AAH December 2012

AAH ALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINE

December 2012

Our Biggest Print Run Yet - Now over 12,250 copies

So this is Christmas Well, it’s not as humiliating as last Christmas, when Toby persuaded me to dress up as a pantomime fairy...

I was somewhat relieved to be an elf, on the set of the Capitol’s pantomime, Snow White. Toby is somewhere underneath that big white beard.

Those are his real eyebrows though...

This picture aside, Christmas doesn’t really get much of a look-in, making this magazine the least festive ‘festive edition’ imaginable.

December hasn’t snuck up on me, as I know the order of the months. It’s just that some traditional reminders - people debating the contenders for the Christmas Number One or The Sun declaring ‘outrage’ when a school bans the word ‘nativity’, seem to have passed me by.

Maybe, Christmas is just beginning to revert back to what it should be and was once about...

This month, we met 95-year-old Dulcie Kup, who as you will read has a most remarkable and tragic story to tell of her experiences during the Second World War. Dulcie and I chatted for a while over a gin and tonic, discussing the possibility that times of austerity can actually have a positive effect on the way people treat one another. We are less greedy and call on the skills of our friends and family

Toby Phillips (All AAH Photography) and Ben Morris (All AAH Editorial & Advertising)

more.

Perhaps this is all reflected in changing attitudes to Christmas. It would seem that children are not asking for as many gifts as they were, as the focus of Christmas swings back to giving rather than receiving.

Dulcie, who has lived more than most, would

like to think that this is true.

She grew up in a time when people had less money and at Christmas received perhaps a single gift.

But, she asks, were people less happy?

Ben, Editor

Cover Story

AAH ALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINE

December 2012

AAH ALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINE

December 2012

The picture of an army cadet at the Remembrance Sunday service was a little sombre for Christmas, so instead we opted for the picture of Sybie Ross-Talbot and Tom Holder of The Five Foot Twos.

We had met the young jazz band at the Boars Head pub and arranged for a proper photoshoot in Horsham Park.

The timing was perfect as the leaves were still dry and golden as we did the shoot before the heavy rainfall.

We had asked the band to dress smartly,

and they had obliged with their black and maroon outfits. Tom had even brought with him a Top Hat, as well as his double bass. Toby set up two of his studio lights which attracted great interest from passers-by.

Whilst Tom and Sybie posed, other members of the band gathered leaves and scattered them around their feet!

The Five Foot Twos become our third musical cover stars, after Stick in a Pot and Pipe and Tabor.

Visit our website at www.aahorsham.co.uk To discuss advertising in AAH call Ben on 01403 878026.

View our advertising rates on the inside of the back cover...

CONTENTS 6 News Round-Up What’s making headlines, including a fashion show in East Street

10 My Story So Far Dulcie Kup survived the sinking of the SS City of Cairo in 1942

16 Rolex launch For the first time, Rolex watches can be bought in Horsham town

20 Swains Farm Shop The farm shop where you can feed the animals after your shop

22 Army Cadets Horsham cadets are more than a stepping stone to the army

28 Group Discussion BilliMarket traders hope to inject some community spirit into the village

AAH Editor: Ben Morris editor@aahorsham.co.uk 01403 878026 / 01903 892899 Advertising: Kelly Morris advertising@aahorsham.co.uk 01403 878026 / 01903 892899 Photography: Toby Phillips tobyphillipsphotography.co.uk info@tobyphillipsphotography.co.uk 07968 795625 Contributors Jeremy Knight (Historic images and text for article on Horsham Station Additional thanks to...

34 Horsham Station After its recent renovation, we look back at the rail station’s history

42 Meal Review The Bistro at Camelia Botnar is a hugely popular lunchtime venue

50 Music The Five Foot Twos are a young jazz band with big ambitions

56 Kilimanjaro Four friends give a dramatic account of climbing Africa’s highest mountain

60 Motors Keith Baker is renowned for spraying Harley Davidson motorcyles

66 How Interesting Horsham is a lovely place to live...in the USA and in Australia

This month we welcome Alex Bland to our delivery team. New delivery rounds include Greenway area in Horsham

Plum Jacobs for Kilimanjaro photos, A Local Printer of Storrington, Southern Rail, Ben’s Mum and Dad for Proof Reading (please blame them for any grammatical errors)

Grandma (Wisborough Green) AAH is available to pick up for free in stands at Sakakini (Carfax ), Artisan Patisserie (Market Square) and Horsham Museum.

Door-to-Door Delivery team The Paterson family, Geoff Valentine, Andrew Price, Trish Fuller, Sarah Guile, Amy Rogers, Laura Harding, Alex Bland and Cara Cocoracchio (all Horsham rounds), Anna Laker and Alex Besson (Billingshurst), Jamie Towes, Shaun Bacon and Eddie Robinson (Southwater), Jack Barnett (Monks Gate/Mannings Heath), Karen Parnell (Warnham), Will Smith (Ashington), Roger Clark (Partridge Green and Cowfold), Reece Elvin (Slinfold), Ben Morris (Tower Hill, Rookwood, Dial Post, Crabtree), Toby Phillips (Town Centre), Herbie Whitmore (West Grinstead), Ben’s

Website Run by Mi-Store of Brighton. Read all of our editions at www.aahorsham.co.uk AAH Magazine is an independent publication owned by B. Morris and is based in Ashington Copies of past editions of AAH (except July/ September 2011 and January 2012 - sold out) are available for £3 each (this includes postage). Please send a cheque (payable to AA Publishing Ltd) of £3 for each copy to: AA Publishing Ltd, 2 Viney Close, Ashington, West Sussex, RH20 3PT.

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Call 01293 851913 Email: info@abmbuilding.co.uk Website: abmbuilding.co.uk Liston House, Faygate Lane, Faygate, RH12 4SJ

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11 1: Harry Mailer, featured in AAH in February, won the Comer Cadet Championship at Forrest Edge Alton last week, making it three championships in three years. The Partridge Green schoolboy will race in Mini Max 125cc next year, driving an ex-works 2012 Alonso chassis with Rotax engine.

2: Wakefields Jewellers in Horsham have been included in a listing of the ‘Hot 100’ most influential people in the jewellery industry.

Managing directors, brother and sister Dominic and Melanie Wakefield, appeared in the list, which was judged by the jewellery business Publication Professional Jeweller magazine and unveiled at an award ceremony in London. Dominic and Melanie were awarded the accolade of ‘Retail Stars’ .

3: Bolney Wine Estate has been named UK Wine Producer of the Year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2012. This award follows a ‘Gold Outstanding Medal’ at the IWSC for its Blanc de Blanc 2007 in May. 4: As part of the ‘Dressed for Success’

campaign, Horsham District Council’s Horsham Museum & Art Gallery shop has turned its Georgian bay windows into a visual treat to tell the story of ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ The display, crafted by museum staff members Terri Lefevre and Debbie Gates, coincides with a new photographic exhibition ‘Shop till you Drop: Photos from the Cramp collection,’ which runs from 17th November 2012 and closes 5th January 2013.

5: The Stuart James Band will be playing live at London's famous 100 Club on 29th January 2013. It follows positive reviews for their album, Changing Lanes, and interviews in the likes of Classic Rock Blues Magazine. The band are on the bill with American Billy Walton and the influential blues/rock guitarist Henrik Freischlader. Tickets cost £10. For details contact Stuart James via Facebook or visit www.stuartjamesband.com 6: Horsham Churches Together hosts a night of carol singing and fireworks at The Forum in Horsham on Saturday 15th December from 4pm. All are welcome to join and sing a

number of traditional carols for which carol sheets will be available. The event will conclude with a firework display.

7: Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy needs donations and volunteers for its first ever charity shop in Southwater.

The shop is due to open at The Old Post Office, Worthing Road, on 12th December.

Shop manager Jane Easton, is keen to welcome volunteers, donors and customers and work with local businesses to make Southwater an even better shopping experience as well as raising money and support for the Dame Vera Lynn Trust’s Schools for Parents. For details, contact the Trust office on 01403 780444.

8: The latest edition of the Horsham Shoppers Guide has just been published by the Town Centre Business Partnership – Horsham Unlimited. The new purple guide has been updated to provide a comprehensive listing of town centre shops and eateries, including new businesses Sports Direct, Crew and Moshulu in Swan Walk, Prêt a Manger in West Street, Bill’s in Market Square, and several

AAH News Round-up 4

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13 new independents. There is also details on internet shopping services. Copies of the guide will be available from Swan Walk, Horsham Markets, the Visitor Information Centre, Horsham rail station and bus stations.

9: A Toy and Train Collectors Fair will be held at Ashington Community Centre on Sunday, 9th December at 10am-2pm. Buy, sell and swap from a large range including Dinky, Corgi diecasts, Hornby, Meccano and more.

You can take along your own toys to sell as well. For information contact Simon 07727 023893 or visit www.modelcarmart.co.uk 10: Sylvia Welch, a lollipop lady at Billingshurst Primary School, is hanging up her stick after 41 years of service. Sylvia was the VIP guest at a special assembly held in her honour at the school where she received a specially engraved vase from the school, and gifts from the team at West Sussex County Council, including her very own scaled down ‘lollipop’.

11: The PayByPhone scheme in Horsham town centre is now available at the Pavilions

in the Park and Denne Road car parks. There is still the option to pay via the coin payment machines for those who prefer to do so. To use PayByPhone, customers follow a one off registration process by phone, text message, mobile web or PayByPhone app to capture their vehicle registration and payment card details.

12: The work of award-winning photographer and abstract artist Steve Gubbins is on display at Horsham Museum and Art Gallery.

Steve has 30 years of experience as a portrait photographer, with a studio based in Warnham, but has more recently developed his talent as an abstract and ceramics artist. As well as being a photographer and artist, Steve has also raised thousands of pounds for local charities over the years. For more details visit www.stevegubbins.co.uk 13: Conservative candidate Katy Bourne has been named Sussex Police’s first crime commissioner, following the 15th November elections. In the Horsham District area, The Conservative candidate picked up 6,324

votes ahead of Ian Chisnall (Independent ), Tony Armstrong (UKIP), David Rogers (Liberal Democrats) and Godfrey Daniel (Labour). The overall turnout in the Horsham District was 16.88%. The local area election results are available to view on Horsham District Council’s website at www.horsham.gov.uk 14: A Beer and Bunting Christmas Fayre will be held at Partridge green Village Hall on Sunday 9th December at 12-4pm. Stalls will be selling arts and crafts, chocolates, cakes, pottery, Christmas decorations and Dark Star Brewery will be selling merchandise and beer packs for Christmas. There will be entertainment for the children and Christmas carols piped out though the hall. (Pictured is organiser Sarah Cuthbertson, Just Brownies) 15: Horsham’s Regency Gingerbread with oats, created by Lesley Ward, is now on sale exclusively at Horsham Museum. Lesley uses a 200-year-old Shelley family recipe for the gingerbread, but the oats produce a moist soft delicacy that is a perfect accompaniment for coffee or tea.

AAH News Round-up 17

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18 16: Horsham-based Manor Theatre Group are once again hosting a pantomime of their own, Dick Whittington. Performances are at the North Heath Hall, Horsham on Friday 14th December at 7.30pm and Saturday 15th December at 1pm, 4pm and 7.30pm. The Barns Green Players will be performing Cinderella at Barns Green Village Hall. Seven shows will be held between January 18th – 26th. Tickets cost just £9 for adults and £7 for children. There is a special price of just £6 for all tickets on Friday 18th January. For details visit www.barnsgreenplayers.co.uk 17: East Street businesses came together on 29th November to raise money for the Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice. La Source hosted a fashion show, with clothing provided by the street’s fashion boutique The Cottage. Buckle supplied additional clothing, shoes and accessories. Carmela, a Sicilian restaurant at the end of Denne Road, provided the catering. Owner Francesco Raciti also donated copies of a Carmela recipe book, with sales generating further funds. Beauty Secrets provided make-up for all of the models in the

fashion show. Sylvie Holt of La Source said: “We wanted to provide something for our customers, although we did not have the room to accommodate as many as we would like, and this was an idea that many businesses could contribute to. In East Street, we are fortunate in that a number of the independent businesses work together to promote the area. It is great that we have this relationship as it benefits us all.” Linda Wickens, manager of The Cottage, persuaded six of her friends to be models for the night. She said: “It was a very successful evening. We have a nice little community here in East Street so I’m sure we will do something along the same lines again.

Beauty Secrets were fantastic, as they even gave me and Nicci (Willis, manager at Buckle) some lash inserts.”

Thanks to donations on the door, a raffle, and sales of the recipe book, the event raised about £1,000.

18: Fishers Adventure Farm Park’s ‘The Magic of Christmas’ promises to be a spectacular experience for children. This year’s highlights include the park’s pantomime ‘Jack and The

Beanstalk’ an ice rink, toboggan run and Father Christmas in a festive grotto. Visit www.fishersfarmpark.co.uk 19: Sussex have announced that vice-captain Chris Nash has signed a new two-year extension to his current contract, which will see him remain at The PROBIZ County Ground, Hove until at least the end of the 2016 season. Nash, one of the best players Horsham Cricket Club has produced in recent years, made his first-class debut for Sussex in 2002 and has made over 10,000 career runs for the County.

