Category: News

MERIDIAN FM, East Grinstead’s own radio station, has celebrated its first birthday as a full-time channel.

Launching the community-based station on 1 March 2010 in the middle of a recession was a tough call, admitted manager Pru Oliver.

But the experience of the past 12 months has also been a rewarding one which now sees 22,000 listeners regularly tuning in on the internet alone.

The station, which is run by a team of volunteers, features music, local news and interviews.

“Our mantra is Your Radio, Your Station. We are here to support the business and social life of the community, and to make a positive difference to life in East Grinstead and its surrounding villages,” said Pru.

New ideas in the pipeline in the coming months are a food festival and the Meridian Awards, to “celebrate the best the town has to offer”.

“We are striving the whole time to improve the content and quality of our service, and to give a greater voice and support to the community as a whole.”

THERE will be a reunion at the Meridian Hall at 7.30pm on 5 April for anyone involved with the Community Play last December.

The evening will feature a Pot Luck Supper, so guests are asked to bring along a dish to share, and drinks of their choice.

This will be an opportunity to meet old friends and consider whether to be involved in future community plays organised by the Claque Theatre Group under director Jon Oram.

A DVD of the play, which will be a lasting souvenir of the historic production, will also be available on the night.

SUSSEX Police has pledged to protect or improve its frontline services despite the financial challenges imposed by budget cuts.

In a report to East Grinstead Town Council Chief Inspector Edward De La Rue said this could not be achieved by working in the same way with less money and fewer people but would require the police to look at different ways to eliminate waste and reduce bureaucracy.

One way this is being done is by merging two police divisions (North Downs which covers Mid Sussex, Horsham and Crawley, and West Downs) to form one division covering the whole of West Sussex from April this year. This will save 800,000 in management costs and make it easier for the police to work more closely with its community partners.

It will also see the introduction of a new policing model.

Local Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) will continue to provide community policing, but other officers will be divided into two teams.

Neighbourhood Response Team (NRT) officers will continue to patrol and attend emergency calls but will now hand over further investigations and prisoners to a new Response Investigation Team (RIT), freeing them up to get back out on the street.

This approach has already been tried successfully in Brighton and Hove, where it has been found that response officers have had much less paperwork to complete so they can get back onto the streets more quickly after answering a call.

Response times have fallen, and the average time it takes to investigate a crime has fallen from 44 days to 16.

JIGSAW4U, the bereavement counselling charity which has its headquarters at East Court, will be holding a seventies disco night fund raiser at the Meridian Hall on 13 May.

The event starts at 7:30pm and features entertainment from Not Actually Abba and 2/3rds Village People. Tickets are priced at £15.

To book visit: http://www.jigsaw4u.org.uk/secure/bookings/70snight/ 

EAST Grinstead’s long history and architectural heritage are worthy of care by present and future generations, and so The East Grinstead Society was founded in 1968 as an independent unit to improve the town’s amenities and to protect its buildings and environs.

Members are mainly residents interested in the town’s quality of life and concerned for its future. The Society is a registered charity (No. 257870) and member of the Federation of Sussex Amenity Societies. It has a Constitution and is led by a committee elected annually by its members.

Meetings scheduled for the coming months are listed below and new members are always welcome. For more details about the Society see their website at http://www.eastgrinsteadsociety.org

6 April 6th: Spring Garden Tour, with tea at cost, led by the head gardener of Gravetye Manor
Maximum 16 places – reservations on 01342 321525.

15 April: Scattered squalor Downland homes
Unregulated housing along coastal South Downs between the wars by Geoffrey Mead

23 April: Town and country heritage – West Hoathly to East Grinstead
1pm Walk from St Margarets Parish Church, West Hoathly led by Christopher Wheatley.
For help with transport call 01342 321525.

1 May at 2.30pm: 19th & 20th century East Grinstead – Town Trail 2
A guided walk starting from the High Street War Memorial led by Angela Cole. For further information call 01342 321525.

