Charity & community news

18 Charity & Community

Sussex Snippets West Sussex families, friend and neighbours who are acting as unpaid carers will shortly be able to benefit from a range of discounts at local businesses and services with the new Carer Discount Card (CDC) from local Charity Carers Support West Sussex. For full details visit: www.carerssupport.org.uk Local charity, West Sussex Mediation Service, are celebrating their 20th anniversary. The charity helps people suffering conflicts in their lives find lasting solutions to their problems and specialises in resolving neighbour disputes and conflicts within families. Most services are free of charge, so fundraising is important. This year they are holding an ‘Auction of Promises’. This is where individuals, or businesses can make a pledge of an item of value, an experience, or their skill or talent for an hour or two. Call 0300 200 0025 or email info@wsms.org.uk A group of 17 volunteers from the Heathlands Reunited project were highly-commended in the National Parks’ UK Volunteer Awards, which recognises outstanding volunteers across the UK’s 15 National Parks. For more details on volunteering please visit www.southdowns.gov.uk/care-for/volunteering-2 After being hunted to extinction in the 16th century, the Beaver is coming back to Sussex. A partnership led by Sussex Wildlife Trust and the rewilding project at the Knepp Estate near Horsham, is re-introducing two pairs of beaver in either late spring 2020 or in the autumn, in Knepp’s Southern Block. West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service needs more retained (on-call) firefighters across the county particularly in East Grinstead, Turners Hill, Hurstpierpoint, Shoreham, Storrington, Petworth, Arundel and East Wittering. www.westsussex.gov.uk/fire. West Sussex County Council Fostering Team run regular information evenings for those who might be considering fostering. You can come along and have your questions answered, meet some of the team and hear from foster carers who want to share their experiences of fostering. 033 022 27775 Kelp once stretched along 40 km of the West Sussex coastline from Selsey to Shoreham, forming an underwater forest that extended at least 4 km seaward. It provided a vital sealife habitat and locked up huge quantities of carbon, helping us to fight climate change, while improving water quality and reducing coastal erosion by absorbing the power of ocean waves. But within living memory, kelp in Sussex waters has diminished to almost nothing due to trawling and the dumping of sediment spoils by dredging boats. To support the Help Our Kelp campaign and watch the film narrated by Sir David Attenborough, visit: sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/helpourkelp

The Sussex Pathfinders is an independent club with around 200 members, who share a common interest in walking for pleasure in the Sussex countryside, and beyond at weekends. Walks are not limited to Sussex as the club has an annual exchange visit with a French group, and also organises long distance walks and short breaks around the UK. Trips to Hadrian’s Wall and Derbyshire are planned for later this year. They also have occasional social events and visits to places of interest. For more details: www.sussex-pathfinders.co.uk or 07842 792962. West Sussex Connect to Support have updated their website bringing together lots of information about • ways to remain independent at home • equipment to help you around your home • advice on improving your health and wellbeing • ideas for things to do locally • support for carers www.westsussexconnecttosupport.org. For help using the website, call Adults’ CarePoint on 01243 642121 or email socialcare@westsussex.gov.uk Sussex Police & Crime Panel members have backed the decision to increase the police precept by £10 per year (for an average Band D property). 66% of snap poll respondents supported the increase.

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20 Charity & Community

Busy year for Hamblin Centre The Hamblin Centre, just outside of Bosham will be celebrating 2020 as the ‘Year of the Garden’ as it opens up its grounds as part of the National Garden Scheme. There are three open days, each celebrating a different flower. On 8th March the focus will be on the daffodils, on 14th June it will be the turn of the rose while on 19th July dahlias will take centre stage. Its three acres of beautiful gardens include a wildlife pond, a wildflower meadow and a rock garden. Boundary areas are left to nature providing a rich range of wildlife habitats. A biodiversity hotspot, the grounds also contain a wide variety of butterflies and moths as well as a huge range of other insect species. The Hamblin Centre is a place to regenerate, to learn and to unfold ones inner potential. Local people attend wellbeing workshops, talks or fitness classes, or visit for individual therapeutic treatment. Other people come to discover the Hamblin Centre’s tranquil gardens or to stay in one of the peaceful retreat lodges on site. www.hamblincentre.org.uk

