Charity & Community

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Sussex Snippets Thirty-two children‟s artworks created doing The Bowdleflodes Wildlife Project from local schools will be exhibited at Arundel Museum during half term from 26 Oct –3 Nov 2019. „Meet the Bowdleflodes‟ Children‟s Art Exhibition is part of The Bowdleflodes Wildlife Project, a free educational activity which teaches children about the care of endangered species and conservation using the visual arts. Free entry for all visitors. More good causes and community projects will be helped in the future as a new „forever fund‟ has been created for the South Downs National Park (SDNP). To kick start the endowment, Southern CoOp has donated £10,000, together with £100,000 from the Trust and £100,000 of match-funding from the SDNP Authority. Any organisation interested in making a grant application should email mark.rose@southdownstrust.org.uk or call 01730 819219 for an initial conversation about the project. Please note the next deadline for all grant applications is 2nd March 2020. 130 local trekkers braved windy and muddy conditions to walk the marathon distance of 26.2 miles across the South Downs, raising money for local hospice St Barnabus House. The marathon trekkers raised over £40,000 for the hospice. The highest

fundraising group were a team of six men from Project Spartan - who are on track to raise an incredible £3,500 for the St Barnabus House. Sir David Attenborough is backing a pioneering campaign to restore a vast underwater kelp forest off the Sussex coast. Historically, kelp was abundant along the West Sussex coastline, but this important habitat has since diminished over time. Restoring the kelp would bring back marine wildlife and replenish the local fisheries. It would also help fight Climate Change as kelp forests can lock up carbon just as effectively as woodland. Through the Help Our Kelp partnership, Sussex Wildlife Trust want to bring back the kelp forest, but they need community support. To find out how you can help, watch the Trust‟s „Help Our Kelp‟ video at sussexwildlifetrust.org/helpourkelp Brighton and Hove Triathlon entries for the 2020 race are now open and are expected to book up quickly. This year had the largest participation to date, with over 1600 competitors, organisers hope to exceed this next year. www.brightonandhovetriathlon.com A new tech recycling charity Business2Schools has now received formal charitable status from the charity commission. Business2Schools puts business and schools in touch so that they can exchange valuable tech equipment and save thousands of pounds worth of tech equipment from being unnecessarily sent to landfills. www.business2schools.com At the most recent National Policing Board, Ministers confirmed that funding to recruit the first tranche of 6000 police officers is now allocated to forces and Sussex will be able to recruit 129 over the next 18 months. This is on top of the 250 extra police officers that Sussex Police have already started recruiting over the next four years. It is great news and means that Sussex Police numbers will rise by 379. More than £18,000 has been raised after the community has rallied round to help reverse the decline of bees in the South East. A flurry of donations and fundraisers over the past few months have boosted the Bee Lines campaign, which was launched on World Bee Day on May 20th by the South Downs National Park Trust. Now the charity is calling on community groups across the region to get behind the fundraising drive, which aims to restore flowerrich habitats and create a haven for pollinators in the South Downs. www.southdownstrust.org/beelines The future of Shoreham‟s multi-award winning Ropetackle Arts Centre is set to be secured after Adur District Council agreed to step in to provide thousands of pounds of funding. Urgent action is needed to stem carbon emissions, reduce pollution and protect wildlife. The South Downs Youth Action Days are for anyone aged between 16 and 25 who is passionate about environmental action and is looking to learn practical skills to conserve and enhance the South Downs National Park. Action days are free for young people wanting to get involved across half term. southdowns.gov.uk Please email notices to: info@sussexlocal.net

through the door

Charity & Community 21

Sea defences discovered in Chichester from World War II A military artefact from the Second World War will be put on display, following its discovery on a development site in Chichester. Developers working at the Barnfield Drive site in Chichester made a fascinating discovery of more than 100 anti-tank blocks while carrying out ground investigation work for the new Lidl food store. These large concrete blocks, each measuring five feet cubed, were intended to be used in the defence of Chichester during the Second World War, to halt German forces landing on the beach and prevent them from advancing inland. One of these blocks will be installed as a memorial for residents and visitors to appreciate on the site of the new store development.