20: The Friends of Horsham Museum have bought a Horsham 2d banknote at auction.

The note was issued by Horsham New Bank in 1801. The amazingly rare survival was issued

by William Stepney at a time when there was a national shortage of small change. The note may have been issued to help out with this shortage; however it might also have been printed to annoy John Lanham, who was Stepney’s landlord and ran the only existing bank in the town.

10

‘There was an enormous flame from the ship, then

she disappeared’ I was born in Mottingham, South London in 1917, during the First World War. I was fortunate that my father was in the building trade and so he was not called up.

I had an older sister, Beryl, and a younger brother, John, and we enjoyed growing up in the countryside. When I was 12, I went to Malvern St James boarding school.

I married Cyril Kendall. He was a civil engineer working on the railways in Burma, so we went out there and that is where Colin, my son, was born.

We had to go by sea, which took a month and initially we settled in Rangoon. We had staff to do everything for us, so it was a time when I enjoyed myself greatly, playing bridge and tennis.

Soon after the start of the Second World War we had to move to the north of Burma in the jungle. I was the only white woman there. My husband was helping to construct a new railway from Lashio in the northern Shan State in to China.

When the Japanese invaded Burma, the British workers were leaving so I left Cyril and with Colin I joined the evacuation.

We travelled by train, plane and by boat and after four days we arrived in Calcutta.

There, the European club organised for us to stay with a British couple taking in refugees in India.

Cyril had to carry on working on the line until London told him to stop. Eventually word reached me that Cyril had left, but by that time the only way he could get out of Lashio was by walking out. I had received a telegram saying that he had left for India so went to meet him.

It took two nights and a whole day to get there by train. Cyril caught cerebral malaria. He reached a hospital in India, but he died before I arrived.

We travelled down to Bombay to wait for a passage back to England. I was offered a cabin on the City of Cairo ship and we left Bombay on October 1st 1942. There were about 150 crew and 150 passengers.

We made it to Durban in three weeks

Dulcie Kup, 95, of Warnham then went to Cape Town before setting off again. On 6th November, I was sat having dinner with a lady called Freda Bullen when we heard an awful thud. The lights went off, and of course we had been torpedoed.

Colin, who was two years old, was lucky as the torpedo hit just under our cabin, where

he had been resting. A friend helped put Colin on a lifeboat with me. Our boat had just been lowered when a second torpedo hit the boat.

There was an enormous flame from the middle of the ship, and then she disappeared. We had to push away as quickly to avoid going down with it.

My Story So Far The U-boat that sank us surfaced afterwards. The captain came out and gave us our position, 420 miles from St Helena (an island in the South Atlantic) and 1,025 miles from Walvis Bay (Namibia). He said ‘sorry for sinking you’ and disappeared again!

Six lifeboats got away, and in our boat we had 56 people. Of those, 36 were Lascars (Indian sailors engaged by the British military), 11 were men and eight were women. Colin was the only child. We picked up a few people in the water as the ship sank.

The Captain of the City of Cairo had survived, and for several days tried to tie the lifeboats nose to tail and sail to land together, as it was only his boat that had a small engine. One night during a storm one man fell overboard and we couldn’t reach him. After that, the captain decided each lifeboat should go its own way.

Thankfully we had a very experienced senior merchant navy officer called George Nutter on our lifeboat and he took over. It is thanks to him that many of us survived.

We had two ounces of water in the morning and two ounces at night, as well as a small piece of chocolate in the evening. Colin wanted more but when I started giving him some of mine I was told not to as I needed it just as much.

Colin was absolutely amazing. Having been a very lively child, he was so well behaved. He didn’t cry at all. He just didn’t have any energy as he wasn’t eating.

After the first week lost at sea, some of the Lascars lost heart and some of them slipped overboard as they didn’t

Dulcie’s first husband, Cyril

Dulcie with Colin, before their ordeal on the City of Cairo

12 want to go on. We were picked up after two weeks, just as I had started to wonder if it was best for me and Colin to slip overboard.

We saw a cargo ship in the distance.

We didn’t believe it at first, but we shouted and sent a flare up and were rescued by the S.S Clan Alpine. We picked up two more life boats in the following days and then eventually reached St Helena.

Six people died when The S.S City of Cairo went down. Nearly 100 more would die in lifeboats

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Of the other three lifeboats, one was picked up soon after our boat, with 47 of its original 55 occupants having survived. Another sailed for 36 days, and only two British men survived from more than 50 people. In another lifeboat, a man and a woman survived until 27th December.

We were taken to St Helena where we had to wait for another boat to take us from there. The first ship they sent for us was torpedoed with the loss of all on board.

The T.S.S Nestor came and we joined a convoy home. It took another six weeks to return home and three of our convoy were sunk by submarines but this time we were lucky.

It was the middle of the war so everyone in England was having problems. If such an ordeal happened now it would be quite a different thing but most peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives had been affected dramatically by the war.

My brother John was in the air force, and he was on a training exercise off the east coast somewhere up north.

They were flying low and the plane he was flying cut out and he crashed into the sea. His body was never found.

It was only a few months after I arrived home from my ordeal that John died. It absolutely shattered my mother.

Our family was hit hard by the war.

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When I returned home, the war was still on. People had to come to my fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house to see when it was their day for fire watching duties.

Through this, I met a girl called Sonia and she invited me out for dinner with her brother, Geoffrey Kup, who was in the army but was visiting her. So I went and ended up marrying him.

In 1947 Geoffrey and I had a daughter, Jenny, and we spent all of the 1950s

My Story So Far Do you have a story to tell?

If you think your ‘story so far’ would make an interesting read, please do get in touch with us on 01403 878026. A visit may cost you a cup of tea for Ben and Toby (or in Dulcie’s case a gin and tonic!)

in Germany, except for two years in Pakistan. We had a wonderful life – I had a Polish cook, a nurse maid for Colin and two or three cleaners. So I was back spending my time playing bridge and tennis.

We left Germany in 1960. My father wanted us to buy a house with him, so he would have one half and us the other. My father was nine years older than my mother, and wanted to ensure my mother had somebody near to care for her when he died. So we bought a house just on the edge of Warnham.

After my father died, I looked after my mother. She died in 1981, the same year as Geoffrey.

I must admit sometimes I think that I’ve had enough of it on my own. I’ve always

done a lot though. I have always filled my days and I make friends easily and up until recently I liked to go on holiday a lot, especially cruises.

There was a reunion of survivors from the City of Cairo in London. We met up on the Thames. Not everybody could make it but quite a few did. I remained friends with Freda for a long time. Freda had twins who were just a year old at the time and they all survived on another lifeboat having initially jumped into the water when the torpedoes hit.

But eventually we lost contact and I think she has died. I’ve gone on rather longer than most people.

If you would like to know more about the SS City of Cairo there is a terrific website at http://www.sscityofcairo.co.uk

Right: Dulcie (right) with second husband Geoffrey (back), her two children and her parents

The Perfect Christmas Gift... ...They’ll Never Forget!

Watch our videos on YouTube

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Run for Good Clauses There are so many people who have been deeply affected by the work of St Catherine’s Hospice in Crawley.

So many in fact, that once a year more than a thousand women gather in Horsham Park at midnight for a lengthy walk around the town for little more than a free T-shirt and a bacon sandwich.

People are only too happy to support the incredible work of the hospice. So when the hospice’s fundraising team decided to stage a Santa Run in Horsham Park for the first time on 18th November, about 400 people turned up.

After a zumba workout, the Santas set off

on a short run (there is, after all, toys to be made and reindeer to be fed) with children joining adults for the event.

At the end of the run, all participants were given a medal and treated to drinks and mince pies.

Sponsorship money is still coming in but St Catherine’s hope to raise a combined total of £20,000 from the Horsham, East Grinstead and Caterham Santa Runs this year.

Jen Wickham, Events Fundraiser at St Catherine’s Hospice, said “A big thank you to everyone who took part in our first Santa Run in Horsham Park.

“It was great fun watching hundreds of

Santas running, walking and skipping round the course and every penny raised will go towards caring for local people with a terminal illness.

"We need to raise about £5 million each year so we can continue to provide care free of charge."

For over 25 years we have been providing high quality hospice care, free of charge, to people living in Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and East Surrey.

For more details about how you can support the hospice this Christmas visit the website at www.stch.org.uk

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16

ALL IN GOOD

TIME Rolex does not allow just anybody to sell its watches.

The chap on Khao San Road in Bangkok who very generously offered me what he insisted was a genuine Rolex for $20 was almost certainly not an authorised dealer.

His rug was nicely laid out on the pavement, but it was not, as far as I could see, covered with bulletresistant glass.

A little research reveals that in recent years some authorised retailers have lost the prestigious status of being a Rolex dealer for failing to maintain standards. Rolex sets the bar astonishingly high.

So the fact that the brand is available in Horsham for the very first time is something to celebrate.

Wakefields Jewellers in West Street celebrated its centenary last year, and now after a lengthy process the store has earned the right to sell what are arguably the finest watches in the world.

It has meant a considerable investment by owners Dominic and Melanie Wakefield. Firstly, the store needed to be substantially renovated, with the height of the ceiling raised by two foot in order to accommodate the Rolex boutique.

Attack-proof glass has been installed, with Smoke Cloak security added as a further deterrent to intruders.

In addition, a full-time security guard is on hand, and Wakefields now has a closed-door policy. Staff have had to undertake intensive training in order to be able to sell Rolex watches.

Jan Fleming of Wakefields said: “In the last eight years Rolex has only issued two accounts in the UK and we are one of them (Windsor being the other).

“The Rolex family is quite small so we feel proud and privileged to have this luxury brand here at Wakefields. It also says a lot about

The ‘Wow, was it really a year ago? Where We ran a joint November/December edition in 2011, with our cover stars being the wonderful folk band Stick in a Pot. Our ‘group discussion’ featured Horsham Rotary Club, which had organised a Mascot Day in the Carfax.

The club recently hosted a Christmas Market and the excellent Set4Success Awards they heavily promote continue to give talented young sportsmen and women a helping hand.

We covered the annual fireworks display at Horsham Sports Club, linking it to a historical piece on Horsham’s connection to the Gunpowder Plot. The fireworks night was held again this year, with Aurora in charge of the display. The club is becoming increasingly popular as an events and functions venue; we were there in the summer to see the Freddy Woods Band.

Rolex Launch

‘It feels like we have been given a treasure’ the town that Rolex has chosen to come here.

“We’ve had to work very hard and invest heavily in order to get to this stage. It is not a case of ‘here is our watch, now go and sell it’.

Rolex is a special brand and needs special care.

“It feels like we have been given a treasure to look after and we want to nurture that.”

Wakefields held a launch party on Thursday, 29th November, inviting some of its most valued customers to view the collection.

South Lodge Hotel supplied the catering, whilst the Singing Waiters provided entertainment.

Wakefields, one of the oldest businesses in the town, has already received a number of

enquiries for the Rolex range.

Jan said: “We are thrilled with how the launch went. Everybody had a good time and we saw customers old and new. We have generations of families that are still customers of ours today and they have been with us as we have evolved.

“We are not recession-proof but we have been fortunate in that there are people in the Horsham area who have still been able to treat themselves.

“We have already had some sales for the Rolex watches, which suggests there is a good market for the brand in Horsham. That is positive news for town centre businesses.

“Of course, a Rolex watch costs a lot of money, but as well as being an excellent brand it is also an investment. One of our customers, who was at the launch, had with him an 18-carat gold Rolex watch that he paid £1,800 for back in 1981. It’s now worth £35,000.”

Rolex watches include Daytona, Deepsea, Submariner and Yacht-Master II. Some of the Rolex watches costs upwards of £10,000, but AAH has teamed up with the Swiss watchmaker to offer five lucky readers the opportunity to win a top of the range model...

Oh, hang on. No, we haven’t. Sorry about that.

does the time go etc etc’ section Stephen Foster believes he saw a ghost whilst camping near to St John’s Church in Coolhurst. We featured his account in a ‘Spooky Special’. Stephen has since gone on to perform his own satnd-up comedy show called ‘Licence to Offend’. Toby’s shots of Chanctonbury Ring in the same feature were used in a special exhibition at Horsham Museum earlier this year.

Cranfold Physical Therapy Centre officer advice for

Festive Therapy Christmas is “the season to be jolly” but in order to enjoy it to its full, it is important to avoid allowing the festive season to get the better of you!

Here are a few tips to keep healthy and happy this Christmas....

Christmas cards Write a few cards a night and avoid leaving all the lengthy letters until the end, as writing cards should not become a chore.

It’s not something everyone likes to do, but consider typing a single letter on the computer to save writing the same things over and over again.

You can always personalise them with a handwritten note at the end.

