BBH Mag June 2023

St John's Church, Broadbridge Heath

have a job vacancy:

Part-time Youth & Children’s Team (YACHT) Coordinator to help lead our ministry to young people in our village.

Salary: up to £26,000 (pro-rata) given the appropriate experience.

For more details contact the church office by email:

office@stjohnsbbh.org.uk

Liberal Democrats take control of Horsham District Council as the Conservatives lose seats.

And both Broadbridge Heath councillors are still Liberal Democrats.

2023 Election results for Horsham District:

Horsham District voters went to the polls on Thursday 4 May.

Voters elected 48 District Councillors

The average overall turnout at the election was 37.32%.

The overall make-up of Horsham District Council is now as follows:

In Broadbridge Heath ward the votes counted for each candidate were:

We had a great time celebrating the Coronation and, as usual, our Mandy made a spectacular rich fruit cake which not only looked amazing, it tasted wonderful.

We were joined by members of other local WIs to enjoy a very interesting and fun talk from specialist in Sussex history, Helen Poole.

She told us how King Charles II made his escape following the execution of his father. We learnt about the people who helped him on his perilous 615 mile journey south and how he ended up here in Sussex, eventually leaving from Shoreham, in a boat (named Surprise’) that was normally used for transporting coal. After crossing the Channel to Normandy, he spent the next nine years in exile in France before returning to England and enjoying his own coronation in Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661.

Our next get together will be a garden party so we’re keeping our fingers crossed for good weather!

For more information about Broadbridge Heath WI, email: BBHWI@uwclub.net or phone Maureen on: 01403 268963

Catch Up With The Broadbridge Bombshells WI

Our April meeting and the coronation seem a while ago now, but both were important for our WI. At our meeting we talked about the proposed resolution that the WI will be campaigning on nationally next year, and we all voted in favour of supporting the resolution ‘Clean Rivers and Waterways for People and Wildlife. There always seems to be something in the news about water companies discharging sewage into our rivers, so let’s hope we can affect some changes going forward.

The issues the WI campaign on are important to us, as is having a fun and we made sure we had lots of that as well. Our new president Sandra had put together an April Fools themed quiz and we pitted our wits to win top prize… a bar of chocolate for each team member.

We also officially said a big thank you to Rowena, our outgoing, founding president of The Bombshells WI in very ‘Bombshells’ fashion by presenting her with a delicious selection of wine which the members had clubbed together to buy.

The Coronation celebrations were in full swing at our sister WI, and a group of Bombshells went along to their meeting. We enjoyed a very interesting talk on Charles II and his relationship to Sussex: during the civil war, Charles II managed to escape to France via Chichester, Arundel, Shoreham and Brighton with much jeopardy in between. We also enjoyed a cup and a right royal slice of this beautiful coronation cake made by Mandy.

We are always pleased to welcome new members to our friendly group, so if all this sounds like your idea of fun, then please check out our website and Facebook page or email for further info.

email: bbhwi1951@gmail.com

website: https://www.broadbridgebombshellswi.co.uk/

BROADBRIDGE HEATH SCOUT GROUP

On 23rd April, St George’s Day, Broadbridge Heath Scout Group was on parade in Horsham Town Centre along with all the other Scout Groups in the District.

At Easter the Beaver Scouts had a space themed sleepover. They learned about astronauts, the solar system and the constellations. By the end of the weekend they had earned their ‘Space badge’.

Both the Cub and Beaver sections have been busy with numerous activities. The Beavers have been kept very busy with first aid and team building sessions and the always popular junk modelling where they can let their imaginations run wild. The Cubs have also had a first aid session and have been working towards their Air Activities badge, which is sponsored by the Royal Air Force. They also had a joint meeting at the campsite there the Cubs built the campfire.

As the Scout section meet on a Monday evening they have had fewer meetings than usual due to Bank Holidays, but I am sure that they will soon make up for lost time.

Broadbridge Heath Parish Council

www.broadbridgeheath-pc.gov.uk Email: admin@broadbridgeheath-pc.gov.uk Facebook: Like our page, Broadbridge Heath Parish Council Parish Office Tel: 01403 900665

We would love to see you at our “Meet your Councillors” evening on Tuesday 13th June, between 7pm & 9pm at the Parish Office, Sargent Way. An informal evening with the opportunity to meet the Councillors and Officers and discuss any village matters.

Due to an un-contested election the Council currently has Councillor vacancies.

If you are interested in becoming a Parish Councillor or would like any more information please do get in touch via email or come along to one of the Council meetings.