2 May 10am: May Fair – Society stall in High Street
A chance to buy secondhand books, homemade jams, cakes and the Societys publications

20 May: The Balcombe Tunnel murder
by James Gardener.

28 May: Stained glass and convent architecture
At the Ashdown Park Hotel, Speldhurst and Tudeley, with pub lunch. Reservations/details on 01342 321525.

12 June: East Grinsteads Victorian heritage – Town Trail 3
At 2.30pm, a walk starting from Chequer Mead Arts Centre, led by Christopher Wheatley. For further information call 01342 321525.

17 June: The third Earl of Sheffield and his passion for cricket
by Brian Tester

THE Princess Royal visited the Meridian Hall in March to mark the 50th anniversary of the Blond McIndoe unit at the Queen Victoria hospital.

After landing on the East Court estate by helicopter Princess Anne was welcomed by a line-up which included Mayor Stephen Barnett.

Among the other guests at the reception were Dame Vera Lynn, hospital staff and six of the burned airmen who were among pioneering surgeon Archie McIndoes original guinea pigs.

The Princess saw a fly-past by a Spitfire, and unveiled a painting of a Spitfire by artist David Shephard which will hang in the Blond McIndoe unit.

Cllr Stephen Barnett, who chose the unit as one of the charities for his mayoral year, said the reception had been a wonderful way to mark the unit’s half a century, and the realisation of McIndoe’s dream for a research unit at the QVH.

THE High Street Traders ‘Spring Sunday’ will take place on 10 April.

The highly popular family day out has become an annual celebration of the town and its many attractions which this year will feature tasting sessions in two stores, competitions and one-day-only offers at many of the High Street shops.

The Bluebell Railway will be running viaduct trains to link with the vintage bus rides in the town and there will be stalls and other attractions to promote local organisation and London Road independent traders.

EAST Grinstead Town Council has published a comprehensive sports development plan for the town in conjunction with local sports clubs and secondary schools to focus attention on specific needs and attract external grant aid. 

The report found:

• A marginal deficiency of adult football pitches, even after schools sites were taken into account
• Unmet demand for junior football clubs and a shortfall of pitches
• Under-provision for cricket
• Good provision for rugby although additional need to cater for public demand
• Fewer bowling greens than required
• A broadly appropriate number of artificial pitches

A Leisure and Cultural Strategy for Mid Sussex until 2020 has also identified the need for a bigger swimming pool in the town.

As a result of the survey, the Town Council has now, with the cooperation of local sports groups, identified key areas which need to be addressed.

This include the provision of more grass pitches, significant improvements to the East Grinstead Town Football Club facilities at East Court, better facilities for water-based sport including a new 25 metre by eight lane pool, and further development of the East Grinstead Sports Club as a multi-sports hub.

The Council is to create an East Grinstead Sports Council which will meet twice yearly and act as the official forum in which issues relating to sport and leisure can be addressed.

* The full report into the provision for sport locally is available on this site under Strategic Documents.

THE Town Council has presented cheques to a number of local sports clubs including Chartham Park Golf Club; Felbridge Badminton Club, East Grinstead Cricket Club, East Grinstead Meads FC, the East Grinstead Hockey Club, East Grinstead Sports Club, East Grinstead Swimming Club and to TS Resolution NTC for youngsters training in sailing and canoeing.

Pictured are Rob Musk (right), Chairman of the Town Council’s Amenities and Tourism Committee with Jeff Morris (Sports Club), Geoff Border (Cricket Club) and Jane Ashdown (Hockey Club).

TWO free training sessions will be held at East Court Mansion this month for anyone who is considering standing in the Town Council elections on 5 May.

The first session will take place on Wednesday 9 March from 7pm until 9pm.

The second will be held on Saturday 12 March from 10am until noon.

There is no need to book.

For further information contact Town Clerk Chris Rolley on 01342 323636 or email townclerk@eastgrinstead.gov.uk