The Cranfold Physical Therapy team at their new Horsham centre in Denne Parade Buying Christmas presents Shopping can be stressful, especially at this time of year, so try and buy a few at a time. If you are shopping in Guildford, plan your route to avoid going up and down the hill repeatedly, and wherever you shop wear comfortable shoes with shock absorbency.

Remember that many of the bigger stores will send bulky presents directly to your home.

And do allow plenty of time so that you are not rushing around on Christmas Eve still trying to find those last few presents!

Wrapping Christmas Presents Prepare your tape, paper etc so that you have everything to hand and wrap presents on a table, not on

the floor. Do not lift weights that are too heavy for you to manage!

The Big Day Bend your knees to lift the turkey out of the oven – it’s likely to be heavy. Please don’t get too carried away on the Wii or Xbox – warm up first – seriously Dads I’m talking to you here!

The After Shock!

But if you do have an injury whilst working up a sweat on a virtual sports game, remember at Cranfold Physical Therapy Centres in Horsham , Southwater and Cranleigh, we offer extensive physio therapy services.

Earlier this year, the Cranleigh centre was extensively upgraded, before physio sessions were introduced at Southwater Surgery.

This summer Cranfold provided services for athletes representing Grenada at the London Olympics, and they were ecstatic to see that one of the athletes they treated - Kirani James - took gold in the 400 metres.

There was further cause for celebration in September, as Cranfold Physical Therapy celebrated a move into new premises in Denne Parade, Horsham.

It’s been a great year for us and we hope that it ends with a wonderful Christmas!

For more details visit the website at www.cranfoldphysio.co.uk or call Cranfold on 0845 025 4000

Cranfold Physical Therapy Centre is a BUPA Approved Practice, which offers a wide range of therapies across our sites, including Chartered Physiotherapy, Sports Physician, Sports Therapy, Reflexology, Aromatherapy and Acupuncture.

Our aim is to reduce your pain, aid your recovery and get you back to doing the things you enjoy.

Find us at Village Surgery, Southwater & now at 2 Denne Parade, Horsham

Web: www.cranfoldphysio.co.uk

Tel: 0845 025 4000

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So this is Christmas Well, it’s not as humiliating as last Toby Phillips (All AAH Photography) and Ben Morris (All AAH Editorial & Advertising) Christmas, when Toby persuaded me to dress up as a pantomime fairy...

I was somewhat relieved to be an elf, on the set of the Capitol’s pantomime, Snow White. Toby is somewhere underneath that big white beard.

Those are his real eyebrows though...

This picture aside, Christmas doesn’t really get much of a look-in, making this magazine the least festive ‘festive edition’ imaginable.

December hasn’t snuck up on me, as I know the order of the months. It’s just that some traditional reminders - people debating the contenders for the Christmas Number One or The Sun declaring ‘outrage’ when a school bans the word ‘nativity’, seem to have passed me by. #5&).7.32&0 53&67 785/*< (53:2 31* 1&)* +*22*0 &440* 0**/ 6384 Maybe, Christmas is just beginning to "*59*) :.7-32*< ,0&=*) 53&67 4&562.46 (5&2'*55< &2) (-*67287 "*59*) :.7& -31* '&/*) '5*&) 5300 revert back to what it should be and was 678++.2, 53&67 437&73*6 &2) +5*6- 9*,*7&'0*6 once about...

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AAH ALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINE

December 2012

AAH ALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINE

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(-872*< Tom ,5&4*6 Holder of The Five We had met the young jazz band at the Boars Head pub and arranged for a proper photoshoot in Horsham Park.

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Whilst Tom and Sybie posed, other members of the band gathered leaves and scattered them around their feet!

The Five Foot Twos become our third musical cover stars, after Stick in a Pot and Pipe and Tabor.

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The Family Farm with a carrot gold reputation It’s not common for a visit to a farm shop to be met with delight from children. But then Swains isn’t your typical farm shop.

As well as its excellent range of fresh produce and the wide variety of plants and garden furniture, Swains Farm Shop in Henfield has a number of farm animals, including ponies, donkeys, geese, chickens, goats and even an alpaca.

There are yet more reasons for Swains’ loyal customers to visit over the festive period as the family-run business will also be selling Christmas trees and wreaths.

Nina Hills, shop manager, said: “All of the trees we sell are British-grown. We will be selling the Nordman non-drop tree as well as more traditional best-selling trees such as the Norwegian Spruce.

“Our prices are very good too. People think it will be expensive here because we are a farm shop but I think they will be surprised at the price and quality of our Christmas trees.

“In the shop a variety of festive treats are available too, including what many of our customers say is the best selection of Turkish Delights around!”

Swains Farm Shop and Garden Centre was established in 1984 when Mick Hills

decided to set up a small shop at the front of the family farm.

The business has steadily grown. A garden centre was established and in 1992 Swains welcomed the cast and crew of Only Fools and Horses, visiting to film scenes for the

Christmas Special ‘Mother Nature’s Son’.

One thing has never changed. Then as now, Mick still goes to market early every morning for the freshest produce.

Nina said: “Dad set up the business just a couple of weeks before I was born. It started

“We will be selling a range of Christmas trees, most of which are grown in this country.”

off very small but over time it has grown, and he still heads off to London market at 4am every day.

“We source the freshest and finest available produce. We try to keep as much of it as locally-grown as possible but not many suppliers can produce as much as we need.

For example, when it is in season we always sell Henfield-grown Rhubarb and Asparagus.

“We work with many other local companies such as Country Farm Cakes in West Grinstead, Just Brownies in Partridge Green and The Real Pie Company in Crawley.

“People come from all over for the Real Pie Company pies! We have a lot of very loyal customers here, which we are very grateful for. They come to us because over the years

they have always been given a good service and the food here is really fresh.”

Mick's son and daughters are involved in the day to day running of the business. Shelley and Nina can usually be found manning and maintaining the shop whilst Paul manages the Garden Centre.

The shop stocks fresh, seasonal produce all year round, as well as more unusual items lemon grass, fresh horseradish, exotic fruits including lychees, mangos and passion fruit - for adventurous cooks.

A new salad section provides: different types of mushrooms; bean sprouts, including alfalfa, beetroot sprouts and leek sprouts; a variety of herbs; and tomatoes including cherry, plum, vine and beef.

The garden centre sells a good range of garden ornaments, oak barrels, terracotta and other pots, plants and fruit trees.

But for the youngsters, it is the animals that are the biggest draw.

Nina said: “Children love it here because of the animals. It’s nice because you can come here to do a bit of shopping and then say to the kids ‘let’s get a couple of carrots and feed the donkeys’.”

Swains Farm Shop and Garden Centre is located on Henfield Common, Brighton Road in Henfield. The store is open Monday to Saturday 8am-6pm and Sundays 9am-5pm.

“People do a bit of shopping and then say to the kids ‘let’s get a couple of carrots and feed the donkeys’.”

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Sergeant Jonny Wheeler on Remembrance Sunday

23

Feeling the Force Horsham Army Cadets is more than a stepping stone to a career in the force - it is changing the lives of young people During a visit to the Billingshurst Show last summer, I couldn’t help but be impressed by a group of young people putting together a kit car in under two minutes.

The well-drilled team were Sussex Army Cadets, and it transpired that the kit car assembly is one of the force’s most popular exercises. For more than a decade, hundreds of cadets have learnt how to dismantle a Jago Sandero Kitcar into 70 separate components and then rebuild it.

It’s a drill that has taken them to the Royal Albert Hall, and even television with appearances on Blue Peter and You Bet! It is just one small part of being a Sussex army cadet, but one that highlights the variety of skills that young people aged 12-18 can learn with the cadets.

Sussex Army Cadet Force is made up of 25 detachments, with 11 Platoon Horsham being part of B Company along with eight other branches including Steyning and Worthing.

The Horsham cadets meet every Monday and Wednesday night at 7.30-9.30pm and during the year they enjoy excursions and a two week camp.

The army cadets – along with RAF cadets also based at the Drill Hall in Denne Road – were in attendance at the Remembrance Sunday services at Horsham War Memorial on 11th November.

It is natural to assume that being a cadet is a stepping-stone for those looking for a career in the army, but that is not always the case. Instead, cadet Officers aim to produce well-rounded individuals with a range of life experiences.

Mick Kendall, Sergeant Instructor, was once an air cadet. He then spent eight years in the army as a military policeman before working for Sussex Police as a road traffic officer. He said: ““You can see a young person coming to us in one state - appearing to be unmanageable, unruly,

and disruptive - and progressing until they leave as a well-rounded, mature, intelligent individual. That is very rewarding.

“We’ve one lad who came to us a scruffy, unruly boy who refused to cut his hair. He wouldn’t polish his boots and his uniform was a mess. Now after a year, he is worthy to go forward as an NCO (NonCommissioned Officer).

“We haven’t shouted or threatened him – he has made the changes himself. He has taken on board what has been said and that is very satisfying to see.

“We are funded and supported by the army, but this is primarily a youth organisation. All of the instructors are volunteers, and with the exception of the officers we are not subject to military law.

“So it’s not a recruiting base for the army.

However, we run the detachments on regular army lines in terms of values and standards, and we hope that the conduct of the instructors rubs off on the cadets.

“A lot of our cadets don’t join the army.

Some do of course, some join other services. It’s not an automatic stepping stone to a career in the armed forces.”

The cadet force welcomes young people once they are in Year 8 at school. As well as installing discipline through training, cadets can develop through the ranks.

The first step is to pass the APC (Army Proficiency Certificate) 1 Star to become a Lance Corporal, and passing the 2 Star can see you progress to Cadet Corporal.

A Cadet Sergeant/Staff Sergeant will have normally passed APC 3 Star and will usually have an interview with the cadet Commandant to see if they are suitable for promotion to Sergeant.

Promotion to Staff Sergeant follows after a period of time as Sergeant.

A Cadet Sergeant Major will have passed APC 4 Star and if this cadet shows exceptional skills they may become Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major.

There are occasionally opportunities to

‘It’s not an automatic stepping stone to a career in the armed forces’

Army Cadets appoint a Cadet Under Officer (CUO), an appointment rather than a rank, allowing the holder to stay in the officers' mess.

Sergeant Simon Ward was a cadet from the age of 11, and was among the first Cadet Regimental Sergeant Majors in the country. After 12 years in the army and the police force, he is back as an officer.

He said: “When I stopped working for the police about five years ago I decided I wanted to do something with my evenings, so I applied for the army cadet forces and was taken on.

“It takes a while to go through the training and you have to go away for a week-long exam and assessment with the regular army.

“I was posted in Horsham and before becoming second in command in Steyning. Then I came back here as Commander.

“I got so much out of the cadets as a young man. It really helps with selfconfidence, and the ability to achieve things that you didn’t think were achievable. That has always stayed with me.

“I felt I had the knowledge and the ability to nurture youngsters and help

Corporal Kim Stamp runs a training exercise

them become better people.

“The army cadets does gives them structure and discipline to their lives.

“Some of the children here do not have that in their lives away from here, but here they meet others - some in the same boat, some who are not – and they feel like they belong to something.

“You will get some here that do want to join

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the army, and what they do learn here will actually help them in the regular army. They will know how to get up in the morning, how to iron their clothes, how to look after themselves how to prepare for different weather conditions.

“Our cadets are saying ‘mum, please don’t iron my uniform. I will do it, as you’ll probably get it wrong!’ it’s quite funny!”

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25 ‘Conflict does attract people to the army and cadets.

People don’t join the army during quiet spells’ The Army Cadets learn from a syllabus and the skills they learn cover a wide area from orienteering skills to first aid and combat techniques including camouflage and concealment, and basic warfare.

Numbers are currently very good.

During conflicts, if the army is viewed positively by the public, that can have an impact on cadet numbers, and there are currently about 1,000 cadets in the three Sussex companies.

Major Dave Burberry said: “People don’t join the army during the quiet spells. Soldiers want to do what they have been trained to do and for a period of 30 years, infantry troops trained and never actually got the chance to use those skills.

“It is like training to be a journalist and never writing an article. It was very frustrating, and that is why so many wanted to go to Northern Ireland because it was active service and you put your training into practice.

“Now, because men and women are deployed in operations, people join the army knowing that there is a good chance they will use the skills they are taught on the ground in Afghanistan.

“Because of this, the training is taken more seriously across the board because one day it could be very important.”

Cadets are often involved in community projects, with schools, hospitals, and old people’s homes.

They integrate with emergency services, undertake regimental drills, and of course partake in a certain amount of physical training. There is a huge range of adventure activities including mountain climbing, caving, windsurfing and rafting, and many cadets attempt the Duke of Edinburgh

Corporal Richard Bateman hopes to join the army

“I’d be a different person without the cadets’ award scheme.

If the cadets reach a certain level of discipline, they are taught how to handle a rifle.

Sergeant Simon Ward said: “We start off with what is tantamount to an air rifle and go though the safety issues. The cadets can progress to a .22 target rifle and then an assault rifle, the Cadet A2 GP, which is like the SA80 used by the regular army.

“That’s why we have so much discipline – it’s to do with safety. If cadets can’t behave themselves then of course there is no way that we are going to let them use a rifle. It won’t happen. So when they do drill they are learning discipline.”

