February 2019
CHICHESTER LOCAL Local news & events through the door to over 7,800 homes in this area every month
AMBER FOUNDATION Transforming young lives
WIN TICKETS!
Wine Tasting ‘Call My Bluff’ at Chichester Festival Theatre
HEALTH Back Pain
HISTORY
Chichester Cathedral’s Finest Poem
NEWS
Community Council, Charity
GARDENS Colour
PLUS
What’s On, Local Walks, Recipe, Prize Crossword, Charity, Local Groups, Young Readers Puzzles, Business Directory
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February 2019 Cover image Frosty leaves
Welcome...
It’s February, the month of Valentine’s Day... We are sharing some love with the chance to win a fun night out at Chichester Festival Theatre. The prize for two includes an arrival drink, three-course dinner with matching wines and coffee and a chance to beat trade experts at “Guess the Wine”. See page 12 for how to enter. Good luck! Our charity profile feature this month is on the Amber Foundation (page 26). Providing accommodation and training for homeless and unemployed young people, the charity gives the opportunity of a fresh start to disadvantaged individuals aged 18 to 30. Andrew Staib has some ideas to help brighten up your garden (page 36) plus the main gardening tasks for the month. Our Health article on page 40 looks at lower back pain, the causes and what you can do to help yourself if you suffer. In this month’s property feature (page 39) Chartered Surveyor Chris Ennis discusses the “Horror” words no one ever wants to see on a property survey - Settlement, Subsidence and Damp... Local historian Andrew Berriman talks of the poem by Philip Larkin called ‘An Arundel Tomb’ about the Tomb of Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel and his wife Eleanor in Chichester Cathedral (page 13). As usual we have event listings and our regular local news. Please get in touch with anything you’d like published.
Kris & Jeff Quote of the month “There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.” - GEORGE SAND Disclaimer - Whilst advertisements are printed in good faith, Sussex Local (Kay Publishing Ltd) is an independent company and does not endorse products or services that appear in this magazine. Sussex Local cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions or claims made by contributors. Views and opinions of contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher.
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.........................................................................What’s On ..................................Win tickets to Wine Tasting at CFT .............................................................Chichester History .......................................Nature RSPB Pagham Harbour ............................................Young Readers’ Puzzle Page .......................................................................Local Walks ........................................................Charity & Community .....................Charity Profile feature - Amber Foundation .................................................................Prize Crossword ...............................................................City Council News ................................................................................Recipe ....................................................................In Your Garden .................................................................Property Doctor ...........................................................Health & Wellbeing .............................................................Business Directory ...........................................................Index of Advertisers Kay Publishing Ltd PO Box 2237 Pulborough RH20 9AH info@sussexlocal.net www.sussexlocal.net
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Seven editions across West Sussex Arundel - Arundel, Amberley, Burpham, Climping, Fontwell, Ford, Slindon, Walberton & Yapton Total addresses - 6,400 Barnham - Barnham, Eastergate, Westergate, Aldingbourne, Oving, & Tangmere Total addresses - 5,400 Chichester - Chichester centre & suburbs Total addresses - 7,800 Findon - Findon Valley, Findon Village, Nepcote, High Salvington, Clapham & Patching plus Salvington/Selden (south of A27) Total addresses - 6,200 Midhurst & Petworth - Midhurst, Petworth, Easebourne Total addresses - 4,750 rising to 7,600 from April 2019 Pulborough - Pulborough, Bury, Coldwaltham, Fittleworth, Marehill, Nutbourne, Stopham, West Chiltington village and Common. Total addresses - 5,500 Storrington - Storrington, Ashington, Cootham Thakeham, Sullington & Washington. Total addresses - 6,400
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Win a meal for two with wine tasting fun! Friday 29th March, Chichester Festival Theatre’s ‘Call my Bluff’ This event is part of a mini season of lovely lunches, entertaining evenings and gin-tastic get-togethers created by CFT caterers, Caper & Berry. Tickets normally £39.95 each, and includes arrival drink, three course dinner with matching wines and coffee. Visit cft.org.uk/taste for more details.
Win a Wine Tasting Meal for Two Enter this competition to win a meal for two at Chichester Festival Theatre’s (CFT) ‘Call my Bluff’ Wine Tasting Dinner with Hennings Wine, plus a bottle of wine from the tasting to take home with you. Come and join Hennings and Caper & Berry for an evening of gastronomic fun at Chichester Festival Theatre. Enjoy a delicious three-course meal with carefully selected wines, and see if you can beat trade experts as you play “Guess the Wine”.
To enter the competition answer the question below: Q: Who is sponsoring the wine? a) Hennings Wine
b) Blossom Hill
c) Barefoot
Send your answer and contact details to: Call My Bluff Competition, PO Box 2237, Pulborough, RH20 9AH or enter online at www.sussexlocal.net/ features/competitions Winner drawn after 28th February 2019. Please indicate if you wish to remain on our mailing list.