New Monster Play Park at Village Centre Recreation Field

Broadbridge Heath Parish Council are very pleased to update you regarding the longawaited new Monster Play Park to be installed at the Village Centre Recreation field. This playpark has been funded by Section 106 funding. Section 106 funding is paid by developers and is used on community infrastructure projects. There was allocated S106 funds specifically allocated for improving access and improving and expanding equipment at the Village Centre.

This project proposal commenced back in 2018. The monster concept was derived because of the Frankenstein story written by Mary Shelley, wife of the late poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was born at Field place. The tender process was carried out and awarded to Kompan. The final design was agreed by Council in summer 2019 with a formal order placed in September 2019. The design was shared with Shelley School by Cllr Christine Knight and the final design will include bespoke monsters designed by children from the school.

Due to the location of the playpark, some challenges arose with the access to the site and the installation requirements which meant that a new vehicular access was required. Added to this, Covid delays, increase in material costs, road layout changes and therefore road license requirements the project has hit some considerable delays and challenges out of the Parish Council’s control. We were delighted when the new access was finally completed in January this year, and we could commence installation plans!

The design has been slightly tweaked from the original to now include a footpath from the new access meaning that it can be easily accessed from the shared footpath. It is also planned for this new access to be gated, for both pedestrians and vehicle access for maintenance requirements. The design does include keeping some of the existing pieces of play equipment but also lots of new pieces including a new Multi-spinner Carousel and 3-Seater Carousel.

We are excited to share that the installation is planned to commence week commencing 22nd May (weather and grounds permitting) and will last approximately 6 weeks. Whilst we recognise the playpark will be closed for the May half term it is hoped to be completed for the school summer holidays!

We hope you share the Council’s excitement for this new playpark.

Coronation Picnic

Thank you to BBH Gala Association for organising the Picnic to celebrate The King’s Coronation. It was great to see the dry weather and children enjoying the Crown crafts. We also handed out Wildflower Seed envelopes to mark the occasion and have some left available at the office for anyone that would like some: please just pop in or get in touch.

Priority registers for Services

A recent water supply issue to the area highlighted the need to ensure those that may require Priority Services are registered. If you, relatives or maybe friends and neighbours may need help should power, gas or water cuts occur, please make sure that you or they register for priority support. You can help everybody by passing on this message. The Priority Services Register is a free support service to help people in vulnerable situations. Energy suppliers and network operators offer it. Each keeps their own register, although some share with each other.

OFGEM has a summary at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energyadvice-households/getting-extra-help-priority-services-register, and this includes help in finding the suppliers in your area. As various energy suppliers and network operators are active in Sussex, the following are the ones who cover most of the county, but there are some others. If you try to register with the wrong operator they will usually steer you in the right direction.

Electricity

– most of the SE of England https:// www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/power-cut/priority-services/about-the-priority-servicesregister

UK Power Networks

SSEN – parts of the West of Sussex https://www.ssen.co.uk/PriorityServices/

Water

Southern Water https://www.southernwater.co.uk/help-advice/join-our-priority-services

-register

South East Water https://www.southeastwater.co.uk/get-help/help-for-prioritycustomers

The Parish Office is open every Tuesday, 10am-12pm. You are very welcome to drop-in with any enquiries, feedback or questions you may have.

Please email the office for appointments at alternative times, thank you.

FULL COUNCIL MEETINGS AT THE PARISH OFFICE

· Monday 5th of June 19:30

· Monday 3rd of July 19:30

“Meet your Councillors”

· Tuesday 13th June 19:00-21:00

PCSO ADRIAN BELL, DROP IN SESSIONS AT THE PARISH OFFICE

· Tuesday 20th June 10:00-12:00

· Tuesday 25th July 10:00-12:00

(Other dates will continue throughout the year)

AGE UK— Cuppa & Chat continues monthly at the Shelley Arms Pub

· Tuesday 6th June 13.30-15.30

· Tuesday 4th July 13:30-15:30

We are pleased to share, we now facilitate a food bank drop-off point supporting Horsham Matters. If you wish to donate items, this can be done during our Parish Office opening hours: Tuesdays 10am-12pm.

BBH Mag Sport

News from local sports clubs. If you would like to publish your sports news in this magazine please contact the Editor by email: bbh.mag@gmail.com

FOOTBALL Broadbridge Heath Football Club

The season has proved to be our best ever, with promotion for the first time ever to the Isthmian League as Champions of the Southern Combination League Premier Division. We played 38 league matches, won 27, drawn 6 and lost only 5 while scoring 93 goals and conceding just 33.