Needless to say, it is the outdoor activities that prove most popular with the cadets.

Sergeant Jonny Wheeler said: “I’ve been with the cadets for four years. I was in the scouts,

and I had a friend who joined the cadet force as his dad was in the armed forces. He said it was good so I came along and haven’t looked back since.

“I was a quiet boy when I joined but the army cadets develop you as a person. I’m more confident now, and I’ve spoken in front of top brass about the cadet force. I particularly like field craft, wearing the war paint, and shooting is good too. I’ve now gained my marksman badge.

“I was thinking of trying to become an Apache pilot. I’ll go through officer training first at Sandhust and hopefully progress from there.

“I would recommend people give the cadets a try. I’m sure that some don’t have the right attitude but the ones who stick it out will get far if they put the effort in.”

C.A. Woolgar

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Jack Jennings, Acting Lance Corporal, isn’t so sure about a career in the military as he is only 14 and still has two years at Tanbridge.

But he says that the cadets has had a positive impact on his life.

“If I didn’t come here I might just sit around the house so being a cadet gets me outside and it is fun. Being a cadet has helped me as I only really used to speak to people that I knew but I’m more confident in conversation when meeting new people. “ Corporal Richard Bateman has competed in a variety of regional and national sporting competitions thanks to the sports set-up in the army cadets. But his hopes for a career in the armed forces have been scuppered, hopefully only temporarily, by a knee injury.

“I’m the longest serving here, as I’ve been

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27 here for five and a half years”, he said.

“My granddad fought in the Second World War and the stories he told me inspired me.

“The opportunities I have here are amazing - I’ve been involved with football, athletics and the kit car team too.

“I feel I can diffuse tension and conflict just through what I have learnt here. It gives you the confidence to take charge of real life situations.”

Since 1982, girls have been welcomed into the army cadets and Corporal Kim Stamp, 16, is the current holder of the Lord Lieutenant Award for West Sussex.

Kim said: “I was nominated for the role and I had to prove that I was looking after my cadets correctly.

“I’ve been here with the cadets for three years and I’ve gained so many life skills.

You learn how to take care of yourself, how to manage stressful situations, teamwork and leadership skills.

“I joined when I was not physically fit – which was one of the reasons I came here – and because I had no selfconfidence. I was really shy. I’ve matured a lot and it’s had a big impact.

“I’d be a different person without the cadets.”

Sussex Army Cadets are currently on the lookout for more adult officer instructors. Instructors do not need to come with previous military knowledge as training is provided.

But be warned.

Major Dave Burberry said: “We have an adult training centre in Frimley where every adult instructor in the army cadet force has to go

for basic training.

“It’s a week’s intensive course initially and as you progress you will return for more training. It’s run by the regular army instructors. It’s a good week but hard work!”

For more details visit www.sussexacf.co.uk or call 01273 552222.

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28

Crafty Billimarket is held once a month

plan for new BilliMarket to

Nicki Ramplin sells Usborne Books

Billingshurst Primary School hopes to set up an Apprentice Club at the market

There is a wide variety of businesses at BilliMarket

BOOM Markets are booming at the moment.

Apologies to any city bankers and trade analysts who have taken this statement as a sign to check how their global opportunities fund is performing on thestock exchange; we are referring to a different kind of market boom.

The kind of market boom that is seeing a healthy rise in the number of people setting up small businesses and coming together to sell their arts, crafts and produce at local fairs.

In Horsham, the Local Produce Market has seen remarkable growth in the past year, with the operators now having to manage a waiting list of people looking for stall space on a Saturday and Thursday in the town.

Now smaller markets are being established in local villages. In Billingshurst, Claire Golding and Bik-Kay Talbot have established the Billimarket in the Community and Conference Centre.

Bik-Kay said: “It was my idea initially and I talked Claire into doing it too. We are co-chairs of the PTA at Billingshurst Primary School so we knew we could work well together.

“People were saying that Billingshurst was lacking something and needed a market. Getting people on board has been easy, as they all want to support us.

After the first one people were coming up and saying ‘this is just what

Billingshurst needs.’

“There is a demand for markets at the moment. I think people are looking for something that is unique. Money is so tight, they want something special. If I’m giving you a fiver I want something that Joe Bloggs hasn’t got down the road.”

Claire said: “We were aware of other markets in the area that were popular and that it was something that Billingshurst could benefit from.

With Billingshurst Creatives opening up in Jengers Mead we knew there were a lot of creative people around and a lot of the mums at school were running small businesses in textiles and arts and crafts so we thought it would be good for the community.

“People want to support their local communities and there is less support for the big chains on the high street these days.”

The market has also been able to support the primary school. A raffle and gifts stall run by pupils helps raise funds for the school and benefits the children too.

Helen Williamson, Head Teacher at Billingshurst Primary School said: “BikKay is quite an entrepreneur – we joke that she’s the Alan Sugar of Billingshurst.

She set up the market and has given us an opportunity to promote the school.

It’s lovely for the children because they get a chance to do something in the community.”

BilliMarket

Frances Hill set up Tilly Jackson after being made redundant

‘People were saying that Billingshurst was lacking something and needed a market’ “We’re going to develop the idea next year with The Apprentice Club. Children are going to take part in an after school club to make things to bring up here and sell. They will have to come up with a proper business plan. It will raise money for the school, support the market and also help the children learn basic business skills. “ Retailers at Billimarket have included AJP Creations, Beadelicious Jewellery, Cupcakes by Tracey, Chutters Homemade, Energetix, Forever Living Products, Intuitive Touch, Neal’s Yard, Just Bev Soaps, Pasturewood Pantry, Phoenix Cards, Rachel Gosling - The Therapy Room, H&G Creations, Raindrops on Roses, Revisualize Beauty Treatments, Lisa With Love, Something Different Glass Jewellery, Tilly Jackson, Sue Altimas from The Aloe Vera Company, Silverdaze Jewellery, Tuppenny Lane and Usborne Books.

You can find out more about the market at www.billimarket.com AAH spoke to a few traders about their businesses and hopes for the new market...

Claire Golding and Bik-Kay Talbot set up BilliMarket

30 Diana Huber-Perkins H&G Creations “I sell greetings cards from my own original watercolours. I’ve been painting for family members for many years, but they said that I should start reproducing the paintings. I paint Teddy bears predominantly but I’m occasionally commissioned to paint animals.

Usually, people bring their Teddy Bear or give me a photo of it and I paint it. Every painting takes several hours – each stroke of the fur is a stroke of the brush. It is a selective market, but you’ll be surprised by how many people love and collect Teddy bears. On my stall you can see my three teams of Teddy bears the painting department, the printing department and the sales team! Twice a year there is a Teddy Bear Fair in Kensington and I have been to that a couple of times, but this is my first time at Billimarket. There is a great atmosphere here so I hope it continues.”

Diana paints Teddy bears to create unique greetings cards

Marion France Intuitive Touch “I was a practitioner in London for 13 years but recently I moved to Billingshurst so I’m starting afresh in a new community. I really want to build it up here. I think each practitioner has their own style and technique. I do a mixture of shiatsu bodywork and also incorporate energy healing, so I’m combining different treatments.

I like to create a treatment that is built around the individual which is why I offer the free 15 minute taster session. Being at Billimarket helps me raise my profile.

I think smaller markets will be increasingly important as they work well in smaller communities. These markets are cost effective and give you a real dialogue with local people. It’s very new for me but it’s been very productive for me so far.”

Marion France has 15 years’ experience as a practitioner

BilliMarket Lisa Planson Beadelicious “I’ve lived in Billingshurst for a long time. A lot of my jewellery designs are influenced by the Middle East, where I was living before we settled here. I make all the jewellery myself, something that people do not always realise. I create necklaces, bracelets and earrings using Swarovski Crystal, sterling silver and freshwater pearls. I like making the jewellery myself and it means people can actually get things

commissioned; I do a lot of bespoke jewellery for weddings. I have a studio at home and go out to craft fairs and events.

I’ve been to all of the Billimarket events so far. At the moments it’s just establishing but it’s vibrant and colourful and I think if we can get the word out, people will come.

I felt it was important as a Billingshurst business to support it, and I’m sure it will keep growing.”

Frances Hill Tilly Jackson “Tilly is my grandmother’s name and Jackson is my mother’s maiden name, so it’s a mish-mash of family names. I got made redundant last year and took the opportunity after 19 years to do something creative so started making things. I started sewing on my dining room table, making aprons, as we still sell those.

The kid’s ones we do are very cute!

I’ve learned as I’ve gone on and now I make fleece hats for winter,

stockings for Christmas and other bits and pieces. I think I’ll have a go at some door stops in the New Year.

It’s difficult to know what is going to sell - aprons are doing well at the moment, and the bunting sells well too. I’m really enjoying running my own business. This is the first time I have been to the Billimarket. It’s a lovely hall. I like the fact that it’s on a weekday afternoon as a lot of markets are held at the weekend.”

Lisa makes her own jewellery for Beadelicious

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* “External stimulation: Simplistic solution to intractable pain?” St Thomas’ Hospital

I then went for a Physio session that night and he could not believe that whatever part of the previously affected areas he went to, no pain could be found.

In this regard, I am delighted with the result but I am under no illusions that due to my structural problem, some sort of pain may return.

However at least I now know how to deal with it if it reoccurs.

It has been over 3 years since I have played golf, but looking forward to getting back out there, Scottish weather permitting of course!”

FREE Review Consultation!

BilliMarket

Lisa set up her business after being inspired by a television programme

Angie Peskett AJP Creations “I run the business with my husband, Tim. I come up with the designs and he presses the designs on to the various items. We sell travel bags, purses, iPod cases, make-up mirrors, clocks, coasters, worktop savers, oven glove sets, and we do gift sets for Christmas.

I also do portraits and landscapes on pastels but every show I was going to I found that everyone was an artist I needed to do something else. We invested in new equipment and now I do a different style of drawing

Lisa Tyekiff Lisa With Love which is more commercial. We use campervan images a lot and go to a lot of shows.

This is our second time at the Billimarket. Because I’m local and have lived here all of my life I thought I should support the event but we’ll have to wait and see how it goes. I hope it picks up as the village needs something like this. Years ago it was a closeknit community but Billingshurst is a lot larger now and I think some of the community spirit has gone.”

Angie hopes the market can restore some community spirit in Billingshurst

“I set up the business at the beginning of the year. I was watching ‘Kirstie’s Homemade Home’ and she was doing some Needle Felting. She was making a Christmas ornament and I thought ‘I want to give that a go’.

I was looking for a hobby so I got into needle felting and discovered I was quite good at it. I started making tiny dogs and it grew from there. I have quite a range of mice and people collect them - I have a couple of regular customers who even send me postcards from the mice.

One of the mice I made was auctioned for £65! My skill for it has grown and the designs have improved too.

Now I make anything for anyone – Teddy bears, foxes, chickens and mice tooth fairies. To make a basic mouse shape takes about an hour and then I accessorise, either by making things or using dolls house accessories.

I was asked to come to Billimarket and this is my first time here. I like it – I like seeing people smile as they walk past my stall and see my whimsical beasts.”

33 Beverley Scott-Hughes Just Bev Soaps “I make all the soap myself. My house smells beautiful. I use the cold process method so the soap is made out of pure olive oil and coconut.

There is an awful lot of preparation as the soap takes a long time to dry and there is a lot of presentation - even the small flowers on top are made of soap.

It started off with Neem Soap, which I started making for my son who has eczema and he couldn’t use bubble bath when he was little. Over the years, I made soap for him and gradually it turned in to a business.

Neem soap is still my best seller as it’s great for teenagers, people

with skin irritations and people like to use it when they go travelling too. It’s an amazing soap!

I make nettle and lavender soap too, and collect the nettles myself. That’s the good side of the soap, but I do the naughty stuff too like the cupcake soaps. I love creating new things, and I’ve even started doing parties.

I take the basic bath bombs along and the children cut out their own flowers and ice them and they love it. I have an online shop, as most of what I see goes abroad, but I do a few markets.

It’s a good way of spreading the word, and letting people know about the soap parties!”

‘I do the naughty stuff too like the cupcake soaps’

Is Back Pain ruining your life?

The Horsham Nerve Pain Practice specialises in the relief of nerve-related pain. We employ the breakthrough treatment called External Neuromodulation that is proven in clinical tests* to relieve chronic neuropathic pain. This treatment is safe and non invasive. Treatment examples are for pain in the neck and shoulder, TMJ and other facial nerve pain, sciatic or femoral pain in the back, wrist, hand, hip and knees, as well as tennis/golfer’s elbow, achillis tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. * “External stimulation : simplistic solution to intractable pain?” St Thomas’ Hospital

The testimony for Chris Apps is featured both on the Horsham Nerve Pain Practice website and in the June edition of AAH. Chris was treated in November 2011 and he was contacted in November for an update...

“In 2011 I hurt my back doing a menial task at work and the pain developed to the extent that I was bed ridden for a long period and off work for four weeks.