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Local History
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Chichester Cathedral’s finest poem, February 1956 By local historian Andrew Berriman February: another month, another poet, another poem. This poem lacks the obvious connections with Chichester that we discovered in John Keats’ ‘Eve of St. Agnes’, which was inspired by our city’s spirit of mediaevalism. This month’s poem was written in February 1956, and was based on a short visit by this poet to Chichester Cathedral in the previous month. There are no references to Chichester in this poem. In fact, the only Sussex town mentioned is Arundel, in its actual title. Nor, unlike Keats, did the poet start writing it in Chichester. Instead it was written in the cold north, in Hull. But it’s a superb poem, written by, in my view, the finest English poet of the twentieth century. I taught History and Politics for nine years in Hull, when this poet was living there and working as the University Librarian. I attended his usual introductory talk about the workings of his Library in September 1972, when I was doing my PGCE there, after graduating from Cambridge. He didn’t enjoy delivering it; he hated public speaking, and seemed to be very nervous. By the time of his death from cancer in December 1985, I was in Chichester, but still felt very proud that I had once met him. We all need heroes, even ones with feet, in his case huge, of clay. He is one of my heroes. I read his poems constantly, almost too often. This particular poem is entitled ‘An Arundel Tomb’, by Philip Larkin. What he saw, on his left, as he walked up the cathedral nave, was a tomb. It inspired his poem, which begins by informing us that ‘Side by side, their faces blurred The earl and countess lie in stone’. Two details of the tomb struck him in particular; one was the fact that the couple held hands; the other was the dogs lying under their feet. He was mortified later to be told that one of them was actually a lion; he hated getting details wrong. I have no intention of subjecting ‘An Arundel Tomb’ to critical literary analysis, but the actual history of the tomb is fascinating. We know that the couple were Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel, who died in 1376, and his wife Eleanor, who died four years earlier. The Earl is wearing the armour typical of a knight who had fought in the Hundred Years War against France. Surprisingly, the countess has her legs crossed, which has the effect of making her turn her head slightly towards the Earl. Both figures are of similar height; the Earl had insisted on this, when he
The Tomb of Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel and his wife Eleanor in Chichester Cathedral
had both tombs made in 1375, a year before his death. We know that their original resting place was in the Chapter House of Lewes Priory, a wealthy Cluniac order. But how and when did they come to Chichester Cathedral, and what about those hands clasped together? Had they always been so? Probably not; the generally held belief is that the Dean and Chapter commissioned a Victorian sculptor, Edward Richardson, to unite the couple, by this sculptural device. Previously they had been on separate table tops in the north aisle. Richardson's task was tricky, as by 1843 both tombs were in a very poor state of disrepair. The Earl had no arms, the countess no right hand, so these had to be created out of 29 pieces of white limestone taken from the table tomb below. The earl’s right hand gauntlet is placed in his left hand, so that he can hold the countess’s right hand in his. Initially, Larkin felt a ‘sharp tender shock’ on seeing this, affected by ‘such faithfulness in effigy’. But by the time he wrote the poem he had become more sceptical, seeing the tomb as ‘The stone fidelity that they hardly meant’. He concluded that ‘Time has transfigured them into Untruth’, so despite the supposed optimism of the poem’s last line - ‘What will survive of us is love’ - Larkin insists that this is no more than ‘almost true’. What is ‘almost true’ surely has to be taken as false? Larkin cannot escape his strong belief in the impossibility of love. He couldn’t contemplate ever giving himself wholly to someone else, and nor did he ever do so in his life. So he couldn’t admit any possibility of the Earl and his countess doing so either. Rather sad, I suppose, but quite brilliant, nonetheless. As are all his poems.
CHICHESTER LOCAL
14 Nature
Showing the Love and Nestboxes
By Roy Newnham, Visitor Experience Officer, RSPB Pagham Harbour (c) Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
nest in loose colonies, so choose two or three boxes placed about a metre apart or you can now buy special ‘terrace’ nestboxes. The entrance holes should be 32mm for sparrows and 45mm for starlings. Open-fronted boxes are preferred by robins and wrens. They need to be placed low down, below two metres, hidden out of sight and sheltered by vegetation. To attract robins use a box with a front panel 100mm high and for wrens a 140mm. House martin nest cups should be placed directly under the eaves. Swallows are cave nesters, so the best site for a swallow nest cup is high up in the rafters, inside an outbuilding.
It’s February and the curlews beautiful evocative call drifts across the harbour. It is an eerie, lonely call, but at this time of year may well attract the attentions of another curlew. Although they can be heard throughout the year, it is now that they start to call more frequently in preparation for the breeding season. Instantly recognisable by their long down-curved bill, these large long-legged waders will breed in uplands and moors. Equally haunting is the night-time call of the tawny owl. The well-known ‘twit-twoo’ is actually two birds calling to one another. The male starts to proclaim his territory and court females in with a more accurate ’hooohoo-hooo’, while the female provides the ‘kee-wick’ part of the duet. Like the curlew, their calls can be heard more regularly at this time of year. Many birds of our resident birds will start to look for partners and pair up now, giving them a head start over migrating species. Blue tits have already been checking out the nestboxes outside our Visitor Centre and the 14 – 21 February is National Nestbox Week. This is a time to put up new nestboxes in your local area and help our small nesting birds. Natural nest sites for birds are disappearing quicker than ever and a lack of nesting sites for some of our best-loved garden visitors, such as house sparrow, greenfinch and starling, is thought to be one of the reasons for their alarming decline in recent years. Choosing the right nestbox and where to site it depends on which species you would like to attract. Tit boxes should be fixed 2-4m up a tree or wall with a clear flight path to the nest. Face the box between north and east to avoid the hot midday sun and the wettest winds. For blue, coal and marsh tits, the entrance hole needs to be 25mm and for great tits, 28mm. Nestboxes placed high up under the eaves will appeal to house sparrows and starlings but they will also use boxes sited lower, at about 2-4m. Sparrows will often
If you already have boxes up, remember to give them a clean. Simply take them down, remove any debris inside and rinse with boiling water to kill any remaining parasites. Leave the lids off until the boxes have dried out thoroughly. Never use insecticides or flea powders. As our native avian minds turn to romance, so do ours with Valentine’s Day. However, it is not just love for a partner that we may think about… Many people will be posting images on social media as part of the #showthelove campaign. This is a national campaign led by the Climate Coalition with over 130 members, including the RSPB, dedicated to climate action. However, anyone can get involved. You could simply wear a green heart that is the campaigns logo. If you want to be more active, you can post photos online of your favourite natural places or species that have been or may be threatened by climate change. Alternatively, you could let us know about changes in nature you have noticed, such as snowdrops flowering earlier or butterflies emerging from hibernation earlier. We have records from our Pagham Harbour reserve showing quite clearly a pattern of earlier natural sightings and our Medmerry reserve itself is a direct result of the need to take action in light of increasing winter storms and the consistent threat of flooding. There are many arguments and theories around global warming and its causes but there is no denying our climate is changing. #showthelove runs from 7 – 14 February.