A fantastic achievement for everyone involved at the club and beyond the dreams of many of our older supporters who saw us struggle for years with no home of our own at the old Leisure Centre but as the saying goes "good things come to those who wait but great things come to those who take action". Well we did have to wait a very long time, 21 years from the time control of the bar and social club within the old Leisure Centre was taken away from the Football Club until the time we moved into our new facilities in August 2019 and all that time our club officials worked miracles to keep the club afloat while working closely with the Parish Council and the District Council to ensure the continuation of the club in the village for future generations.

So next season our little old village football team will be playing against teams from right across the south east of England, from Ramsgate in the East to Horndean in the West, a new adventure with new grounds and a new experience, can't wait for the season to start.

Elsewhere, we had a really successful 5-a-side tournament over the Bank Holiday weekend of the 29th, 30th and 1st May, as well as football we had a Raffle, BBQ, Bouncy Castle, Cake Stall, Ice Cream and Bar and on Saturday it was Party Night in the Club with DJ80 and an Auction all helping to raise funds for the Club with a healthy donation to our chosen charity "Little Roo".

Our Club Room, "The Venue", at Broadbridge Heath Football Club is an ideal location to hold local events within the village, so if you've not visited us already, then come along and see what we can offer. If you have a party or function enquiry then please give Helen Kowalkowski our Community & Events Coordinator. a call or send her an email to discuss your plans in more detail Tel. 01403 283165 or email helenkowalkowski@outlook.com

To see what events are on at the Venue please visit our website at : www.thevenuehorshamuk.com/whats-on

CRICKET: Broadbridge Heath Cricket Club

Unfortunately, whilst the cricket season has begun around the country, no games have been played yet at the heath. The maiden game of the season will hopefully take place on the 18th May as the second XI slam team play their first T20 vs Nuthurst. Neither the 1st or 2nd XI have been able to play a league match at home, with just the one away game taking place for the Twos. That match saw Rudgwick chase a low BBHCC total on a slow wicket at the Rudgwick ground.

The very wet weather over the past few months has meant no games have been playable on the Broadbridge Heath pitch. Whilst square preparation has proceeded, the outfield is too wet to cut and play on. However, over the coming month, all games look to be on as the weather brightens up. We are looking forward to putting out some strong teams for the coming season. Both teams will be entering sides for the Saturday leagues and the T20 midweek competitions, and have performed strongly in previous seasons. If you wish to play in any of our teams, we welcome all new players. You can contact us at secretary@bbhcc.co.uk or chairman@bbhcc.co.uk

Additionally, a topic that has divided opinion, electronic scoring is coming into the grassroots scene. We have trialed it at a few games, and whilst it seems hard to replace good old pen and paper, it allows you to follow along live (next it will be holograms). You can catch up on any Broadbridge Heath games, and find further information on the club, by searching Broadbridge Heath Playcricket, and heading to our ECB hosted website.

JOIN OUR FRIENDLY TEAM OF DISTRIBUTORS.

Christ’s Hospital School

Performing Arts Events

Wednesday 14 June at 8.00pm

Grecians’ Valedictory Concert

Thursday 22, Friday 23, Saturday 24 June at 7.30pm Summer Production - HONK!

Sunday 25 June at 4.00pm A Concert of Chamber Music

Wednesday 28 June at 7.30pm Big Band Concert

For tickets, pricing, or further information, please visit our website or call the Box Office: Email: boxoffice@christshospital.org.uk

Website: www.christs-hospital.org.uk Tel: 01403 247434

Vicar: Mark Lavender

You can find us on Church Road, Broadbridge Heath: look for the triangular shaped building. To contact the church office: The Church Office, St John’s Hall, Church Road, Broadbridge Heath, RH12 3LD email: office@stjohnsbbh.org.uk.org.uk www.stjohnsbbh.org.uk

St John’s Events – June 2023

Every Wednesday - Early Bird Café 8.45 – 10.00 am. Come along for Fair Trade coffee/tea, toast and biscuits. No charge but donations welcome. All ages welcome. Toys for toddlers. Contact Val 01403 260179

Wednesday 7 June & 5 July – Craft Social 9.30 – 12.00. Come along and join in at any time – just bring along something crafty, enjoy some fellowship, swap ideas, share resources … and be creative! Cost £2 to cover hall hire and refreshments.