The pain was extreme in the lower right back and I also had pain in

Back Pain Testimonial by Chris Apps (Slinfold) my right buttock and also shooting pains down my right leg. I saw my physio and did various exercises and had manipulations but whilst there was some very short term pain relief, the pain actually worsened in time.

The pain was at a very high level and I was made aware of Keith Atkinson and the Stimpod treatment. I had three treatments and even after the first session I felt pain relief. After the third session I was completely pain free and back at work, playing golf and en-

joying life again.

I’m pleased to say that following the treatment in November last year I have had no trouble with my back since. I continue my work in the building profession which is strenuous as I have to lift and move things.

Initially I was very worried about straining my back but to be honest now I just go about things automatically. My golf has not improved but I have to blame my swing not my back!”

Horsham Nerve Pain Practice: 46 Depot Road, Horsham

Call Keith Atkinson 01403 256332 or 07768 537846

www.horshampainrelief.co.uk

FREE Review Consultation!

BACK ON TRACK Historical Content by Jeremy Knight of Horsham Museum

Some elements of train travel will never change.

There will be days when you pace up and down the platform waiting for a train delayed by falling leaves or ice, as your stress level surges with every long, lingering second.

There will always be the same hopes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the hope that by looking out of the window you will get away with placing your coat on

the seat next to you. And the hope that, when that inevitably doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work, the seat is not occupied by a person with a snotty nose, a teenager who thinks we all want to hear hip hop music, or (my own favourite) someone playing a plastic recorder.

But now at Horsham Station, you can now avoid eye contact with fellow commuters in fear of inadvertently striking up a conversation in a new, modern facility.

35

In November, the completion of a £4 million improvement project was marked by an official unveiling by Under Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker MP. The layout of the station has been changed, with a new second entrance, a café and seating area, and a shop to replace the newsagents that was on site before the work commenced.

The platforms have also been enhanced

with new canopies and all toilets and waiting rooms have been fully refurbished.

Funding came from the National Station Improvement Programme (NSIP) scheme, Southern and Network Rail. West Sussex County Council paid for improvements to the forecourt area and provided extra parking spaces.

Mark Ruddy, route managing director for Network Rail in Sussex, said: “Facilities in

stations across Sussex continue to improve thanks to the National Station Improvement Programme.

“More and more passengers are using the railway today and they quite rightly expect and deserve a better standard of facilities and information than ever before.”

Meanwhile Pieter Montyn, West Sussex County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “When you

36

A drawing by Thomas Mann of the first train to leave Horsham in 1848; A Steam Locomotive with rail workers at Horsham Station in 1883;

step off the train at Horsham now, you feel you are walking into a rail station fit for the 21st Century.”

Not that we get excited about the railways as much as we used to. Travelling by rail was a thrilling experience for children during the steam train era. Now, children study the platform walls in the hope they’ll find a secret passage to Hogwarts.

Back in 1834, there was huge excitement in Horsham when news of a rail line in the town spread.

!

#

Four years earlier, the first passengercarrying steam-driven railway opened. It followed George Stephenson’s ‘Rocket Trials’ on the Liverpool and Manchester and that line was opened in September 1830.

The Liverpool & Manchester was the first railway to provide safe travelling at fixed rates by a regular service of steam-hauled passenger trains.

In 1834, plans were put forward for the Grand Southern Railway, better known as Stephenson's Railway, to connect London to

Brighton via Dorking, Horsham and Shoreham. Horsham actively promoted its arrival. Henry Burstow (the author of Reminiscences of Horsham, which gives a lively picture of life in a rural town in the mid-nineteenth century) recounted the events in 1911.

He said there was “much excitement” in the town in 1834.

A Railway Hotel was built for the prospective line. It never came to anything but the building still stands in Brighton Road - next

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A Coach from the King’s Head Hotel waits at the station

Horsham Station

The interior of Horsham Station before electrification (all images above and below courtesy of Horsham Museum/HDC)

to the Tanner’s Arms.

Then in 1845, due to the various demands of the railway companies, an Act of Parliament was passed for the building of a railway line from Three Bridges to Horsham, and no further.

Why? The act went on to give what management speak today would refer to as a ‘minimum service level agreement’. The act stated that trains were to stop “at least twice in every day on their passage from the said London and Brighton railway to the said Town of Horsham, and twice on every

day from the said Town of Horsham to the said London and Brighton Railway.’

The railway had to be constructed within three years of the Act being passed. First class passengers would pay 3d per mile, Second-class 2d per mile and Third-class 1 1/2d per mile.

In ‘Reminiscences of Horsham’ Henry Burtow wrote: ‘On Monday morning 19th February 1848, the new line opened for traffic. The station terminus here was but a little plain structure standing about midway between the present station and the

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An image of the second Horsham station in the early 20th Century (Image courtesy of Horsham Museum/HDC)

‘This is an inheritance and I assume it will continue to be’ Railway Hotel.

‘A great many people went up to see the departure of the first train. There was no ceremonial send-off, but there was a public dinner at the King’s Head in the afternoon at which Mr Padwick presided. I was present when the first train steamed out of the station.

“It was not a very long one, but as the first journey was free of expense to travellers it was very full. Some of the cars were covered and some were open; the third class cars were at once named ‘rubbish carts’.’

So Horsham was connected by a single track to

Three Bridges. Nine years later, on 10th August 1857, an Act was presented to Parliament for the extension of the London and Brighton South Coast Railway from Horsham to Pulborough.

The act then set out a number of very specific features which affected the topography of the town and station. They included: The new line started 130 feet north east of the current passenger platform That the Crawley and Horsham Turnpiked road, New Street Road and Station Road were altered to make way for the railway.

Instead of a level crossing, the railway was allowed to build a bridge by raising the levels of the railway Nine Feet, and lowering the Brighton Turnpiked Road eight feet, and to construct a bridge over the road. Of course, the iron bridge still stands today.

They also specifically agreed to build and maintain a nine foot wide bridge over the railway that runs through the Kitchen Garden of Robert Henry Hurst.

The company was given two years in which it could make compulsory purchases and four years in which it could build the railway, before the provisions of the Act ceased.

The railway was completed by and opened on 10th October 1859.

The old wooden railway station closed and a new brick built station was built on the other side of the Horsham to Crawley Turnpiked road.

The station was a rather grand affair, with its two chimneys, two stories high mimicking the medieval aisled houses with two wings between which was a canopy.

The windows were arched in a gothic style popular at the time. Horsham station was a destination; you arrived and left in style in one of the largest buildings built in Horsham.

At about the same time that this Act was presented to parliament, another plan was put forward for a Shoreham, Horsham, and Dorking Railway. The prospectus was for 17,500 shares at £20 a share realizing £350,000 in capital.

Horsham Station DID YOU KNOW? Tickets for the first two hour journey to London in 1848 cost 4/6d 9about £18) compared to £13.30 for a Super Off Peak Fare today

The proposal was for constructing a 30 mile railway linking Shoreham by Horsham to Dorking. This line would connect Steyning, Henfield, West Grinstead, Cowfold, Capel, Ockley, Newdigate ‘and a large tract of country abounding in gentlemen’s residences’ with Shoreham Harbour. It did not happen until ten years later in 1868.

New lines were being constructed around the country continually.

In August 1860 the Horsham and Guilford Direct Railway Act was passed that set out building a railway to Guildford from a fork junction with the mid-Sussex Railway in Itchingfield.

This line opened in 1865. Two years later, on 17th July 1862, a Horsham to Dorking and Leatherhead line opened.

There was a sense of pride in the town that Horsham was now being connected to a wider rail network, rather than being a “dead end”.

In 1968, D. Hurst wrote: ‘Horsham may now challenge any town in England for perfect railway and communication.’

The 100 years following the opening of the Horsham branch line in 1848 saw a consolidation of the railway service. In 1938, the Southern Railway electrified the railway resulting in the need to rebuild the station and lengthen the platforms.

By the early 1960s it became obvious that with the decline in passenger and freight traffic, the country could not afford to maintain such an intensive network of track and stations.

As well as a shop, there is a cafe at the new look station

A new second entrance has been created at the station

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40

Soldiers head off to war from Horsham Station in 1915

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Dr. Beeching came up with a plan which was implemented. Known as the "Beeching cuts", it saw in Horsham the closure of Southwater Station and the axing of the Shoreham and Guildford lines. You can read more about this in an article on West Grinstead Station on the AAH website (Special features section).

In 1972 a train crash took place at Horsham Station, when an engineering train ran into the back of a passenger train that was about to leave for Bognor Regis.

The 12.24 train, running from Three Bridges to Chichester, was approaching the station, heading south, as the 12.02 Victoria to Portsmouth Harbour and Bognor Regis train was preparing to leave the platform.

The guard had been given clearance to depart and was on board the train about to ring the starting bell when the engineers train hit.

Thankfully, due to a collision speed of about 20mph, there were not any serious injuries.

Fourteen passengers and the

guard were taken to Crawley Hospital but only one was detained overnight.

However, there was significant damage and disruption caused to the rail and road network for a short time. The eight coach passenger train was pushed some 200 feet down the platform.

The engineering materials train was carrying track and timbers for the railway. The four units in the centre were derailed.

The eighth wagon derailed and almost completely demolished one of the two piers supporting the road bridge then ended up on its side.

The bridge remained intact but was not opened for traffic until 2.30pm on Tuesday, 11th January, by which time it had been shored up by a steel trestle.

In 1975 the station was pulled down and a modern style station was built, boosting railway traffic by 13% in the first year.

Against rising ticket prices, it remains to be seen if the latest renovations in Horsham will have a similar impact on passenger numbersâ&#x20AC;Ś

Extracts of this article are taken from History of Horsham Volumes by Jeremy Knight

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43

Calmer Camelia Review: The Bistro, Camelia Botnar Homes & Gardens At different times, we all like to enjoy food that spans the full culinary spectrum.

My favourite place for lunch in Horsham town centre is Beeches Buffet, but I wouldn’t take my wife there for an anniversary meal, and not just because I traditionally forget the date.

Good food can come in a variety of guises.

With this in mind, hot on the heels of a Michelin-star winning meal at Tristan’s and a lavish Japanese experience at Wabi, we set off to the Bistro at Camelia Botnar Homes and Gardens Centre for our latest review.

The centre is tucked away on Littleworth Lane near Cowfold, and there is little hint of its presence to traffic passing on the A272.

Yet you would be hard pressed to find a place that has a busier breakfast and lunchtime trade.

A visit to the Bistro has become routine for many, to the extent that regulars feel the need to reserve a table in advance. For our visit, on what we had expected to be a quiet Wednesday lunch time, the bistro was booked out for two sittings during lunch.

When judging any eatery, it is of course important to give due consideration to demographic, affordability, atmosphere, and the pub or restaurant’s own claims.

If a restaurant markets itself as fine dining but presents cheap wine in a dirty glass, or claims to produce authentic home-made dishes but the food proves otherwise, then that cannot pass by without comment. At Camelia Botnar’s Bistro, there are no grandiose claims. In fact, Emma Mitchell, Chief Executive at Camelia Botnar, remarked that it’s ‘simply good quality, affordable, home-made food’.

But in this instance it is important to consider who is cooking the food...

Several trainees from the Camelia Botnar Foundation - which is about a mile from the garden centre in Maplehurst - work under

the leadership of two full-time chefs at the Bistro. There are up to fifty young people from a ‘disadvantaged or problematic situation’ employed at any one time by the Foundation.

The 550 acre Camelia Botnar Foundation estate was established in 1979 by Octav and Marcela Botnar in memory of their only child, Camelia, who was killed in a car accident.

Octav was a successful entrepreneur, and when he died in 1998 he left the Foundation as his enduring legacy to helping young people in difficulty.

These young people can specialise in metalwork, horticulture, pottery, carpentry, painting and decorating, catering, estates maintenance or construction. The best of the items they make or plants they grow are then put on sale at the garden centre.

Within the catering team, there are up to five trainees, who alternate cooking between the main house and the Bistro.

Emma said: “We train and educate 16-21 year olds who are in a special need situation due to circumstances outside of their control.

“All of the trainees have been given an extraordinary opportunity. They are offered two years’ paid work experience, we support them, get them into college and hopefully they leave with qualifications.

“With the catering trainees, they alternate nicely between the house and the Bistro.

But the Bistro is different as there is a bit more pressure.”

The work of the Foundation is to be applauded. The fact that it is still successful – 33 years since it was formed – across so many skills and crafts is really quite remarkable.

But it is not charity that keeps people coming back to eat at the Bistro.

Instead, a simple but efficient approach is key to its success. Aside from the lack of French influence in the cuisine, Camelia

‘Not everyone who comes here to eat knows about the Foundation but I don’t want to ram it down people’s throats.’

44 Gruyere Cheese Tart

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Chicken Liver Patete

Botnar’s eatery is the very definition of the word ‘Bistro’ - moderately priced, simple meals in a modest setting.

If you just want a cup of tea and a slice of cake, that’s fine. If you want a light lunch, a jacket potato or a toasted sandwich, then that’s fine too. If you want a good hearty meal then there is a good selection.