(c) Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
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16 Puzzles
CHICHESTER LOCAL Answers on www.sussexlocal.net from 1st February
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18 Walks
Local Walks - February These walks are supported by Chichester District Council, are led by volunteers and are designed to cater for all ages and abilities. No booking is required but please arrive 10 mins before the walk is due to start. Dogs are welcome unless otherwise stated but must be kept on the lead. Timings are for guidelines only. If the weather is poor the walk may be cancelled, if unsure check, contact 01243 534589 health@chichester.gov.uk www.chichesterwellbeing.org.uk L = Walk Leader Fri 1st
10:30 am Wey Arun Canal (Loxwood) L: Richard Meet in Canal visitor centre car park in Loxwood
1 hr 30 mins
3.5 miles
Mon 4th
10:30 am Emsworth to Prinsted Meet in Emsworth town square, PO10 7AW
L: Anne
1 hr 30 mins
3 miles
Mon 4th
10:30 am Chichester Canal Meet in Chichester Canal, PO19 8DT
L: Helen
30 mins
1 mile
Wed 6th
10:45 am Climping L: Dominic Along dunes and beach to Climping Mill. Meet at Arun Yacht Club Car Park, Rope Walk, Littlehampton BN17 5DL
1 hr 30 mins
2.5 miles
Wed 6th
10:30 am Earnley L: Andrew Slow, flat, easy, stroll around Medmerry Nature Reserve perimeter. Meet in Earnley car park
2 hrs
2 miles
Fri 8th
10:30 am Kirdford L: Richard Through farmland and fields, returning past a fish farm and woodland. Meet in front of the Half Moon pub in Kirdford
1 hr 30 mins
3.5 miles
Tue 12th
10:30 am Petworth Park L: Gerald Fallow deer, views and ancient trees make for a compelling walk. Meet in Petworth Park, London Road, North Car Park
2 hrs
4 miles
Thurs 14th
10:30 am Burpham & Wepham L: Jane Meet in the public car park behind the George at Burpham, BN18 9RR
2 hrs
5 miles
Fri 15th
10:30 am Stoughton L: Andrew Slow, gradual, peaceful ascent through beech woods. Meet in Forestry Commission car park
2 hrs
2 miles
Sun 17th
10:30 am Burpham L: Dominic Meet in the public car park behind the George at Burpham, BN18 9RR
2 hrs
4 miles
Mon 18th
10:30am Langstone & Hayling Billy L: Anne Meet in park at the Ship Inn Langstone Road, PO9 1RD
1 hr 30 mins
3 miles
Thurs 21st
10.30am Middleton Beach L: Peter Meet in free car park just off Elmer Road in Middleton village by the Jubilee Hall and playing fields
1 hr 30 mins
3 miles
Sat 23rd
10:30 am Slindon Woods L: Dominic Meet in National Trust car park, Dukes Road, Slindon
2 hrs
3.5 miles
Mon 25th
10:30am Emsworth to Westbourne L: Anne Through meadows to Emsworth and back. Meet in Emsworth Town Square
1 hr 30 mins
3 miles
Thurs 28th
10:30am Parham Park & Wigginholt L: Jane Meet in RSPB car park (free) at Pulborough Brooks
2 hrs 30 mins
5 miles
Thurs 28th
10:30am Chapel Common L: Andy Walk on heathland tracks, including part of the Serpents Trail. Meet Chapel Common Parking area
1 hr 30 mins
2 miles
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Sussex Snippets The Youth Emotional Support (YES) team has received national recognition for the work it does to support young people in West Sussex with a range of mental health and wellbeing needs. YES were finalists in this year’s Children and Young People Now awards. The service was runner-up in the Mental Health and Wellbeing category. YES is a free service for 11-18 year olds, supporting young people with a range of things, including anxiousness, mood, relationship issues, self-injury and unhelpful thoughts. YES received approximately 2,500 referrals last year and provides one-to-one and group support, with a community-based, young person-centred approach. Visit www.westsussex.gov.uk Victim Support (VS) is an independent charity dedicated to supporting victims of crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. Their purpose is to provide specialist help to support people to cope and recover to the point where they feel they are back on track with their lives. Their volunteers provide emotional and practical support to people affected by crime. They always need new volunteers to join their Sussex teams so please get in touch – email SussexVolunteering@victimsupport.org.uk or visit www.victimsupport.org.uk
CHICHESTER LOCAL Are you or is someone you know interested in training to be a teacher? There are 284 schools in West Sussex looking for teachers. Whether you want to teach, become a school bursar, a governor, a governing body clerk or apprentice, there is something for everyone. There are two recruitment fairs that will give you the chance to find out what our schools can do for you. One on Saturday 2 February, 10.00am-2.00pm at Fontwell Park Racecourse, BN18 0SY. Another on Saturday 9 February, 10.00am-2.00pm at Ifield Community College, Crawley, RH11 0DB. For more details visit www.westsussex.gov.uk Would you like one of the Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex volunteer speakers to visit you? If you are a member of a local group, club or society, then you can book a talk with them - free of charge. The volunteer will talk about how they work, innovate and save lives. It promises to be an interesting and inspiring meeting for your members, whilst enabling them to raise vital awareness of the charity. Get in touch now to book a talk at a time and place that suits you. Please note the presentation is only suitable for audience members over the age of 16. Get in touch via 01634 471 900 and talks@aakss.org.uk It can be difficult to get all the information and advice needed to support you in your day to day activities. That’s why West Sussex Council have created West Sussex Connect to Support – a website that brings together a wealth of information and resources that you can access with just a few clicks. You can get information and advice, find things to do locally, buy products and services, and find out about social care support. Visit www.westsussexconnecttosupport.org Neighbours everywhere are invited to join The Big Lunch on the weekend of the 1st and 2nd of June, when millions of people living locally come together to share food, have fun and get to know each other better. It’s a glorious moment of fun in the year that anyone, everywhere can share. Research in 2018 found that 4.5million people who went to a Big Lunch made new friends. Over 5 million people believe The Big Lunch creates stronger communities. The Big Lunch is an idea from the Eden Project made possible by the National Lottery. www.thebiglunch.com Choosing care for yourself, or supporting a family member to do so, is an important decision to take. The good news is that there is advice and support available to help you with this important financial decision. Carewise offers advice and guidance, so that you choose the most cost-effective way of paying for your care. It has an approved panel of care fees specialists who are all qualified independent financial advisers. Your first consultation with a care fees specialist is free. Arrange your free consultation with a new ‘request a call back’ service. Visit www.carewiseadvice.com where you will find a list of all the care fees specialists, choose the adviser you would like to talk to, and request a call back from them. You will be contacted within one working day.