Wednesday - 21 June - Village Lunch - All are welcome to join us for food and fellowship at St John’s Community Hall BBH 12 for 12.30 pm. Cost is £4 per head on the day. Menu is Gammon and Parsley Sauce followed by Mini Pavlova. To book please call Charlotte on 01403 267673 by the previous Sunday.

Monday 26 June - Age UK Tea & Friendship Group 2 pm - Tea & Cake - £1

Praying for our local streets

At St John’s Church we are praying every month for a set of roads in the village. If you would like something prayed for, email us: office@stjohnsbbh.org.uk

In June we are praying for everyone in:

Edwards Close, Heydon Way. Palmer Avenue, Langridge Lane, Farley Close, Ellis Road, Low Weald Lane, Slingsby Close

08.30 am Communion Service 10.30 am Morning Worship (with children’s groups) 10.30 am First Sunday - All-Age 10.15 am Midweek Communion (Every Wednesday)

Rev. Dr. Mark Lavender, Vicar, St John’s church, Broadbridge Heath

I wonder what you thought of the recent coronation of our new king? For me, the most dramatic and potentially significant part was the moment in the service that we were not allowed to see. It was the moment where King Charles was anointed with oil. And the pouring of oil over a king’s head goes back to the bible where kings were anointed with oil by a priest.

There are 2 types of anointing mentioned in the bible: Material anointing - done by people, usually a priest and it involves pouring oil over someone; and Spiritual anointing - done by God, where God pours his Holy Spirit on people.

The first was done as a ceremony (just like King Charles had) to recognise important people in the Jewish nation (prophets, priests and kings). And they were anointed or declared sacred, set apart for God, because their job was to speak for God (prophet), pray to God for the people (priest) or rule and govern on behalf of God (kings).

This first (material) anointing was seen as an outward symbol or sign of the second type which was what God was doing on the inside of a person – filling them with his Holy Spirit, and the good news is this is not reserved for ‘special people’ anymore. Anyone can be filled or anointed with God’s Spirit and when we are filled with God’s Spirit we receive his presence, protection, promises, healing, joy, salvation, and deliverance. So, the pouring of oil is actually nothing special but what it represents, is. And we have lots of things like this in church which we call sacramental acts.

In Baptism – we pour water over somebody – but we’re not doing it to make them clean on the outside, but it is an outward sign of an inner truth – that God is washing away our sin, making us clean by his holy spirit. In Communion – we eat bread and drink wine which are symbols of Jesus’ body and blood to remember that inside the Holy Spirit has set us free from death and given us eternal life like Jesus. Even in Marriage, we wear rings as a symbol to represent the agreement, the covenant that we make to one another.

But Oil, water, rings, even communion bread and wine – none of them can change us. There is nothing magical/mystical about oil or water – it’s a symbol of what God is doing inside. It’s not the symbol that is important but what God is doing on the inside of us - the anointing by God.

So, anointing by God is when God’s spirit gives you wisdom, insight, ability, stamina, provision, authority or protection that you don’t normally have without God in order to do a job which he has called you to do. I would encourage you to seek God’s anointing on your life today because He will resource you for whatever you are called to do.

Have a great month!

Rev. Dr. Mark Lavender

Karen MacDonald

The Financial Fairy Godmother of Broadbridge Heath

Time to re-evaluate?

Covid restrictions are now becoming a distant memory. I remember people commenting that things like travel would never be the same again, but last year it was recorded1 that we had reached 75% of pre-pandemic levels. Having said that, it is business travel that has suffered the most as the corporate world has realised that the majority of meetings can now be held virtually.

'Zoom' was in the right place, at the right time. I know that I for one hadn’t heard of this software prior to the pandemic, then suddenly 'Zoom' became a household name during the lockdown, uniting families and business clients online. It has meant less travelling for me, I can use my time much more effectively because I am also available for shorter meetings if a client requires this.

But it's not just travel that has been affected by flexible working, house prices have too. As many people are now working from home either full or part time, it’s not now necessary to live near city centres, and the popularity of rural and coastal properties has increased. Consider the historic seaside town of Aldeburgh in Suffolk: Rightmove reported that between 2019 and 2022 property prices went up by 20%.

Employment in the UK has also been affected according to a report2 that the UK was the only developed country with fewer people in work than before the pandemic, due to a surge in early retirement and ill health.

So, have you re-evaluated your goals since Covid? It’s important to reconsider your goals regularly, learning from what has happened. I can be used as a sounding board, so if you would like to discuss your goals and whether they are financially viable why not pick up the phone for a free no-obligation initial consultation.

1CAA (Civil Aviation Authority)

2The Telegraph, 10 November 2022