It’s all in a very informal, sociable setting, like a secret club that the regulars would like to keep hidden from families with young children!

Emma said: “Most of the people who come here are retired people as they have the time. We have some very loyal customers

10%

who come here two or three times a week.

Sometimes they come for lunch and sometimes for breakfast.

“They come here, have something to eat, look around, buy some plants or some gifts and have a good day out.

“We are a bit out of the way with no passing traffic so people do actually want to come here. People can book a tour here and we talk to them about the homes and garden centre and how it is all linked in with the Foundation.

“We don’t take them to the Foundation as on that site the young people are ultimately at work and they can do without the

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“I don’t know if everyone that comes here to eat knows about the Foundation but I don’t want to ram it down people’s throats.

“But the success of the bistro is hugely important as it’s good for the young people to experience success. They are not just making a cabinet or a good dessert - they are seeing people buying the cabinet or enjoying the dessert. That is a huge confidence boost for them.”

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Camelia Botnar Bistro Pan Fried Sea Trout

The Bistro

‘Most of the people here are retired people as they have the time’ After a time, it started offering sandwiches and jacket potatoes, and in 2006 a greenhouse was transformed into an eating area, more than doubling the size of the Bistro.

As demand grew, the kitchen was developed and the menu expanded to include main courses, which are changed seasonally, as well as a range of daily specials.

On the winter menu there are several light dishes as well as a number of starters. These include home-made soup of the day (£4.75)

served with a bread roll, creamy ham hock, mushroom, leek and gruyere cheese tart (£5.50) with a mixed leaf salad, and cod goujons (£5.25).

Popular light bites include a Ploughman’s (honey roast ham, stilton or Applewood cheddar) served with a baked baguette, leaf salad, pickled onion, chutney and coleslaw (£7.25), and sandwiches including roast beef (£6.25), hoi sin duck and spring onions (£5.95) and the stilton and mango melt

(£4.95).

For starters I had Camelia Botnar’s famous home-made chicken liver pate (£6.95) served with leaf salad and toasted bloomer. It doesn’t look that appealing in the picture with its melted butter coating but the pate, mushy rather than firm, was enjoyable.

One slight downside was that, whilst the salad was fresh, the pre-sliced cucumber was on the dry side.

The gruyere cheese tart - Toby’s pick - was a

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46

Braised Shank of Lamb

‘Whilst the dishes are dependable rather than daring, they are not without a little flair’ hearty starter with the gruyere – a hard Swiss cheese – providing a sweet filling to the nicely-cooked and liberallyseasoned tart.

Full time chef Spencer Ottoway used to work at South Lodge Hotel, and whilst the dishes are dependable rather than daring, they are not without a little flair.

All of the main courses on the menu cost less than £10. They range from Teriyaki glazed duck breast (£8.95) to smoked haddock Florentine (£9.95), Sussex game and redcurrant pie (£9.25) and mixed bean, sweet potato chilli with curried cous cous (£8.25).

Although tempted by the haddock with poached egg and spinach, as well as the game pie, I plumped for the fried sea trout from the specials board. The fish was served with sauté lyonnaise, fresh vegetables with a white wine and dill cream sauce (£9.25).

If the dish cost twice as much and there was a cellist in the corner of the room, then I would have preferred the trout to have spent a little less time in the pan and potatoes that hadn’t be oiled quite so enthusiastically. But the dish offered very good value for money.

Toby’s braised shank of lamb with colcannon mash, roasted carrots and courgettes served with a mint and redcurrant jus (£9.95) was a better dish.

The meat was conservatively cooked but delicious, falling off the bone at a

gentle touch. It was complemented by a nicely textured and well-flavoured mashed potato, as well as fresh vegetables doused in gravy.

For dessert, I chose the warm sticky toffee pudding (£4.95) served with banana ice cream and caramel sauce, with the home-made ice cream proving particularly pleasing.

Toby had the fresh fruit salad because it was pretty to photograph, clearly forgetting that it doesn’t give me a great deal to write about.

There was certainly a lot to choose from, as cake is popular and Spencer is known to be a good pastry chef. There are several different cakes on display and they sell so quickly that there is a regular stream of fresh pastries made by the chefs in both the Bistro and the main house kitchen.

Many people also like to end a meal – or even come in especially for – the Cream Tea. A fruit scone with Devon clotted cream and strawberry jam with a pot of tea for £3.75.

We left feeling impressed with what the Bistro offers. They use some of the best local producers, with meat from Hutching’s in Partridge Green, jams and chutneys from Deerview in Coolham and Auntie Val’s in Pulborough, and the fish comes in several times a week from The Pure Oyster Company in Pease Pottage.

It’s a place you go to knowing what you are going to get and how much it is going to cost, and unless all of the local bridge clubs start meeting at lunch times, you’re almost guaranteed a pleasant, sociable atmosphere – if not a table!

For the time being, this is unlikely to change Emma said: “I go along with the theory that if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it. We started doing Sunday roast a couple of years ago when the kitchen was improved and we’ll be looking to increase the oven size once again soon. So we may look at some slightly different dishes on the specials board, but nothing too dramatic.

“We can’t extend the building but hopefully we will be putting a new canopy up in the outside area as it’s a very nice place to sit in during the warmer months.

“We have thought about opening for evenings but there are a lot of reservations.

To be honest I don’t think we have an evening meal kind of place. We do great with the breakfast and lunchtime trade but I’m not really sure if people would drive out here for an evening.

“We are busy because we do good food at lunch and breakfast. We are and should be very happy about that.”

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Your Hearing Specialists The Horsham Hearing Centre 22 Worthing Road Horsham West Sussex RH12 1SL

01403 218700 Horsham@hearcentres.com

Don’t have a quiet Christmas!

Christmas time, along with many other social occasions, can be extremely frustrating when you have a hearing loss.

The general hubbub around you can make it really challenging to understand and therefore participate in conversation.

Young children are particularly difficult to comprehend in these circumstances as their voices become swallowed up in a sea of different sounds. The TV can also be a problem when people are talking at the same time, and music can be a huge disappointment.

SeboTek, a US Hearing Aid manufacturer, have attempted to address these issues with their new range of High Definition (HD) hearing instruments.

High Definition (HD) SeboTek hearing instruments are recognised around the world for their magnificent sound quality and their patented receiver in the canal design that has revolutionised the hearing aid industry.

The Sebo High Definition line of instruments incorporate various features designed to provide excellent sound quality, noise reduction, and speech enhancement technology.

Sebo HD helps users enjoy the finer things in life that they may have

allowing the listener to experience the clarity of voices and subtle sounds. HD instruments provide the widest spectrum of sound reproduction, allowing you the listener to pick up sounds of nature, the vibrant tones of music, and the many other sounds that colour daily life.

Hearing is Believing

By Jonathan Ormerod Horsham Hearing Centre been missing; things like conversation with friends and family, the sounds of nature, sounds needed for safety and security and music, where the instruments actually detect music automatically and optimise high fidelity sound.

Bringing HD Colour to Sound SeboTek is known as an industry leader for providing wide bandwidth hearing instruments that perform more like high fidelity headphones than a hearing aid. The ability to hear a wide spectrum of sound brings life and brilliance to sound,

At the Horsham Hearing Centre, we are confident that if you try SeboTek technology you will like what you hear.

We would like the opportunity to share this technology with you and to demonstrate its effectiveness.

Don’t take our word for it; book an appointment to see us. You won’t be disappointed!

Christmas Cheer Drop in and see us any time during December.

We are the only Hearing Centre with an Audiologist available every day and we will make sure that you are hearing well for the Festive Season. We will also have hot drinks and warm mince pies on offer!

Throughout December we are offering free hearing tests, free clinical earcare (wax removal), free information on the latest hearing aid technology, a free clean and check of your hearing aids and a free pack of batteries! We look forward to seeing you.

We also offer our customers a complimentary home visit service throughout the Winter months.

If you would like us to visit you please call us on the number below.

Complimentary Initial Consultation: Call 01403 218700

Zsa Zsa Gabor once said ‘I never hated a man enough to give him diamonds back.’

It’s true that diamonds remain a girl’s best friend, even if it’s a best friend that many don’t know an awful lot about.

Diamonds continue to fascinate us as they cannot be made – somebody has to find them – and every diamond is unique.

Because of this, there are many people trying to imitate a stone with its qualities. We can use all kinds of methods to test if a diamond is real.

One of the most common is to observe reflections (a rainbow effect usually indicates a low quality or fake) and the fog test. For this test, you fog up the stone, using the same sort of method you would to fog up a mirror.

If it stays fogged up for a few seconds it is probably a fake.

Not that a fake stone is always a bad thing.

Moissanite is a gem created in a laboratory but it has many of the physical qualities of diamonds. It will even test positive on most diamond testers! But whilst it is regarded as an excellent fine jewel, it registers 9.5 on Moh’s Scale. A diamond is 10.

We know that buying jewellery – especially diamonds - can be a daunting prospect.

When you are talking about diamonds, you need to look at the four C’s – carat, colour, clarity and cut.

Diamonds are weighed in metric carats with one carat equal to 0.2 grams, about the same weight as a paperclip.

As well as size, diamonds are valued by how closely they approach colourlessness - the less colour then the higher their value. You’re looking for gray reflections, not a rainbow!

!

Slight differences make a very big difference in diamond quality and price.

Clarity is also vital. Because diamonds are formed deep within the earth, under extreme heat, they often contain unique birthmarks, either internal inclusions or external blemishes.

Diamonds without these birthmarks are rare, and rarity affects a diamond's value.

Cut is what gives the diamond its character its shape. The standard round brilliant is the most common shape but others include marquise, pear, oval and emerald cuts.

It is because of the complicated process of evaluating a diamonds worth that many come with a diamond certificate which record

dimensions, clarity, colour, polish, symmetry, and other characteristics, along with a unique identifying reference code.

Many people have no knowledge of what to look out for, but we can help as we have a certain amount of expertise in the area as we diamond trade. It means that people find it hard to compete with our prices.

If you would like more information on this or any of our other services, do visit us at 45 The Carfax in Horsham or visit our website at www.sakgems.com

SAX APPEAL Jazz is cool. The impact of the movement’s pioneers – Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie – seems beyond debate, their sound beyond criticism, their status as legends set in stone.

Despite this, jazz is not popular. It is music that many people like to think they can appreciate, but in reality have never picked up a Herbie Hancock or Randy Brecker recording.

In terms of commercial success, jazz in the UK barely registers on the radar. Yet remarkably, a group of five teenagers have come together to form their own jazz band.

In true jazz spirit, The Five Foot Twos are learning on the job – giving improvised renditions of jazz and swing numbers and developing their musical abilities in front of a live and very supportive audience.

The Five Foot Twos may be just starting out, and in terms of ability are merely beginners – as they themselves confess.

But they are a dynamic outfit with great potential.

On double bass is Tom Holder, and then there is Dan Mannion on Saxophone, George Murrell on drums, Alex Bland on trombone, Nick Machin on keyboards and vocalist Sybie Ross-Talbot brings some grace to the proceedings.

The Five Foot Twos Dan Mannion plays the saxophone

The band started when Alex, looking to raise money for charity as part of a fundraising drive by Tanbridge School, contacted Dan about putting a jazz band together for a oneoff gig.

Dan said: “I knew George already through music, and Nick was recommended to us by one of our piano teachers. We desperately needed someone to play the next day and so I called Nick and sent him over some sheet music!”

Nick had been trained as a classical pianist but enjoyed his first experience of jazz music as the band debuted at The Coot pub on Merryfield Drive in Horsham and raised £115 for good causes. There were just four in the band on the first night – Dan on sax, Alex on trombone, Nick on keyboards and George on the snare drum.

They called themselves The Four Foot Twos, taken from a famous song called ‘Four Foot Two, Eyes a Blue’ and they went on to play a few more times at The Coot. They also stumbled upon a black and maroon colour scheme which has stuck.

Whilst they looked the part, playing in front of a knowledgeable audience meant that the band had to sound the part too. Dan had only recently picked up the saxophone, but helped along by Andy Walker, who leads his

own jazz quartet and also plays with the Freddy Woods Band, he learnt quickly.

“I’ve been quite lucky as I’ve had the opportunity to play in Andy’s quartet and learn how proper jazz bands operate,” said Dan. “I like to chuck myself in at the deep end so I’ve gone on to join the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, which is a big step for me.”

Alex was primarily a classical trombone player and hadn’t played jazz before, but as

the gigs have come he has gained confidence.

George’s drumming skills increased as he because influenced by the music of jazz drummers including Peter Erskine and Steve Gadd.

But the four-piece band felt the need to expand their sound.

They invited Tom Holder, a double bass player, to join. Tom is the son of Gary Holder, who for many years has been the go-to man for any local band needing a double bass

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53 ‘Because of my dad, double bass was the one instrument I had to take on. It’s such a groovy instrument’ - Tom Holder player. Growing up in a musical family, Tom could have taken his pick of instruments but he always wanted to play bass.