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Legal Lucy The importance of inheritance to the younger generation Data published by the Office for National Statistics shows that the wealth gap between generations in the UK continues to widen. The findings also show that inheritances are becoming increasingly important to younger people. Rising levels of household affluence mean that the older generation has higher levels of wealth that can be left to younger family and friends. This wealth is passed on through inheritances, gifts and loans. According to the findings, on average: •Individuals with the most income and wealth were likely to receive the most substantial gifts and loans •Those aged under 45 were the age group most likely to accept cash gifts or loans from friends and family of the value of £500 or more, and also received the highest amounts • Those aged 55 to 64 were the most likely to receive an inheritance and also received the largest legacies •The least wealthy and youngest individuals receive smaller estates, but they make up a much more significant proportion of their total net wealth
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•Those in the middle of the wealth distribution were the most likely to receive cash gifts or loans from friends and family of the value of £500 or more. When it comes to receiving an inheritance, the average age a person is likely to inherit is between 55 and 64. Inheritances are more likely to be received by those who already have relatively high levels of wealth. Knowing how people save and spend money - and understanding the impact of transfers of wealth between generations - is a crucial step in helping people reach their financial objectives. Lucy Thomas, Head of Legal Services. For help and advice, give legalmatters a call on 01243 282826 or email us at info@legalmatters.co.uk
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CHICHESTER LOCAL
Help the hedgehogs!
Pets of the Month
Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital in Sidlesham have over 200 hedgehogs in their care, and they are running out of tinned pet food and newspapers fast. They use newspaper to line their cages and to make bedding to keep all of their spikey friends warm. They are using 810 bin liners-full every day!
This month’s pets of the month are Chasiu and Congee. They are brothers and only a year and a half old. They have been living at The Centre for a year after their previous owner became too unwell to look after them. They are both very sweet and inquisitive bunnies although they would benefit from more handling. They are very close brothers spending most of their days sprawled out lying next to each other.
Can you help by shredding some newspapers for them? They can only use newspaper (office paper gives the hedgehogs paper cuts) and it has to be shredded into strips, not cross-cut. You can hand shred the newspaper or you can put it through a machine shredder. Again, strip cut only, not cross-cut, so if you can donate any unwanted newspapers we would be grateful. Additionally if anyone can spare a few hours to donate their time to help feed or clean the many patients in our care then please get in contact either via their website www.brentlodge.org or call 01243 641672.
They are large rabbits so their new home would need to have accommodation large enough to give them plenty of space. Full details of the type of accommodation needed are available on request from The Cat & Rabbit Centre. If you think you may be able to give Chasiu and Congee the new home they deserve please give The Centre a call Monday to Friday from 9am-4pm. They also have a pair of sisters from the same family as Chasiu and Congee who are also waiting to be adopted if you are interested in the two females. Contact The Cat & Rabbit Rescue Centre, Holborow Lodge, Chalder Lane, Sidlesham, PO20 7RJ. Call 01243 641409, email info@crrc.co.uk or visit www.crrc.co.uk or www.facebook.com/ catandrabbitrescuecentre
Self Care Retreat in Bosham One of the UK’s longest running laughter clubs is lending its expertise at a workshop in West Sussex designed to help women focus more on themselves this year. The historic Hamblin Centre in Bosham is to open its doors on Sunday 3rd February with a fantastic line-up of speakers including life coach and author, Lisa Sturge, founder of the Chichester Laughter Club. A spokesperson for The Hamblin Centre said: “We’re inviting women to step off the treadmill and spend a day focusing on themselves and what they really want in 2019.” The cost of the event, which takes place from 9:30am until 4:30pm, is £69 and includes all workshop sessions, refreshments, lunch and a goody bag. The Hamblin Centre is set in the grounds of the former home of Henry Thomas Hamblin, the Christian mystic and prolific author and publisher, known as ‘The Saint of Sussex’. Visit www.hamblincentre.org.uk for more information.