Community notices printed free of charge. Please send yours to info@sussexlocal.net Arundel Festival needs you! Are you available between 21st –31st August? Become an Arundel Festival volunteer and play a vital role in making the award winning festival shine even brighter! The organisers are now actively seeking new volunteers to support delivering Arundel Festival 2020 and assist in contributing to an established, exciting, community creative arts event. Volunteering is a wonderful way to meet new people, gain experience in the festival world and be an Ambassador for our beautiful town. If you have two hours or two days let them know your availability and competencies and they will find you a role. sharon@landonsounds.com Charity seafront walk 14th March The Aldingbourne Trust are inviting people to join their coastal charity walk on Saturday 14th March, where you can enjoy a beautiful eight mile walk along the seafront from Littlehampton to Bognor Regis. The Trust now urgently needs to develop their private space for the adults with disabilities that they support. With over 60,000 visitors a year at the Country Centre it is important that there is a private area away from the general public for the people they support and train, spend their breaks, socialise with each other, receive advice and support. The Charity Walk will help the Trust to raise these much-needed funds to provide this inclusive space for the people they support and enable the Trust to provide more spaces to support adults with learning disabilities and/or autism within West Sussex. There is a fee of £10 per person to take part in the walk, which will go towards the Trusts current fundraising project.We would also welcome any additional fundraising through sponsorship and donations, if you would like any more information about how you can support their current fundraising project you can contact their fundraising team on 01243 544607 or lenar@aldingbourne.org. To register for the walk visitwww.aldingbournetrust.org/fundraising-events Arundel Lido new changing huts Arundel Lido have raised over £34,000 to pay for new changing huts and a Toddler Play area, thanks to the generosity of 55 backers from the community. The Duke of Norfolk and Earl of Arundel kindly donated £5,000 each and WSCC contributed £1,000. Arundel Lido would like to thank all its supporters and suppliers, Roundstone Bespoke and Sovereign Playgrounds who will install this no-maintenance build and play area ready for the start of the 2020 season. The summer season starts with free entry to everyone on Saturday 2nd May 2020 from 10am-7pm, and there is a Thai Food evening on 24th April. www.arundel-lido.com.

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Charity & Community 21

Scout group seeks volunteers Week by week, volunteers at 1st Barnham Scouts empower young people to learn new skills, make new friends and stand on their own two feet. They’re everyday heroes. They shape young people’s lives for the better, and find out a whole lot about themselves in the process, too. With three Beaver Scout Colonies, three Cub Scout Packs and two Scout Troops, the friendly team at 1st Barnham are kept busy, but it’s not always easy to keep up with the demand. The team are currently seeking new volunteers to join them. Whatever your skill set, you could lend a hand for as little or as much time as you can spare. Whether you’re helping a leader to run an activity in the local park, organising a night away, or buttering 120 slices of bread for a group of very hungry beaver scouts –no two scout activities are the same. The Scouts provide training, so all you need to do is show up, get stuck in, and start making memories for life. Extra help is currently needed with Beavers and Cubs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Barnham and Walberton and with behind the scenes tasks including book keeping and secretarial duties as part of the trustee committee. For more information contact Mark Guy join@1stbarnhamscouts.org.uk Barnham Cubs at Bognor Fire Station

Arundel gets a PCSO In November 2019 Sussex Police reintroduced area coverage for Police Community Support Officers having withdrawn this in 2016. Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Ollie Smith has been in post covering Arundel and Courtwick since November and has been in and around the town during the course of his duties since this time so if you see him, do go up and say hello. When they are not responding to incidents and assisting with emergencies, PCSOs main areas of responsibility are: dealing with anti-social behaviour including driving related, investigating low level crimes and visiting victims, safeguarding vulnerable people, gathering community intelligence, problem solving and providing reassurance and crime prevention advice. You can contact Ollie via arun@sussex.pnn.police.uk. Residents can also help by passing on any information, reporting crime and antisocial behaviour via 101, 999 or the Sussex Police website www.sussex.police.uk Arundel Project update At the end of last year, 200 residents attended "Love Arundel? Let's talk!” meetings and posted 1,700 thoughts and ideas about the town. If you want to learn more about the project there is a resident debrief presentation at the Town Hall on Wednesday 1st April at 7pm. www.letstalkarundel.com

ALL FIVE SERVICES INSPECTED BY CQC GOOD! I could tell you all about Woodlands House and its facilities as if I was describing a hotel, for example the beautiful individual rooms, the designer bathrooms, wi-fi, HD TV, telephones, spacious gardens, etc all of which Woodlands has!!!! However when I was searching for a room for my own Mother all those years ago I do not remember any of these concerns being uppermost in my mind. What I do remember is the fear of making the wrong decision, whether I was "doing the right thing...” remembering "Don't ever put me in an old peoples home"; but knowing in my heart and head that this was the very best decision I could make. What was so heart-breaking was the role reversal of taking and accepting the responsibility of making such a life changing choice on behalf of a loved one, and it was the hardest decision I had ever had to make. Finding the type of care available within the many different homes is daunting in itself. Do I want a new large modern home with all the "facilities" bright walls, all new staff.. or do I want the home that offers the nearest possible likeness to a home? With familiar staff, many who have been at the same home for years and years with the maximum experience and ongoing training within that same home with a Manager who is in daily contact with every residents and staff? Do I want to see every certificate for every course and pictures of member of staff because there are so many, or do I want to be greeted by the same team week in week out? These same staff knowing my loved one not only during the day but also at night, when they are alone and feeling lost? Knowing - without referring to records - that it's Horlicks and not chocolate that she will appreciate at 2am? If you are thinking along these lines come and visit Woodlands House for a chat and feel the homely atmosphere for yourself. 5* GOOD AT EVERY LEVEL {CQC Inspection} Reviews on www.carehome.co.uk Oonagh Manager/Proprietor: email: house.woodlands@gmail.com or telephone: 01903 725458 or 07815 762623 5* GOOD AT EVERY LEVEL