“Obviously because of my dad, it was the one instrument I had to take on.

It’s such a groovy instrument. I’ve grown up with it, and, it’s always been in the house.

“There are not many other double bass players who are my age. I know of one other who lives around Petworth!”

Tom joined the band even though Dan had caused his dad a serious injury at a karate lesson.

Tom said: “My dad decided to get back into karate 15 years after he decided to quit. He was a black belt when he gave it up. Dan is a black belt now and on dad’s first night back Dan broke his ribs! But I

agreed to join the band anyway!”

The band needed a vocalist to complete the line-up.

Sybie said: “I was singing by myself and playing a little bit of guitar – just accompanying myself so I could record a few things and put them up online. I got more confident and the band came around at just the right time for me.

“I’ve definitely grown in confidence since I’ve been singing with them. I don’t think I’ve really developed my voice properly. Jazz suits my voice but I like acoustic covers and ballads too.”

The Five Foot Twos now have a monthly Friday night slot at the Boars Head pub, where they perform a variety of jazz and swing classics by the likes of Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins.

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The Five Foot Twos

‘Everybody’s ability to play in a jazz quartet has improved tremendously’ - Dan Mannion They’ve hit the ground running and already attract good support.

Dan said: “With jazz you could play the sort of music that George listens to, which is a bit obscure but is technically fantastic and you have to be very skilled to be able to play it.

“The problem with that is it is not easy listening and it wouldn’t be well received in local pubs even if we could play it. The only real place for those sounds is at jazz clubs such as Ronnie Scott’s in London, which is for the very best.

“In Horsham there is a good jazz following and people will listen to the less

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well known material. But if you want to make a bit of money and get into pubs, you are going to have to play a bit more Frank Sinatra and swing songs.

“Our shows are quite improvised. You see us during the night shouting over to each other and giving hand signals as we don’t all know the structure of all of the songs. It gives an extra dimension to the performance as it’s not strictly laid out. The audience enjoys seeing that too and working out what we are doing.

“At the moment we are just doing it because we enjoy it but we are getting better because it’s a supportive group.

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55 That’s the thing with music – everyone is friendly.

“If some people are at different levels we work to bring them on for the good of the band. Everybody’s ability to play in a jazz quartet over the last six months has improved tremendously.”

They have recently recorded an album too. ‘I Mean You’ was organised for Dan’s 18th birthday and was recorded at Eversfield Studios in Lower Beeding and recorded for seven hours.

George said: “We scribbled down seven or eight tracks that we wanted to do but we eventually did eleven, seven of which had vocals. A lot of the tracks we recorded in just one take.

“There is a good mix on there – we start off with the title track by Thelonious Monk and then it’s ‘Don’t Know Why’ by Norah Jones. Then comes ‘Doxy’ and then ‘Fever’, which is just vocals and double bass, and ‘Come Fly With Me’, which is rhythm section and vocals.

“We also have a couple of Latin-inspired numbers and ‘The Day is Done’ by Nick Drake. It finishes with the ‘Rainbow Connection’ (from Muppets the Movie) and ‘Moon Dance’ by Van Morrison.

“We’re really pleased with it as it is representative of where we are at the moment.

“Part of it is online but we want to put it onto a format we can pass on to people.”

It may be that there is a brief life span for The Five Foot Twos. Next year, three of the band are likely to be heading off to University. But wherever they go, the band members will be spreading the word of jazz.

“For me, this is what contemporary music is really all about,” said George.

“It might not be that popular amongst

teenagers in general but everywhere you go there are young people who are interested in jazz and want to play it. We live in a society where the media doesn’t promote it, so it needs to come from individuals like us.”

To listen to the band’s music and for more details about live shows visit http://soundcloud.com/fivefoottwos or http://facebook.com/fivefoottwos

info@strandshairsalon.co.uk

01403 249990

Get the Sexy look!

After 15 years in business, Strands hair salon in Horsham continues to go from strength to strength.

Recently, founder Lou Edwards left to start a new life in Australia, leaving Jenni Miles to manage the salon. Helen Miles, Tracey Hudson and Nicole Meer have joined advanced stylists Jenni and Brooke Hartley to create a dynamic new team!

Strands provides a full range of hair care services and the team is continually training on new techniques, offering extensive colouring services, using Scruples for long-lasting rich, vibrant colours with protection.

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56

‘We need to dispel the myth that climbing up

Kilimanjaro is easy’

Richard James, Dominic Walheim and siblings Victoria (Plum) and Ben Jacobs are back from their trip to Mount Kilimanjaro. From sickness and exhaustion to exhalation and a marriage proposal, here is their story...

Plum: The walk was scheduled for six days; four and a half up and one and a half down.

Richard: It’s a busy itinerary. There’s a five hour drive from the city where we stayed, and you travel round the side of the mountain to the north side.

Ben: Most of the villages are roadside as the roads are the artery of the country. So you see markets, schools, farms as you pass by.

We had already flown by the mountain, and to fly past something that you’re going to try and climb, and be lower than it, is quite something.

Richard: You start the ascent at about 2,000metres. There are even families living around the starting point. There were 34 of us climbing for Marie Curie. We had to raise £15,000 between the four of us and that took a year. During the last three months we were out every weekend.

Ben: Fundraising was hard. Most people and businesses are giving to charity in some way. We were almost cold-calling, asking for more, and to do that is very difficult.

Plum: The approach is breathtaking.

Because it is a free standing mountain, apart

from Mawensi to one side, the surrounding land is flat and Kilimanjaro just rises out of nothing.

Richard: There were about 90 people in a support team as well as the 34 charity climbers, so overall there was in the region of 120 people on the ascent. You mingle and throughout the first few days we would move through the group depending on how fast you were walking. We were on Diamox (a brand of Acetazolamide, used to help with altitude sickness) which makes you pee all the time, so you often have to go off and find a rock.

Ben: You get through a lot of water. I was averaging eight litres a day. They fetch the water from the mountain and then it is sterilised. It was very well organised. After a day’s walk you would arrive at camp and everything would be set up. One day I was really struggling as I neared the end of the walk, and I could hear all of the porters singing mountain songs at the camp. They were singing in Swahili so they could have been singing ‘Here Comes the Lumbering Giant’ for all I know, but it helped me get through it.

Dominic: People started to struggle at

different times. For me, it was only on the last day that exhaustion really kicked in.

Most of us were taking medication which the doctor had advised us all to take for altitude sickness. He said that it gave us a better chance of reaching the summit.

Plum: It gets to the point where everything just leaves you out of breath. It was tiring to simply bend down to do your shoelaces up.

The tiredness gradually builds up and on the last day it was a case of trying to get one foot in front of the other.

Ben: If you’re not susceptible to altitude sickness then you can carry on regardless, you will just be breathless because you’re not used to having that little oxygen. But if you suffer from altitude sickness then you will get headaches, nausea, swelling of the brain and such things. When this happens, you have little choice but to head down the mountain. You can be the fittest person in the world and altitude sickness will take you out. There’s no rhyme or reason to it.

Plum: For three days it feels like you are just walking towards the bottom of the mountain.

For a time you walk away from it, then you cross what they call ‘the saddle’ which is fairly flat. For a very long time you don’t ever

Kilimanjaro Challenge seem to be getting closer to Kilimanjaro.

Dominic: It takes eight hours to walk across the saddle to final camp.

Then you have a sleep for a couple of hours and they wake you up for dinner at about 6pm. You eat and go back to sleep, if you can, and they wake you up at 11:30pm, when it is pitch black. Then you start walking up to the summit. It’s a line of people walking close together so you don’t lose anybody and you all zigzag up the side of the mountain.

Ben: They don’t want you at that altitude for two days. So the aim is to gather in the morning, spend a few minutes at the summit and get down again to the camp as quickly as possible. In that last day, there is 16 hours of walking.

Plum: You can hear people all around you, dropping down, being sick – it is like a death march in that sense.

Dominic: The most disheartening bit is reaching Gilman’s Point and realising you are still 300m below the highest point. You are cold and your water is frozen, nothing works properly and you have to walk ‘Poli Poli’ which is Swahili for ‘slowly slowly’. You can’t see how far you have to go as it’s dark, so for six hours all I could see was Plum’s back and feet.

Ben: I was hit by exhaustion on the final stretch to Gilman’s Point. My back was killing me. Just the walk on that final night is the height of Ben Nevis. So you’ve already climbed four Ben Nevis’ and then when you’re absolutely shattered there’s a fifth Ben Nevis to climb in the dark.

Plum: You reach Gilman’s Point just as the sun rises. From there you have to walk around the crater, up to the highest point - Uhuru. You’ve given all you can give and then you have a two hour walk ahead to the very top., But the sun rise gives you a real boost. You are so high you can see the curvature of the Earth and just the hint of warmth on your face gives you a massive lift.

Richard: I made it to Gilman’s Point and headed towards the summit but one of the doctors said I couldn’t continue. He gave me an injection to make sure I could get back down.

Ben: I wasn’t frustrated at having to

58 shame!

Dominic: They are quick at getting you back down. You get about ten minutes at the top.

On the way back down, you basically have to run straight down the part you zigzagged up.

It’s difficult as your legs have gone. When you get back to the camp, you have to pack your stuff up quickly and then it’s another four hours of walking.

Richard: We need to dispel the myth of it being easy, because people believe that it is.

It really isn’t. We look back and tell people it was great fun, but your mind is lying to you. It really was horrendous at times.

stop. We had a person who stopped as we crossed the saddle, and even that is an epic journey. It doesn’t matter where you stop – there is no disappointment. You go as far as you can. If you make it you make it, if you don’t then you don’t. Reaching the summit is a bonus, but the real achievement is raising enough money to pay for six or seven cancer nurses for a year.

about the final day. Only 19 of the group made it to the summit.

Richard: “Looking back, my mind tells me I could have made it to the summit, but at the time I was absolutely shattered and couldn’t go another step. Less than half the trekkers on Kilimanjaro reach the highest point, so it’s an incredible challenge.

Plum: Dom had told me at Gilman’s Point that he had a surprise if we reached the top, and I said ‘are you going to get naked?’ I genuinely thought he was going to do something stupid like that. But instead he proposed!

Plum: In the final stages, there were a lot of tears. Dom had to take a lot of pills to get though it as it looked like he was going to have to give up. The first three days are great, but there is nothing pleasurable

Ben: Dom has no male friends now, as they can’t hang out with him in case their girlfriend’s hear about the way he proposed.

‘Where did you propose?’ ‘Oh, at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.’ It puts most men to

Dominic: You’re dragging your feet along.

You reach a point with about 150 yards to go, and you go from total exhaustion to full body motion. You can run! The adrenaline brings your body to life and briefly everything feels wonderful.

Magnificent Micra makes it!

The Bump Start bandits were our June 2012 cover stars. Paul Slogrove of Horsham, Graham Lynn of Hove and Chris Hale of Worthing were setting off to compete in the Mongol Rally - a journey from Goodwood to Ulan Bator in Mongolia.

Before they set off though, there were a few problems with the Nissan Micra. Graham managed to roll the car and nearly wrote it off. In the end, Graham didn’t go, but Chris and Paul set off for the Rally.

They did remarkably well, finishing fifth out of 300 cars, and were the first to finish without SatNav/GPS. They drove 6,722 miles in 20 days and raised about £2,000 for charity.

Paul said: “We stopped off en route at some weird and wonderful places including Kostnice (Church of bones in Czech Republic), Auschwitz, and a party in a castle in the Czech Republic.

“We didn't have any car troubles which is unusual for this kind of event, but we put this down to good preparation and teamwork. We got stuck in a river bed in Mongolia, and we were just about ready to start digging it out when an off road truck saved us.

“The best part of the trip for me was driving through the Gobi Desert and the beautiful Altai Mountains. It truly is a beautiful part of the world. Russia was a pleasant surprise; every one we met going out of their way to help us, either find our way, give us Vodka or provide somewhere to stay. The trip was great and I highly recommend it!”

The Micra is still waiting to be sold in Mongolia. Paul, who thanked the individuals and businesses who supported the team, has posted videos of the trip on YouTube (search 'The Bump Start Bandits').

Ben: The walk on the last day didn’t seem to end, and then you have to queue to get your certificate. There’s a gift shop too. It was like going to the Natural History Museum, having a look around and buying a souvenir at the end. Except our look around was seven days of mountain climbing. It was really odd. Buy a carved rhino and a Coke and off you go!

Plum: I wouldn’t do Kilimanjaro again but I would recommend it to others. The camaraderie is amazing, and the feeling you have either side of that final climb is incredible.

Dominic: We’re discussing our next challenge already. We’re thinking about doing the Rickshaw Run in Indonesia…

Plum, Dominic, Richard and Ben would like to thank friends and family who supported them, and also businesses who sponsored their efforts including Echo Care, King’s Knight International, Pavilions Osteopaths and B-Creative Design and Print.

Fashions and trends come and go, and the only certainty is that their time will pass.

It might have been cool to show off your flairs whilst proudly leaning against the bonnet of a Ford Capri in the seventies, but it’s unlikely to earn you admiring glances in 2012.