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24 Charity & Community
Volunteer Handyman Needed Are you a handy person? Can you spare a couple of hours a week? RSPB Pagham Harbour & Medmerry is looking for a Volunteer Handyperson to help around its Visitor Centre at Sidlesham. The role would include general repairs and maintenance checks.
needed monies for local causes. Lion President Joan Tidy thanked residents for their generosity and all the volunteers who put up with bad jokes from Santa and on occasions some very wet weather. “Lions serve the local community and are always grateful for their contributions whether monetary or verbal appreciation of what we do.”
Please contact the reserve pagham.harbour@rspb.org.uk
New trees in Jubilee Gardens
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emailing
Chichester Lions Club Chichester Lions Club raised over £5,275 with their Santa Carol Float in December. This would not have been possible without the generosity of the residents of Chichester and the support from the staff of the Santander Bank in North Street. They responded to a request to help Santa as collectors and turned out in all weathers to aid the man in red spread joy to many and raise funds for local causes. Many people were disappointed not to see Santa this year but his busy schedule restricted him to fewer routes, which without the volunteers may not have taken place at all. The volunteers helped the Lions Club maintain an unbroken 48 years of bringing Santa to Chichester. The staff of Santander Bank enjoyed their time with Santa so much that they think next year they will be able again to help Santa and the Lions raise much
Residents and visitors will be able to enjoy the benefits of new trees in a Chichester public garden thanks to funding from a local society. The Chichester Natural History Society approached Chichester District Council with a legacy fund to support Jubilee Gardens, which was used to purchase five new trees. The new trees include: two Flowering Cherry trees, a Golden Maple, a Cedar of Lebanon and a Forest Pansy (Judas tree), which all have a historic connection to the park. The new cedar tree has been planted among cedar trees that date back to 1897, when they were planted to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. “We are very grateful for the donation from the Chichester Natural History Society to help us improve our parks and green spaces,” says Councillor Roger Barrow, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services at Chichester District Council. “This has enabled us to replace some of the trees that have sadly been lost over the years, due to old age and decay.”
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26 Charity Profile
CHICHESTER LOCAL
Amber Foundation Providing space & support to transform young lives. By Lynn Smith The Amber Foundation provides accommodation, training and new life experiences for homeless and unemployed young people, offering support and enabling them to move forward to positive and independent futures. Bartholomew (Barty) Smith OBE founded Amber twenty three years ago, as a result of his involvement with the ‘Youth Opportunities Programme’ – a training programme that ran in the 1970s and 80s. He realised that a number of the young people with whom he worked had troubled backgrounds, low aspirations and low self-esteem, and were struggling to survive. Barty Smith’s desire to help these youngsters by giving them the chance to transform their lives gave rise to the Amber Foundation. He is now Chair of the Foundation’s Trustees. Amber’s CEO Paul Rosam reiterates the Founder’s aims when he says, “We’re here to offer a fresh start to people who have encountered difficulties in their lives at an early age.” Paul came to Amber Foundation sixteen years ago, from the St Loyes Foundation
– a disability charity set up to support WW1 veterans. Before St Loyes, Paul worked with HFT, a national charity providing services for people with learning disabilities. Before that – having graduated with a Politics & Social Sciences degree – Paul’s first job was with Together UK, a London based mental health charity. The latter he describes as a “tough job … it was at the time when large mental hospitals were closing, under the Community Care Act, and lots of institutionalised people were struggling to adapt outside of these hospitals.” “At Amber,” Paul explains, “we’re working with a broad range of people.” The Foundation often takes people who have already been through other services and programmes. “So some of the most complex and disadvantaged young people around.” Amber has three residential centres – in Devon, Wiltshire and Farm Place, Surrey. Just 200 metres from the border with Sussex, Farm Place has strong links with the county – around thirty percent (around twenty young people) of its referrals per year come from Sussex, and Mid Sussex MP, the Right Hon Sir Nicholas Soames is a long-standing trustee. The centres support approximately 200 individuals each year – young people aged between 18-30 – and the average length of stay is six months. This last fact contributes to Amber’s success rate, the Foundation can offer individuals sufficient time to make changes, something that a lot of Government run programmes are unable to offer. Young People may come to Amber foundation through a broad range of routes via social services, probation service, homeless shelters, their families may refer them or they may self-refer. So what can a young person expect to find when they arrive at Amber? “The programme recreates a working week,” Paul says, “the sort of day you or I might have. The day starts at 7.30am and there are chores and responsibilities.” Individuals work in small teams, each with a team leader, and focus on four key areas – independent living, employment, health and wellbeing, and fun and participation. Through a weekly timetable Amber Foundation staff deliver training and activities that
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28 Charity Profile
CHICHESTER LOCAL
include: life skills, team work, core educational skills, community engagement and movingon support. However, “progress is not binary”, Paul says and an individual may need more than one chance, returning to Amber after a period away. But he goes on to say that the biggest reward is “Seeing someone transform themselves, having provided an environment where change is more likely.” That Amber Foundation is successful is in no doubt, in 2017/18 the Foundation produced its first “Impact Report,” which Paul describes as “very, very useful.” This is possibly an understatement, as he is clearly delighted and excited by the evidence in the report reflecting “the very positive year Amber has had in making a difference to the lives of those we work with.” The report is a very interesting read with case studies and revealing figures. For instance that the greater percentage of the people helped by Amber are male (76 percent), and that the biggest age group (46 percent) is 17-21 years. Most residents joined Amber after a period of sofa surfing (26 per cent) or following a breakdown in family life (24 percent). But it is the Measuring Impact section that drives home the considerable benefits resulting from Amber’s activities. Here are given details of a Ministry of Justice Data Lab evaluation –the Data Lab being a department within the Ministry of Justice that evaluates the impact that organisations such as Amber have on reducing reoffending. Published in July 2018 the report significantly endorses the positive effect on reoffending rates for young people on the Amber programme. In response to this research Amber independently commissioned a Social Return on Investment (SROI) study, to measure the Exchequer savings and social benefits of those completing Amber’s programme – the conclusion being that for every £1 invested, Amber generates £12.24 in social value over three years. So, how does Amber fund its essential programme? Paul says that Amber enjoys a good relationship with statutory services – Surrey County Council funds four bed spaces at Farm Place – and good local support, but that they need to raise £1.2million of their income from fundraising.
