobbying town MP Nicholas Soames, consultations on youth-related issues including the skate park, manning town events and setting up their own website.

To find out more about the work done by the YC see their website as www.eastgrinsteadyouthcouncil.com.

Contact Caroline on 07779 223421; or email caroline.halpin@outsetyouth.org.uk

ACTING Sgt Graeme Prentice has given a presentation to the Town Council to keep members informed of some recent crime fighting initiatives being used in East Grinstead.

These include:

• Using lamp post skirts in the town’s car parks to remind drivers not to leave valuables in their cars.
• A new Bluetooth messaging system which can send warnings direct to mobile phone users in the area, warning them of criminal activities such as shoplifting or mobile phone theft.
• The ordering of “No cold calling” stickers which will be available to householders from outlets including the Town Council’s East Court offices.
• The ordering of lead theft awareness signs for lamp posts which have been put up at various locations around the town.
• Advice to targeted householders after a spate of recent burglaries in the Imberhorne area.
• An awareness campaign directed at cyclists who use pavements in the town.

The most recent figures released by West Sussex Police show there were a total of 90 crime-related incidents in East Grinstead during July, compared with 103 in Haywards Heath and 123 in Burgess Hill.