One of the very few brands to buck this trend is Harley Davidson, which has managed to stay cool continuously over generations.

This is in spite of the fact that most new buyers are in their late forties and you’re more than likely to see a Harley rider pull

over for a foamy mocha cappuccino than a cigarette.

But the all-American brand continues to prosper thanks to its legendary association with the Hells Angels and iconic scenes from films such as Easy Rider.

Which is great news for Keith Baker.

Keith has devoted most of his working life to paint spraying, and the vast majority of his work has been devoted to customised paint jobs for Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Whilst the type of people buying the bikes has changed, the fascination for a unique motorcycle remains. Customising a Harley

to an individual’s own taste remains a key part of ownership.

Over the years, Keith has seen fashions come, go, and then come back around again, and it means that customised paint shops are always in demand.

Every job is different – some owners like flames, whilst others go for pin stripes or skulls, wolves, stars and stripes, eagles or retro imitations. Some even pretend that their bike is falling apart.

Keith said: “People ask for some strange things. You have to re-educate yourself every few years as there will be a new breed

‘People are going to great lengths to create something that looks like it has just been found in a barn’

of Harley owner and they will not know anything about the history.

“You get some people, no matter what their age, who have a passion for the old bikes and they know about the Hells Angels, Easy Rider, and the look of a Harley rider. But a lot of riders do not know all of that. They’ve gone into a dealership, bought a brand new Harley with a brand new lifestyle.

“I’ve recently painted a fuel tank black with a red and white stripe. That is a 1976 paint job for Black Bear Harley Davidson (in Suffolk) as they wanted that old retro scheme. But not everybody understands it.

Some customers would look at it and wonder why you did it as it’s not overly appealing and very basic.

“You get a lot of people now that are into the rusty look at the moment. People are going to great lengths to create something that looks like it has just been found in a barn.

“One guy even asked me if I would put a dent in his fuel tank. I said ‘no, don’t be stupid’.

“But it’s only fashion. I’ve just done two big flame jobs for people, which I haven’t done for ages. There’s a lot of gold leaf stuff at the moment, but the fashions come around eventually.

“I’ve had a few jobs I’ve really liked. But it doesn’t really matter what I think, so long as the customer gets what they want. My job is to get it right. Hopefully the owner understands what they are asking for. I suppose my favourite jobs are things that I have done for myself. I did one with 400 flames on it - people said it looked like a rabid bonfire and people would say ‘oh, it’s a bit much!’ but it’s for me.

“The worse thing is when people keep changing their mind. It’s usually the idea they originally had that was the right decision. It’s like going to the tailors and seeing a suit that you really like and it fits perfectly, but it’s an Armani and costs £500.

You spend the next six months trying to find something the same but cheaper. You really should have bought the Armani as that’s what you were initially attracted to.”

Keith has worked in the area since he left school, initially working at Pete Bennett’s Motorcycles in Pease Pottage when he was 16 where he undertook basic mechanical jobs.

On one occasion, Pete had his own bike painted for him and Keith, impressed by the idea, decided to move into the painting side of the business.

He then got a job at Southern Counties in Crawley, serving his apprenticeship there for three years, before he landed a job with Dennis Fernie at Calbrook Cars in Leatherhead.

Keith said: “Dennis was selling custom paint and was one of the first to realise its commercial value over here.

62

‘I said to the little girl ‘have you been good? Because if you haven’t I won’t be coming at Christmas’’ “He had a body shop and I managed to talk myself into a job there, but in truth I didn’t cut it. What they were doing was out of my league at that time. I moved on but then Dennis needed someone to run the metal flakes paint side of the business.

“We shifted a lot of the paint, and eventually I convinced Dennis that he should get into the bike-selling side of the custom paint business.”

After a time, Keith left and set up on his own at a workshop in Partridge Green and ran Prestige Coachworks for four years from 1982.

Keith said: “After a while, a friend of mine who worked for a design studio in Wor-

thing came to me with a scale model of a truck that he needed painting, and I agreed to do it as at that point I was desperate for work.

“They were thrilled to bits with it, and at that time there were doing the prototypes for Bentley , so we started painting them.”

With more work in the pipeline and Rolls Royce (who then owned Bentley) pleased with the work, it led to a full time contract, with Keith naming his price.

“They agreed to pay me £13.40 an hour. It was the first number I thought of as 1340 is 80 cubic inch, which is the size of a Harley engine.”

Keith ran the paint shop at International

Classic Cycleworks

Automotive Design (IAD) for nine years, during a time that the now defunct but once influential company came up with a number of memorable concepts.

The infamous Yamaha OX-99 Supercar, built to rival the McLaren road car, was just one of the prototypes he painted.

But eventually, the business went into receivership and Keith went it alone once again, setting up Classic Cycleworks on the Lyons Farm Estate in Slinfold where he has now been for 17 years.

Keith mainly paints Harley Davidsons, but he is happy to paint other bikes as well as helmets. He’s even painted the fridge at the

workshop!

He also has a side project in Hot Rods, called Bakers Field, of which he says “for something that isn’t a business it’s actually very busy”.

Restoration projects Baker’s Field have dealt with include a 1971 Dodge Challenger and a 1952 Chevy Pick-up truck.

“But most of the work at Classic Cycleworks is with Harleys,” said Keith. “I don’t get asked to do other bikes as there are other firms catering for different bikes.

It’s a similar thing with crash helmets. It’s very uneconomical to do one of something.

“If you go to someone who does lots of crash helmets they may prime and paint ten at a

time. But if you want one helmet done, it’ll cost £300, which is often more than the helmet cost.

People don’t always understand that buying something where only one thing is done at a time is going to cost more than something that is mass produced.”

When it comes to the Harleys he likes to ride, Keith is very much with the old school. He belongs to a small club called The Stockers and owns a 1949 Panhead Harley and a ‘Shovelution’ which is a Shovelhead with a 2000 engine.

Keith said: “Harleys move on with the technology but hang on to the mystique of

64 the original look. For me though, bikes like the V Rod are more like a BMW or Japanese bikes in comparison.

“Hell would have to freeze over before I’d buy a new Harley. I don’t like them at all.

They’re 150 pounds heavier and they’re a bit soulless as far as I’m concerned.”

We can’t ignore his beard either, which has been a talking point for 40 years, during which time he has only shaved it off twice.

There are occasions when people remark on it, sometimes in a friendly manner but sometimes in a more abusive manner.

But at this time of year he gets a lot of funny looks from young children.

“One time I was sat in the pub and there was this little girl next to our table. She was a tiny little thing, stood there in her woollies, looking up at me with her mouth wide open in amazement. I’m thinking ‘what’s that all about?’ and my wife Karen said ‘She thinks you’re Santa!’

“The little girl’s mum smiled, and I said to the girl ‘have you been good? Because if you haven’t I won’t be coming at Christmas’. She scurried off!”

For more on Keith’s business visit www.classiccycleworks.net or www.bakers-field.co.uk

Karen Baker with a 1952 Chevy Pick-up

‘Hell would have to freeze over before I’d buy a new Harley.

They’re a bit soulless.’

“I strongly recommend you use a member of

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Mark Antony Windows gets official

Seal of approval At Mark Antony Windows, our aim is to provide the best service, supplying and installing PVC-U and aluminium products in the South East, and all at competitive prices.

Company Directors Mark Edwards and Antony Deakin have more than 30 years of experience in the industry.

We cater to all needs with every aspect covered from complete conservatories - including design, project oversight and planning regulation - to minor repairs, locks and condensed units.

Our windows are manufactured using the WHS Halo Profile, using a unique technology of a five chamber thermal system to give extra protection against the outside elements. They undergo extensive testing to ensure maximum insulation.

All of our frames are calcium organic and recycled and come with our 10 year guarantee.

Mark Antony Windows has also been recognised by the Double Glazing & Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme (DGCOS).

The DGCOS is supported by TV’s consumer champion Nick Ross, who said: “The double glazing industry doesn’t exactly have the best reputation in the world. We’ve all heard stories about aggressive sales tactics, poor standard of workmanship, problems never being rectified, and installers going out of business, leaving worthless guarantees.

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Mark Antony Windows has previously met the high standards required to become a Checkatrade supported business, and is also backed by FENSA. For more information call Mark or Antony on 01403 732800 or email markantonywindows@fsmail.net

Antony and Mark met presenter Melinda Messenger whilst helping out on an episode of TV’s Cowboy Builders

‘We cater to all needs with every aspect covered from conservatories to minor repairs’

Mark Antony Windows www.markantonywindows.co.uk

Windows

Doors

Conservatories

Email markantonywindows@fsmail.net

01403 732800

Soffits & Fascias

Repairs

66

The ‘things you probably didn’t know about Horsham that are really quite interesting’ page...

Horsham in Victoria, Australia, was badly hit by the Black Saturday Bushfires in 2009

Horsham is one of the best places to live in

USA and Australia There are towns called Horsham in both the USA and Australia, and like our own home town they have both been acclaimed as good places to live.

In 2007 - a year after a Channel 4 documentary named Horsham in the Top 10 places to live in the UK, Horsham in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, was named the 15th best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine.

In its report, Money wrote ‘Horsham Township is now a bustling community with great schools, a variety of parks and, most recently, plans to build a beautiful, 25,000 square foot library.”

The Horsham Township is named after our our own West Sussex town, as its lines were drawn by William Penn's engineers when they first plotted that part of Pennsylvania for sale and settlement.

William Penn lived in Warminghurst, near Ashington, moved to Sylvania in the United States and it was re-named Pennsylvania in his honour after he founded the city of Philadelphia in 1682.

Horsham, Pennsylvania is best known for

‘An 82-year-old woman in a wheelchair and her daughter were collected from her house when the fire was 100m away’ the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove. Probably its most notable resident has been Matt Carroll, a professional basketball player with the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers.

Australia has a Horsham too, in the state of Victoria. It covers a huge area of 4,239 square kilometres, yet has a population of only 18,000.

The city was the winner of Australia’s tidiest town in 2001, only six years after the town was formed by the merger of the City of Horsham, much of the Shire of Wimmera

and the Shire of Arapiles, as well as part of the Shire of Kowree.

We share a town partnership with Horsham, Victoria, as well as Lerici in Italy (the Horsham District is twinned with St Maixent L’Ecole in France and Lage in Germany).

Our Australian namesake is currently experiencing near record temperatures, with Horsham registering 42 degrees at the end of November. Back in 2009, wildfires raged out of control and destroyed homes in Horsham and across Victoria.

The Black Saturday Bushfires claimed 173 lives, although everybody in Horsham was able to evacuate before the fire hit the town. An 82-year-old woman in a wheelchair and her daughter were collected from her house by a taxi when the fire was no more than 100 m away; the house was alight as the taxi drove off.

The town has also been hit by floods in 2011and hit by locusts in a 2010 plague.

Despite being almost destroyed by the fires, Horsham Golf Club was able to recover and this year was named the 30th best public golf course in Australia.

AAH

ALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINE

Call Ben Morris on 01403 878026 advertising@aahorsham.co.uk www.aahorsham.co.uk

ABOUT US AAH Magazine is an independently-owned monthly magazine for the Horsham district. AAH has become renowned for its interesting features and beautiful photography by Toby Phillips.

AAH is an A4 publication, printed on high quality, 90gsm gloss paper with a 150gsm gloss cover. We promote the best of the district’s music and arts, review the finest restaurants, bring to life historic tales from Horsham’s past, and highlight the most interesting and unusual businesses.

AAH gained unprecedented access to St Hugh’s Charterhouse near Cowfold

DISTRIBUTION AAH Magazine is delivered directly to homes free of charge on a monthly basis. Our print run is currently 12,274 and our year-on-year circulation has increased by 22.5%.

A team of about 30 people deliver AAH each and every month to 11,149 homes in the district. These include 5,437 homes in Horsham, 2,003 in Southwater, 1,114 in Billingshurst, and 865 in Partridge Green and Cowfold.

AAH provides features for young readers too, including skatejams and rock bands

We also deliver to the surrounding villages including Ashington (600), Warnham (275), Slinfold (284), Mannings Heath (326) as well as the smaller villages of Monks Gate, Dial Post, West Grinstead and Tower Hill. Businesses in Horsham, Billingshurst and Southwater receive the magazine whilst our spring-loaded, stylish stands with lids are extremely popular in Horsham town.

ADVERTISING Eighth Page (93mm x 63mm)

One Edition £55 plus VAT

Six Editions £275 plus VAT (one free)

AAH has featured charities including The Ark, CoCo’s Foundation and Dame Vera Lynn Trust

AAHORSHAM.CO.UK

Quarter Page (93mm x 133mm)

£100 plus VAT

Half Page (190mm x 133mm)

£175 plus VAT

Full Page (210mm x 297mm)

£300 plus VAT

Double Page (210mm x 297mm)

£500 plus VAT

£500 plus VAT (one free)

£875 plus VAT (one free)

£1500 plus VAT (one free)

£2500 plus VAT (one free)