As do most charitable bodies, Amber has a number of “challenge-type” activities, such as marathons, Prudential Surrey bike ride, and they have “very good corporate take up” - not only in the form of cash donations but in offering opportunities for young people to experience workplace taster days, CV writing days and mock interviews.
through the door Amber also has a "One Day” Campaign, where people can support Amber by funding running costs for one specific day. Launched in 2018, this is a major gift campaign (£5,000+) and people may choose a significant date to sponsor. Paul says that the campaign has, “had really good success with twenty plus days taken up and £100,000 raised so far.” Amber also enjoys support from a group of “highly valuable” volunteers – including volunteer yoga, rugby and cookery teachers - the key attributes for a volunteer Paul says are an open mind and a wish to see young people develop. Which all sounds like good news, but Paul says, “More young people are coming through with severe mental health difficulties.” As statutory services, such as the NHS, are reduced, it’s harder to access them and so more and more people arrive at the doors of agencies such as Amber. Paul feels that Amber is successful but that more money is needed from grant -making funds and Foundations. Paul acknowledges that there are many, many causes people can support and that supporting homeless and unemployed young people may not be everyone’s first choice. “But,” he says, “everyone makes mistakes, not everyone has the same start in life and this isn’t a place that people aim to be at, but the point is that they are here, and they are the next generation.”
Charity Profile
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Surely society as a whole benefits when the next generation is settled, responsible active citizens, with a home and a job. To contact the Amber Foundation you can email info@amberweb.org or call 01769 581011. The helpline number is 0800 652 1081. You can also visit www.amberweb.org To find out more about the One Day Campaign, please contact Stephen Ballantyne, Head of Fundraising by calling 01761 221 557 or by emailing stephen.ballantyne@amberweb.org or
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Cash Flow Planning
By Mark Lloyd, Financial Planning Consultant, Lucas Fettes Financial Planning, Chichester With the introduction of pension freedoms, people who are approaching retirement age have reduced, or are considering reducing their working days to instead supplement their income by drawing funds from their assets. However, many are unsure if their assets are sufficient to maintain an income throughout their retirement. Cash flow planning and forecasting is key to understanding what you can achieve with your assets. It can help you to make the right decisions about timing your retirement, like calculating your likely income depending on whether you choose to retire earlier or later in life.
Cash flow planning provides: Peace of mind that you won’t run out of money or
alternatively, a realistic view of what you can afford
A way to identify where and when shortfalls may
occur to your income in the future
If you have surplus assets, an understanding of
how much you might be able to afford to give away without running out of money
An assessment of whether your future income
targets are realistic or not
A cash flow forecast should be regularly revisited to ensure that it reflects your changing situation. It can help you make a range of lifestyle planning decisions, for instance whether it would be financially beneficial to downsize at retirement, or help you assess when and how much you can afford to pass on to your family. It can also have a valuable role to play in tax planning, reducing the tax you pay in funds drawn and enabling you to make plans to reduce inheritance tax that might otherwise be payable by your estate when you die. Mapping out your future cash flow also means you’re able to plan for later life expenditure, like the cost of residential or nursing care. We can help access your cash flow needs and make the right decisions for your wealth.
Need advice? Lucas Fettes Financial Planning are a national firm of Independent Financial Advisers, providing bespoke and tailored advice to individuals and companies in Chichester for over 20 years. Feel free to contact Angela Carpenter or Mark Lloyd at our Chichester Office. Call us on 01243 530450 or visit www.lffinancialplanning.co.uk IMPORTANT INFORMATION The way in which tax charges (or tax relief, as appropriate) are applied depends upon individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future. ISA and pension eligibility depend upon individual circumstances. Financial Conduct Authority regulation applies to certain regulated activities, products and services, but does not necessarily apply to all tax planning activities and services. The value of assets invested in can go down as well as up putting your capital at risk. This information is solely for information purposes and is not intended to constitute advice or a recommendation. Lucas Fettes Financial Planning are independent financial advisers authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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CHICHESTER LOCAL
32 Crossword
Prize Crossword
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Chichester February 2019 December 2018 answer below:
Winner: Elizabeth Hancock from Chichester. Congratulations and thank you to all who entered. Finish the crossword and fill out the box below with the letters from the shaded squares. Work out the anagram
Across 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 16 19 20 21 22
2nd smallest continent (6) Microphone inventor (6) Probability (4) Fragile (8) Join (5) Couple (7) Long established (3-4) Mature (5) Yes (3,5) Profane expression (4) Reduce (6) Vestige (6)
Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 13 15 17 18
Painful abdominal complaint (8,5) Maiden Castle county (6) Is inclined (5) Colours developing in Autumn (7) Performing animal show (6) Reflection (13) Conceive (7) Shove (6) Gadget (6) Hiding place (5)
Name: ............................................................................................................... Full address: .................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................... Postcode:.......................................................................................................... Email:................................................................................................................ Phone: .............................................................................................................. Mobile: ............................................................................................................. Answer from yellow box: .................................................................................
Send the word above to: Sussex Local Crossword, PO Box 2237 Pulborough, RH20 9AH or you can enter it online at our website www.sussexlocal.net/crosswords Closing date: 28th Feb 2019.
