Charity & community news

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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 more 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. 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 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 our 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. We also have occasional social events, and visits to places of interest. www.sussexpathfinders.co.uk 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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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

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Duck Race call for stalls Last year’s Pulborough duck race was a great success, despite the weather’s attempts to scupper it! It was a great community event in the heart of the village, with 20 plus stalls, rowing challenges, raft races, ducks and the fabulous floats made by the children of St Mary’s school. Over 1300 tickets were sold and with charges for business stalls and sponsorship and prizes kindly donated by local businesses, funds generated included £500 to St Mary’s school, plus more monies to go to two other good causes. This year’s event is going to be even bigger, the organisers would love to see you there this year, so save the date - Saturday 6th June 2020 - booking forms and further details will be coming soon. Bury photo competition Bury Village Hall Day was a great success, with lots of visitors who had the opportunity to cast their vote for the winners of the first ever Bury Parish Photo Competition. With around forty entries, visitors to the hall were treated to a feast of photos all depicting scenes from Bury Parish, which includes the village of West Burton. Photos included scenery, sunsets and events, with the winners declared as Ewan Flowers from Bury with his Christmas road sign and Katka Marconi from Bury with two winning photos, one of a child and her dog on the bank of the River Arun at Bury and a frosty scene of this winter’s flooding.

Sarah Nelson, Village Hall Manager who oversaw the competition on the day said, “We were thrilled to have so many amazing entries showing what a truly beautiful part of the country we live in and it was great that so many people took the time to send their entries in. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who entered.” The winning entries are being made into pictures and will hang in the foyer of Bury Village Hall, with each year’s winners adding to the display. To see all the entries please visit the website at: www.buryparishcouncil.org.uk

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Horsham DC Local plan Horsham District Council (HDC) is reviewing its Local Plan which will set out planning policies and proposals for new development in Horsham District up to 2036. The Government requires all local planning authorities to review the Local Plan every five years. It has set a minimum target for the District of at least 965 new houses each year to 2036. HDC is also obliged to see if it can meet the housing needs from surrounding areas such as Crawley. This is a legal requirement. This could mean our housing number will rise to over 1,200 per year. This is an unprecedented challenge for the Council. The aim of the Local Plan is to allocate specific sites where it believes the new homes can be built over a long period so that everyone knows what is happening and for the council to be able to resist any inappropriate development. The Plan will set out how developments can be delivered in a sustainable way and support the delivery of community infrastructures, transport links and opportunities for local jobs. The Council is now consulting on the first complete draft of the Horsham District Local Plan 2019-2036. Your involvement in this process is very important to us. Please see the advertisement on page 29. The Draft Local Plan is available to read on the Council’s website and a copy is also available to view in local libraries and at the Council offices in Horsham.

Notices to info@sussexlocal.net. - events to www.sussexlocal.net Find out more and be ready to have your say by registering online at www.horsham.gov.uk/localplanreview Tel. 01403 215100 Free CPR and defibrillator course Heartstart is an initiative from British Heart Foundation to teach emergency lifesaving skills to the British public. The course includes: how to: recognise a heart attack and a cardiac arrest, help an unconscious person, perform CPR, help someone choking, respond to serious bleeding. A free ‘Heart Start’ session will be held at West Chiltington Church Hall Monday 16th March at 7pm and lasts around 2 ½ hours. There will also be a course in the same venue on Saturday 2nd May at 10am. The course is delivered by members of CHART, Community First Responders for West Chiltington and Pulborough. Numbers are limited but we can add your name to a waiting list. If you would like to attend a course, please go to the website www.chartonline.org.uk or phone 01798 812619.

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Notices to info@sussexlocal.net. - events to www.sussexlocal.net Prize photograph of Cissbury Joe James from Horsham has won People’s Choice Award in the South Downs National Park’s Annual Photography Competition. “Pony Heaven” received 2,020 unique votes –winning with just over 70 per cent of the online public poll. Joe ventured to Cissbury Ring to take the picture as he and his son Simon watched the sun go down. Joe, a 38-year-old security manager, who wins a £100 prize, said: “To win really means the world to me. The picture was just a bit of fun initially –I was trying out my new camera. We went up to Cissbury Ring and saw these ponies gathering around the tree. I just thought it was a perfect moment so I captured it straight away.” Joe, who is a local advocate for autism awareness through his own Facebook page, has been taking images for the past two years and has been honing his talent. “I’m autistic and proud,” said the dad-oftwo, who has never entered a photo competition before. Being autistic means I learn differently –so when I first got into photography, I looked at amazing photographs of landscape. I didn’t know what the composition was, but I was looking at what other photographers were doing. So I basically learned photography by looking at photographs. Being autistic

also allows me to hyperfocus on photography to really hone this skill so I can get the perfect image.” Charity seafront walk The Aldingbourne Trust are inviting people to join their coastal charity walk on Saturday 14th March, from Littlehampton to Bognor Regis. The Trust completed their new Quarry Building at the Aldingbourne Country Centre, which has enabled them to offer an additional 175 training spaces in their café, conference rooms and shop to support people with learning disabilities and autism living in the local area.. All ages can take part, and dogs are welcome too. The fun starts at Littlehampton Golf Club at 8.30am. Registration for the walk can be made by visiting www.aldingbournetrust.org/fundraising-events.