John Wells ©

Government praises Chichester road cleanliness Chichester District Council has been recognised for its efforts in keeping the A27 clean and litter free. In an independent assessment, commissioned by The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the A27 achieved a consistently high standard of cleanliness. The survey, which was carried out by Keep Britain Tidy, assessed roads where responsibility for cleaning is held by the local authority. In total, 194 local authorities were assessed. In the Chichester District, Highways England is responsible for the A27, but Chichester District Council is responsible for keeping it clean. To help reduce litter in the district, the council introduced a successful „Against Litter‟ campaign. So far this has reminded people that littering is a crime; introduced litter enforcement officers; worked with the community to Adopt an Area; and launched a Green Dog Walkers® scheme. The latest stage of the campaign focuses on fly tipping, as well as accidental littering on the highways. Make your own festive cards If you would like to unleash your creative side and make something unique for friends and family this Christmas, Chichester Cathedral is holding a 'Printed Seasonal Cards' adult craft workshop with professional printmaker, Cath Bristow. During the workshop, you‟ll learn the basics of relief printing and produce beautiful handmade cards. You will be able to design your artwork, prepare and cut your soft lino block and print your cards by hand. Experimenting with coloured inks and papers, at the end of the day you will take away a set of cards and gift tags, as well as your carved lino block so that you can carry on printing at home. The workshop runs at the Cathedral on Thursday 14 November from 10am–3pm and costs £50pp. Please call 01243 782595 to book your place or visit www.chichestercathedral.org.uk Chichester’s Oakwood School Children at Chichester‟s Oakwood School have come up with a fun way to start raising money and awareness for their two nominated charities this year. They are learning to braid hair thanks to local salon, KC Hair Boutique, at a cost of £5 each, with all proceeds going towards The OHMI Trust, which pioneers the development and adaptation of musical instruments for people who are physically disabled, and Sage House –Dementia Support, based in Tangmere.

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Cat & Rabbit Rescue Centre Hello from your favourite reporter at the Cat and Rabbit Rescue Centre in Sidlesham - Hulky Bear (that‟s me, right). It has been a sad week at The Centre as we recently lost one of our out and abouters and one of my best friends Caellum. He was an extraordinary cat whose legacy will live on at The Centre forever. Ten years ago he was in a horrific accident and if it was not for his will to live he would have never survived. But he thrived and even with three legs, one eye and wire in his jaw he had 10 happy years. Sadly it was Caellum‟s time to walk over the rainbow bridge and he died peacefully, surrounded by all those who loved him dearly. He has become a legend at CRRC and has touched the hearts of everyone, loving a fuss and being the centre of attention. Staff will also be raising funds in Caellum‟s memory, if you would like to help please find more details on our website: crcc.co.uk Well can you believe it‟s already nearly Christmas? Our Christmas Fayre at The Centre is on the 3rd November, it is always nice to see so many lovely people supporting the Centre. If you can‟t make it I hope you will visit some of my lovely volunteers at one of our other Christmas events. Please see our website for all our upcoming events www.crrc.co.uk/events.

Tinwood Estate welcomes two tawny owls Tinwood Estate has welcomed two rescued Tawny Owls who will make the vineyard their home. The owls were rescued by Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital before being moved to a purpose-built home in Tinwood's vineyards. After one of the owner's volunteered at the hospital earlier this year, Tinwood offered to provide a home for Brent Lodge's rescued animals to recuperate. Over the coming weeks, the owls will continue to recover at the vineyard before being re-introduced into the wild later this Autumn. It is expected that they will make the woods surrounding the vines their permanent home. The owls - a male and a female - are juveniles aged around six months old. They were spotted by dog walkers who noticed that they had fallen from a nest on a footpath near Chichester and were in need of help. The walkers contacted Brent Lodge, the wildlife hospital in Sidlesham, who rescued the birds. Brent Lodge provides treatment, care and rehabilitation to UK wildlife casualties and orphans from West Sussex and East Hampshire, with the aim to get them fit and healthy for release back into the wild. The team treat 3,500 wildlife patients each year.