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Chichester City Council Edited extracts of minutes of the Council held on 5th December 2018. Public Questions - Sunday traffic restrictions The following question had been received from a member of the public. “Would it be possible to organise, one Sunday a month when motor vehicle use is minimised/ restricted within the city walls? Perhaps between the hours of 6am and 6pm. Essentially a traffic free day within the walls of the city. This could deliver the following advantages: • Local individuals and families will be persuaded to travel to town without using cars and realise it is a relaxing fun way to spend the day without risk of collision or having to breath toxic exhaust fumes. • Tourists may see car free days as a specific reason to visit and explore our city, bringing trade to local shops pubs and restaurants. We might become a Sussex Mecca for many Lycra wearing pilgrims. • Publicity highlighting Chichester as an Environmental Green City will boost our city’s image. • It will help establish a culture of people visiting our city centre without relying on a car. People who enjoy car free days are likely to adopt the habit of using alternative forms of transport throughout the year relieving congestion in our city.
Council News 33 The Mayor thanked the questioner and advised that the City Council did not have any legal powers to make this request happen, however, the City Council would approach West Sussex County Council, as the highway authority, on his behalf. Cycle racks It was decided to allocate £32,500 be allocated for this project from the Community Infrastructure Levy) for 182 cycle racks in the City be replaced with the new stainless steel ‘Sheffield’ style rack; up to 20 cycle racks in the City be replaced with the new stainless steel circular style. The Property Manager would liaise with West Sussex County Council on the current locations of the cycle racks as some of them would benefit from being relocated in the nearby area, eg, Eastgate Square.The Property Manager and Councillor Sharp liaise on other possible sites for cycle racks. Two councillors reiterated their concerns of the amount of money being spent on this project. Litten Gardens Lighting Decided that £28,578.91 be allocated from the CIL Receipts received for the lighting project at Litten Gardens. www.chichestercity.gov.uk
34 Recipe
Celebration Steak With red wine sauce Ingredients - serves 4
350-450g piece beef fillet (in one piece)
25g butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
2-3 sprigs thyme
1tsp Dijon mustard
150ml red wine
150ml good beef stock
Salt and black pepper
Method 1) Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas Mark 6. Wipe the piece of beef dry. Heat half the butter in a small frying pan and sauté the meat on all sides until sealed.
CHICHESTER LOCAL 2) Wrap in foil tightly and place in a small roasting tin in the oven. 3) To the frying pan add the rest of the butter and the chopped shallots. Sauté until softened but not browned. Add the thyme, mustard, stock and red wine and simmer gently until reduced to taste. Adjust the seasoning. 4) Remove the steak from the oven and carve into four thick slices, adding any juices to the sauce. Serve immediately with fresh vegetables or a green salad and the sauce (sieved if you wish). Cookery Courses for all Why not give a Voucher for the perfect gift? Contact Alex 01243 532240 www.cookwithalex.co.uk
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CHICHESTER LOCAL
36 Gardening
In Your Garden Monthly gardening ideas and tasks by Andrew Staib, Principal Designer of Glorious Gardens February can be a joyless month in the garden. Andrew takes a look at some interesting plants to “light up” your garden in the winter February is a tricky month. Sometimes clear days have us running out to turn over the soil and dig in some compost, other days have us sheltering indoors looking out of a rainy window. If you are one of those gardeners who don’t start visiting their local nursery until Spring and then buying the flowering plants you see, you will miss out on the January and February performers. We can embolden our gardens with very interesting planting at this time of year. A visit to your local gardening centre will show the planting shelves quite bare but the plants they will have will add an extra dimension to your garden.
Plants for February Shape Obviously evergreens have a prominent place in February. Hedges of Yew, Box and Lonicera can subdivide your space allowing for the creation of interesting rooms. Architectural beauties like Phormiums, Yukka gloriosa, Chinese Cabbage Palm and Corokia can come into their own especially laced with frost smitten spider webs. The twisted Hazel, Corylus avellana ‘Contorta Red Magic’ can give endless interest as well as too the conifers like Minus Mungo and the monkey puzzle tree, Araucaria. Leaves, Stems & Berries When the wide and quite boring leaves of Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’ give way in Autumn the amazing stems of the Cornus enliven a garden. ‘Midwinter Fire’ starts orange at the base and then finishes with a blazing red at the end of the stems. When this is planted en masse it becomes a memory of fire in the centre of February’s cold. Skimmia japonica has bright red berries at this time of year as well as a fresh green and compact leaves. Photinia Red Robin, which can now be purchased in dwarf and variegated forms, begins to set its new shoots in late February and if you want to light up a dark corner try Choisya ‘Sundance’. Ilex crenata ‘Convexted Gold’ brings more of that fresh yellow into the garden.
Scent A well placed Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ near the front door will give you a pretty scent for weeks and look good in the Summer with its evergreen foliage. In a shadier spot Sarcococca humilis and
Gardening
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Trees Trees in Winter are beautiful anyway but if your garden is large you need to have a Tibetian Cherry for it’s lovely, shiny red bark. Garrya eliptica can produce millions of catkins which hang down like earrings, while Viburnum minus and especially Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ is full of bright pink blooms. Cornlian Cherry Dogwood, Cornus mas, has small yellow flowers that cling close to the branches. For ultimate colour over February the Witchazels come into their own. Try Hammamelis mollis Plaida and Hammamelis Jelena. Flowers cortorta have a delicate and fragrant white flower moving on to dark purple berries. Perhaps the queen of Winter scent is the Winter honeysuckle, Lonicera purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’. It can get to 150cm tall and has an unexpectedly intense scent. Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’ has a tall upright structure and is best at the back of a border where its stiff plumes can rocket up through other shrub’s branches. Don’t forget Winter Heather, they are actually ok in a range of soils and planted generously in one area can create a shimmering compact look.
