East Grinstead Town Council

The Mayor

About the Mayor

EAST Grinstead’s town mayor is Cllr Rex Whittaker. His deputy Town Mayor is Cllr Danny Favor.

The mayor’s charities for this Civic Year 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 30th 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.

Mayor’s diary and events

Please contact the Mayor’s Secretary at w.mackenzie@eastgrinstead.gov.uk for any queries or requests. Please also read the protocol notes for those inviting the presence of the Town Mayor

Latest News

Mid Sussex Chairman’s awards

21 September 2018

These were the East Grinstead recipients of the Mid Sussex Chairman’s awards.

Michael Champion (Nominated by the East Grinstead Town Council) was awarded for the 25 years he has chaired the East Grinstead Model Railway Club and his organisation of the annual exhibition.

Sarah Howland (nominated by District and Town Councillor Norman Webster) for chairing the Stone Quarry Crew and all the hard work to set up the Quarry Community Café for all members of the community to use

Christine Van der Valk (nominated by District Councillor Edward Belsey) for being a volunteer for the Alzheimers Society since 2005, being a Dementia Champion and hard working member of the East Grinstead Dementia Action Alliance

Town Mayor Rex Whittaker was a guest at the ceremony and was delighted to meet and chat to the East Grinstead recipients.

Unveiling of the Paving Stone for Victoria Cross recipient Sgt George Knight

Town Mayor Rex Whittaker and his consort Miss Ali Hinton were guests at the Haywards Heath unveiling of the Paving Stone for Victoria Cross recipient Sgt George Knight, who was born in Haywards Heath and died towards the end of the first world war on 2 September 1918.

The event was marked by the attendance of the High Sheriff, representatives of the Canadian Commission and the Calgary Highlanders who are the perpetuators of the 10th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force, of which Sgt Knight was a member. Sgt Knight was born in Haywards Heath and emigrated to Canada before the outbreak of war.

This event drew parallels to the ceremony East Grinstead held back in 2014 when we unveiled our stone in honour of Pte Sidney Godley VC. Mid Sussex Towns being the birthplace of the first and almost the last recipients of Victoria Cross for bravery during WW1, seems to be quite unique.

Town Mayor’s Quiz

Town Mayor Rex Whittaker hosted a charity general knowledge quiz in the Meridian Hall Tuesday 18 September. The evening was very well supported with 18 teams totalling 144 people, competing for the Mayor’s Quiz ‘Gold cup’ !

Teams supporting the event were Town Council, Moatfield Surgery, QVH, East Grinstead Museum, CARE Charity, Disability Access Group, Lions, Rotary, East Grinstead Shooting Club, EGBA, Soroptimists, Saint Hill and Chequer Mead.

Talking about the evening, Rex commented “John Belsey was an excellent Quiz master with some very varied and interesting questions and subject matter. We raised around £ 1,700 for the Mayor Charity Fund.”

The winners were:

1st East Grinstead Town Council
2nd East Grinstead Shooting Club
3rd CARE

The next event will be a Music Quiz on Tuesday 22 January 2019 in Meridian Hall. Please contact the Mayor’s secretary for tickets at w.mackenzie@eastgrinstead.gov.uk or 01342 335055.

Charity Summer Music Supper

29 June 2018

New Town Mayor 2018/19

15 May 2018

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

East Park Riding for the Disabled Association

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.