Of course low to the ground we have the bulbs at this time of the year. Snowdrops, Crocus, Anemones and the beginnings of Daffodils that seem to bloom earlier each year. There is also the old fashioned and valiant Winter Pansies and Winter Violets to grace your pots. Then there are the hardy February performers like Helleborus niger. In shady corners, especially if your soil is on the acid side, you can opt for one of the many Japanese Camellias eg Elegant. The tall Cherry, Prunus subhirtella Autumnalis can flower all the way from November till the Spring and had lovely purple foliage in the Summer.
CHICHESTER LOCAL
38 Gardening Climbers Clematis never ceases to surprise me in the Winter as there are some varieties which flower quite profusely, like Clematis Winter Beauty and Clematis Jingle Bells. the Chinese Jasmine, Jasmine nudiflorum has bright yellow flowers and can pick up any North wall. In Chinese its name means “the flower that welcomes Spring”. So try a nursery visit soon and enrich your garden with some unusual and valiant plants!
Where to visit this February February is a great time to explore woodland. The bare bones of the earth are at rest and the quality of the forest is still and waiting for Spring with some small delights emerging. Also the evergreens like Ivy, Yew and Holly come into their own. Try visiting Angmering Park Estate Trust, Burton and Chingford Pond, Petworth House Woods, Slindon and The Warrens.
February tasks A last tidy up - cut old perennials and ornamental grasses to ground level (as long as they are not the evergreen ornamental grasses!) Pruning - Now is the time to finish your Roses and Wysterias. This month start to prune to the ground your deciduous ornamental grasses, Hardy shrubs like Cornus, Salix and Cotinus can be cut right back as well as Buddlea. Anything that has flowered during the winter can be pruned back into shape now like Winter Jasmine and Mahonia. Bulbs - After your Snowdrops have flowered you can lift them out of the ground and separate them and then replant them in different areas of the garden.
Burton and Chingford Pond
Sowing - If you have a greenhouse you can start sowing leeks and onions.
Property
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The ‘S’ words
By Chris Ennis FRICS
The horror words in any written s ur v e y ar e ‘ se t t l e me n t’ an d ‘subsidence’, then closely followed by ‘dampness’. These are defects which my colleagues and I see on a daily basis. Dampness is very common and can take many forms. Defective rainwater goods, defective / absent damp proof courses, condensation and plumbing issues can affect all ages of property. Repair is most likely to be a relatively simple building function using the many new repair methods and materials currently on the market. Settlement and Subsidence are potentially more serious issues, but it is important to differentiate between the two. Settlement issues are caused by where the ground in which the foundations are formed compresses over time by virtue of the weight of the building. It frequently affects older buildings, very often where there have been major alterations to the structures such as extensions or loft conversions.
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In particular we often see settlement where a new extension wall abuts the wall of the original building. Vertical fracturing at the joint may exist where the ground adjusts to the new loads imposed on it. We refer to this as ‘differential’ settlement. Subsidence is the result of changes in the very nature of the ground which robs the foundations of their support causing cracking, in the walls. This type of movement is commonly caused by deficiencies in the underground storm or foul water drains, and by volumetric changes in soils…. notably clay soils in the proximity of deciduous trees. I remember the hot summers of 1976 and the 1990’s when there were numerous insurance claims following evidence of cracking in walls. If any householder notices cracking following the last hot summer, call in a surveyor initially, and if foundation movement is confirmed, an insurance claim may be initiated under the direction of a loss adjuster and structural engineer. All but the most severe foundation inadequacies can be remedied. Repair works may include the removal of nearby trees, repair of drains, the insertion of metal reinforcement and in some instances foundation underpinning or reconstruction. Chris Ennis FRICS is a Chartered Surveyor. Call him on 01903 261 217 or you can send an email to surveyor1@talktalk.net or see www.propdoctor.co.uk
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40 Health and Wellbeing
Is Your Back Pain Really In Your Back? By Heather Smith, Personal Trainer Lower back pain is one of the most common physical complaints. Sometimes it just starts aching, other times it seems you injure yourself and are left dealing with the aftermath for much longer than you would like. In an overwhelming majority of cases, low back pain is caused by some variation of poor posture and the solution lies in locating and correcting the problem area; which, surprisingly, is not usually your actual back. Of course, there are exceptions to this, and pain should really be assessed by someone who knows what they’re talking about. Then you can be confident you’re taking the right course of action. Although back pain often feels like stiffness, your lower back is supposed to be a pretty stable area. Excess movement is often a trigger for pain. Your lower back can start to move too much to compensate for a
lack of movement elsewhere in your body; most often in the thoracic spine (your upper back) or the hips. Stand side-on next to a mirror and try lifting your arms in front of your body. Watch your lower back and see how high you can lift your arms before your lower back has to start moving. This is your lower back compensating for a lack of mobility in your upper back. Staying side-on to the mirror, try standing on one leg and extending your other leg out behind yourself with your knee straight. Again, watch your lower back and see how far you can take your leg behind your body before your lower back starts to move. This is your lower back compensating for lack of mobility in your hips, and it may be different on both sides. Mobility exercises which will help release tightness in the thoracic spine and hips are pretty easy to find online, otherwise please get in touch with me and I will happily talk through some with you. It’s worth building some mobility exercises into your daily routine for a few weeks, you may be surprised at the improvements you can make with just a few minutes a day. Heather Smith is a fat loss specialist Personal Trainer. www.fitbiztraining.co.uk
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